Voting now open in YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten
Contact: Stephanie Kuenn
YALSA Communications Specialist
312-280-2128
NEWS
For Immediate Release
August 25, 2009
CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), invites all teens to get out the vote for the Teens’ Top Ten. Teens can vote for their favorite books from the last year in the annual poll at
www.ala.org/teenstopten. Voting will begin early this year, with polls open from Aug. 24 to Sept. 18.
“YALSA wants to make sure that at this time of year, when teens’ normally busy lives might be even more packed with start of school activities, that they have plenty of time to cast their votes,” said Linda Braun, YALSA president. “Extending the voting period from one week to four weeks gives librarians ample opportunity to get the word out to teens at their school or in their communities.”
The 25 nominees for this year’s Teens’ Top Ten are available at
www.ala.org/teenstopten, along with bookmarks, flyers and other promotional tools for librarians to promote voting for the Teens’ Top Ten to the young adults visiting their libraries.
Teens’ Top Ten, an initiative of YALSA’s Young Adult (YA) Galley project, allows teens to voice their choices for their favorite books each year—it’s the only reading list with titles nominated and voted on by teens .Voting takes place through Sept. 18 at
www.ala.org/teenstopten. Twenty-five titles from this year and last made the list, which can be viewed at
www.ala.org/teenstopten. The final 2009 Teens’ Top Ten list will be announced in a webcast during Teen Read Week, Oct. 18-24, 2009.
“The more teens that vote for the list the more authentic it will be,” said Braun. “Through participation in the nomination and voting process, teens have the chance to be actively and positively engaged in the Teens’ Top Ten as a library and literacy activity, which helps them feel empowered and a part of their community.”
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.