Anastasi wins stipend to attend YALSA’s 2012 symposium

CHICAGO — Meg Anastasi, a reference and teen librarian with the Springfield (Mass.) City Library and a teen services coordinator with Meekins Public Library, Williamsburg, Mass., won the 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium worker stipend from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The stipend provides Anastasi with up to $1,000 to attend the 2012 symposium, to be held Nov. 2-4 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch in St. Louis.

“Through my experience working with teens I have learned that teens who have something to “hold on to,” be it a sport, a hobby, a job, or some other interest, have the easiest time reaching adulthood,” Anastasi wrote in her application. “My job, as a teen librarian, is to help the teens find that interest, that skill, or whatever makes the teen feel needed and special.”

Supervisor Maeleah Carlisle highlighted Anastasi’s exceptional dedication to teen programs and collection development; initiating new programs and working hard to develop relationships with local teens.

The Young Adult Literature Symposium will be held Nov. 2–4, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch in St. Louis, with a theme of “The Future of Young Adult Literature: Hit Me with the Next Big Thing.” The symposium is funded in part by the William C. Morris Endowment. Details about the symposium, including registration rates and housing information, are available at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.