Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Research Grant winner announced

Contact: Larra Clark


312-280-5043


lclark@ala.org

ALA News Release


For Immediate Release


January 2001

Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Research Grant winner announced

Patrick Jones received the 2001 Frances Henne/Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)/Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Research Grant. This $500 grant is sponsored by the YALSA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 11-16, 2001, in Washington, D.C.

Jones' research proposal, "Buyer Beware: Investigating the Quality of Customer Service to Young Adults in a Major Urban Public Library," is a creative and clear research proposal which supports young adults and the professionals who serve them. The YALSA Research Committee remarked that the use of teens in collecting the data and conducting the research is an exciting component of the proposal.

"I'm pumped!" said Jones upon learning he was this year's recipient of the $500 grant. "I wanted to get the teens' perceptions. What does the customer think about the service? Every time a teenager interacts with an adult, it is a moment of truth. It determines how teens will perceive libraries. I want to see how well library staff deal with that moment of truth."

Jones owns a consulting company called Connectingya.com in Minneapolis. He is currently co-authoring a book with Joel Shoemaker called "Do it Right: Best Practices for Serving Young Adults in School and Public Libraries," which focuses on customer service, and revising "Directions for Library Service to Young Adults."

The YALSA Research Committee members are: Monique LeConge (chair), Kay Bishop, University of South Florida at Tampa, Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Frances Jacobson, University High School Library, Urbana, Ill., Christine Jenkins, University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill., Melanie Kimball, University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill., Kathy Latrobe, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Benicia (Calif.) Public Library, and Mary Jane Tacchi, New York Public Library.

Applications for the 2002 Research Grant are available from the YALSA office or
online.