Stephanie Kuenn
YALSA Communications Specialist
312-280-2128
skuenn@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release
September 30, 2008

YALSA offers $34,000 in grants for conference, research and more

CHICAGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will offer more than $34,000 worth of grants and awards to YALSA members. YALSA members can use the awards to attend ALA Annual Conference for the first time, start a research program, add to their library’s collection and much more.

“These grants are available to help and reward members, and I hope every member will consider applying,” said YALSA President Sarah Cornish Debraski. “It's an important way for YALSA to invest in its members and libraries.”

The deadline to apply for the following grants and awards is Dec. 1. To learn more, visit www.ala.org/yalsa, and click on “Awards and Grants.”

• Baker and Taylor/YALSA Conference Grants. Funded by the Baker and Taylor Company, two grants of $1,000 each are awarded to librarians who work directly with young adults in a public or school library to enable them to attend the Annual Conference for the first time.
• BWI/YALSA Collection Development Grant. This grant awards $1,000 for collection development to YALSA members who represent a public library and work directly with young adults ages 12 to 18. It is funded by Book Wholesalers, Inc.
• MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens. The MAE Award, which replaces the Sagebrush Award, is designed to honor a member of YALSA who has developed an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults. The award provides $500 to the winner and an additional $500 to the winner's library. The award is made possible through the Margaret A. Edwards Trust.
• Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Research Grant. The Henne grant increases this year to offer $1,000 of seed money for small-scale projects that will encourage research that responds to the YALSA Research Agenda. Funding is provided by Scarecrow Press.
• Great Book Giveaway Competition. Each year, the YALSA office receives more than 1,200 newly published children's, young adult and adult books, videos, CD's and audio cassettes for review. YALSA and the cooperating publishers offer one year's worth of review materials as a contribution to a library in need. The estimated value of this collection is $30,000.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videosand audiobooks for teens. For more information about these awards or for additional lists of recommended reading, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. For more information about YALSA, please contact us via e-mail, yalsa@ala.org, or by phone at 1 –(800) 545-2433 ext. 4390.