Contact: Stephanie Kuenn


YALSA Communications Specialist


(312) 280-2128


skuenn@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


July 15, 2008

YALSA Board adopts strategic plan, research journal

CHICAGO —The Board of Directors of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), adopted a new strategic plan and voted to create a new online research journal at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.

After months of discussions and input from YALSA members, leaders and other stakeholders, the board created the nine-page document to create goals for the association and establish a vision for its future. The five core goal/objective areas are advocacy, marketing, research, continuous learning and member recruitment and engagement. To see the full plan, visit
www.ala.org/yalsa and click on “About YALSA.”

“With a fresh set of goals and objectives, YALSA's strategic plan will guide us into the twenty-first century,” said YALSA President Sarah Debraski. “YALSA’s last strategic plan resulted in great gains for our association. By updating our focus and emphasizing on advocacy, marketing, research, continuous learning and member engagement, we’ll continue to grow the field of YA librarianship and keep YALSA a leader within the industry.”

With increasing research one of its core goals, the board also approved creating an online research journal. YALSA’s research committee will create a mission statement and refereeing process for the journal and submit to the board for approval at the 2009 Midwinter Meeting, after which YALSA will establish a website and find an editor.

“YALSA is committed to sharing the most relevant, interesting research in the field of YA librarianship,” Debraski said. “It's part of our strategic plan, and establishing a research journal is an excellent way for us to demonstrate our commitment to research and showcase the outstanding work that's being done regarding teen library services.”

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books 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.