History of the Award

Dr. Katherine Schneider and her family endowed this American Library Association Award in 2003. Cheryl Malden was the ALA awards liaison tasked to form a committee and to establish the criteria for the award. The committee selected three winners in early 2004 to be honored at the ALA Awards presentation at ALA Annual.

The American Library Association (ALA) staff liaison arranged for the President of ALA to announce the 2005 Schneider Award winners at the ALA Youth Media Award Press Conference where all ALA children’s literature awards are officially announced.