Book Wholesalers, Inc./YALSA Collection Development Grant winners announced
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
312-280-4387
For Immediate Release
February 3, 2003
Book Wholesalers, Inc./YALSA Collection Development Grant winners announced
Two public librarians, Jeri L. Cain, Caroline County Public Library, Denton, Md. and Melanie Barker, Harvin Clarendon County Library, Manning, S.C., have been named winners of the Book Wholesalers, Inc./Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Collection Development Grant, administered by YALSA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
The grant, $1,000 donated by Book Wholesalers, Inc., is for collection development and is given to YALSA members who represent a public library and who work directly with young adults ages 12-18. The grant was announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 24-28 in Philadelphia.
This year's recipients represent two rural communities in which the library serves as a hub because of lack of recreational outlets in the region.
Caroline County Public Library has three branches and a bookmobile. They recently dedicated space to teens and are now looking for ways to build their collection. "What the library has heard so far from our teen customers is that we have too little recreational reading or programming," Cain said. Cain plans to use the grant to promote a better core collection. The teen advisory board, which she is currently working to form, will have the opportunity to help shape the service.
The second recipient is the Harvin Clarendon County Library, a community where teens must travel at least 20 miles to see a movie, go bowling or go skating. Many teens routinely use the library for school projects and leisure reading, as well as using the computers for research or word processing. With the current collection their choices are severely dated and limited. "This grant will allow the library to purchase titles by core young adult authors, and continue increasing our graphic novel series, providing an answer to the teen advisory board's question 'Are there any new books for us?'" said Barker.
This year's committee members are: Judy T. Nelson, chair, Pierce County (Wash.) Library System; Barbara Blosveren, Stratford (Conn.) Library Association; Theresa Borzumato, Random House (N.Y.); David Gale, Simon & Schuster (N.Y.); Jody Sharp, Harford County (Md.) Public Library; Jan Staudemeyer, Wauconda Area Library, (Ill.); Sandra Brown, K.I.T. (Conn.); Karlan Sick, New York Public Library; David Hrivnak, People's Library (Pa.); Jennifer Duffy, King County (Wash.) Library System.
