Recipients of YALSA’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award announced

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), has selected Chair of the 2018 Printz Award Committee, Angela Carstensen, the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Blogging Team, and Molly Wetta as recipients of its 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award.

The award acknowledges the contributions of YALSA members who have demonstrated outstanding service to the mission, goals and work of YALSA during a given service year.

“Serving on the Michael L. Printz Award committee has been a highlight of my career,” said Carstensen. “The opportunity to volunteer with YALSA alongside exceptional colleagues who share a passion for young adult literature is an honor and a huge pleasure.”

“The Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers 2018 blogging team is honored to be named YALSA’s Volunteers of the Year. Each member of the team rose to the challenge of transitioning to YALSA’s Hub blog,” said Dana Hutchins, Coordinator of the Quick Picks Blogging Team. “The team’s passion for finding accessible books for reluctant young adult readers that resonate with their own lives is reflected in the final selection list, which we are very proud to share with YALSA members and young adult librarians across the country.”

Upon hearing the news of being selected as a recipient, Wetta shared, “Writing for and then managing The Hub has been such a rewarding opportunity. I loved having the chance to get to work with so many dedicated and knowledgeable YALSA members who shared their expertise on collections for young adults and advocated for materials for teens. It was also exciting to work with the task force that planned for the transition of selected lists to The Hub, and I look forward to seeing how this process continues to more quickly share nominated titles and the final list with those who work for and with teens.”

Any official YALSA group or individual appointed to an official YALSA group is eligible for consideration for the Volunteer of the Year Award. For more information or to nominate someone, visit the Awards and Grants section of the YALSA website. Nomination forms are due no later than Dec. 1, 2018.

Members of the Volunteer of the Year Award Jury are: Chair Rachel Adams, Seattle, WA; Sarah Beavers, Kent (Ohio) State University School of Information; Anna Gentry, New Orleans, LA; Susan Jacobs, Alpena (Michigan) County George N. Fletcher Public Library; Valerie Tagoe, Dallas, TX; and Todd Krueger, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD.

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.