Steve Sheinkin to present Opening Session at 2014 ALSC Institute

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announced that award-winning author Steve Sheinkin will present the Opening General Session at the ALSC National Institute in Oakland, Calif. This event will take place at the Oakland Marriott City Center on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 and is sponsored by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Steve Sheinkin is the award-winning author of several riveting books on American history, including "The Notorious Benedict Arnold," which won the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for nonfiction. His recent book "Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon," was a Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award finalist, and winner of the Sibert Award as well as the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. He lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with his family.

Other confirmed Institute special events include a Breakfast for Bill program with Tim Federle, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Rita Williams-Garcia and Gene Luen Yang, facilitated by Jamie Campbell Naidoo, and an afternoon at Children’s Fairyland, including Mac Barnett, Daniel Handler, and Jennifer Holm. On Saturday, Sept. 20, Andrea Davis Pinkney will present the Closing General Session.

The Opening General Session is free for all individuals registered for the 2014 ALSC National Institute. All special events are included in the cost of registration. Also included are three meals: Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast, and Saturday breakfast.

“We’re very excited to have Steve present the Opening General Session,” said 2014 ALSC National Institute Planning Task Force chair Nina Lindsay. “Steve is well-known to our members for his success with 'Bomb' and other books. He’s an excellent speaker and we’re ecstatic that he’s agreed to be a part of the 2014 Institute.”

For more information and registration details for the 2014 ALSC National Institute please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/institute.

ALSC, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website: www.ala.org/alsc.