2008 Penguin Young Readers Group Award Winners named
Jenny Najduch
ALSC Marketing Specialist
(312) 280-4026
jnajduch@ala.org
For Immediate Release,
March 4, 2008
2008 Penguin Young Readers Group Award Winners named
CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has awarded four children's librarians with the 2008 Penguin Young Readers Group Award. The award consists of a $600 grant, sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group, for winners to attend their first ALA Annual Conference.
Barbara J. Head from Multnomah County Library in Portland, Ore.; Cheryl Fishman from Boynton Beach City Library in Boynton Beach, Fla.; Sara Jeffress from Tuzzy Consortium Library in Barrow, Ala.; and Madeline Walton-Hadlock from San Jose Public Library-Cruz Alum Rock Branch in San Jose, Calif. are the four winning librarians.
To be considered for the award, applicants must have less than 10 years of experience as a children's librarian and work directly with children. Also, the award is only available to first-time conference attendees.
“I love working with young people of all ages, and I am enthusiastic about the work I do and the many opportunities I have to teach and communicate the importance of literacy,” said award winner Walton-Hadlock. “By attending the 2008 ALA Annual Conference, I hope to gain information that will help me improve the services I offer to my community and bring back to my library new ideas for reaching the diverse urban population of San José.”
ALSC is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,200 children's and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for all children by creating better opportunities. To learn more about ALSC, visit their Web site at
www.ala.org/alsc.
Members of the 2008 Penguin Young Readers Group Award committee include: Alison O'Reilly, Austin Public Library Southeast Austin, Austin, Texas; Rita Auerbach, New York, N.Y.; Beth Blankley, Alvin Sherman Library at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Tracy-Lyn Van Dyne, Connetquot Public Library, Bohemia, N.Y.
