YALSA awards 20 libraries with 2014 Summer Reading Resources Grant

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has awarded 20 libraries with the Summer Reading Resources Grant.

The grant is made possible through the generous sponsorship from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Each grant is worth $1,000.

The grant’s purpose is to help fund a library’s summer reading program by allowing it to purchase literacy resources that will strengthen and expand the impact of its summer reading program.

The grant recipients are as follows:

• Allyson Evans, Charles County Public Library; La Plata, Md.
• April Wallace, Pinson (Ala.) Public Library
• Bethany Miller, Northwest High School Library; Cincinnati.
• Cynthia Shutts, White Oak Library District; Romeoville, Ill.
• Donna Hughes, Handley Regional Library; Winchester, Va.
• Elissa Valente,William K Sanford Town Library; Loudonville, N.Y.
• Jaclyn Lewis, Madison County Library System; Canton, Miss.
• Karen Lambert, Schlow Centre Region Library; State College, Pa.
• Katy Pretz, Citizens Library & District Center; Washington, Pa.
• Kelli McLemore, Athens-Limestone Public Library; Athens, Ala.
• Kelsey Kauffman, Middlebury (Ind.) Community Public Library
• Kim McCallister, Liberty Middle School Library; Ashland, Va.
• Lisa Powell Williams, Moline (Ill.) Public Library
• Michelle Hamrick, Irondale (Ala.) Public Library
• Rachel Sweany, Louisville (Ohio) Public Library
• Rosalee Pituch, Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library; Brookville, Pa.
• Sandra Solomon, St. Martin Parish Library; St. Martinville, La.
• Sara Phang, The Foundation Schools; Largo, Md.
• Susan Barnum, El Paso (Texas) Public Library
• Tara Smith, Cherokee County Public Library; Gaffney, S.C.

To learn more about the grant and summer reading, please visit the Summer Reading & Learning website, an online space where educators,  librarians and out-of-school-time providers can find and share helpful summer reading and learning resources.

For years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has provided Youth Literacy Grants to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations in hopes to provide assistance in implementing and expanding literacy programs for youth. For more information about Dollar General and its Youth Literacy Grants, visit www.dollargeneral.com

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.