YALSA honors four members with YALSA Writing Award

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), named the winners of its YALSA Writing Award, with members winning prizes in four categories:

• Shari Lee for best article in The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults:
  “Beyond Books, Nooks and Dirty Looks: The History and Evolution of Library Services to Teens in the United States” Vol. 4 (May, 2014)
   
• Jaina Shaw for best blog post on the YALSA Blog between Dec. 1, 2013, and Nov. 30, 2014:
  “Robotics for the Rest of Us”
   
• Anna Tschetter for best post on YALSA’s young adult literature blog, The Hub between Dec. 1, 2013, and Nov. 30, 2014:
  “Books for Boys that Aren’t ‘Books for Boys’”
   
• Sarah Ludwig for best article in Young Adult Library Services:
   “Everyone Deserves a Place in the Library” Vol. 12 (2) Winter 2014.

The winners this year highlight the importance of learning from the past so that we can better serve our communities today and into the future – be it through introducing new technology to dispelling old, vexing stereotypes. The winning contributors offer solid advice and heartfelt reminders to always consider the possibilities, to “pay it forward” and, most of all, to remember the rallying cry of youth services librarianship and the commitment to its cause.

The winners for the journals will each receive a $500 award, due to the more extensive nature of their work and the winners for the blog posts will each receive a $200 award. All winners will receive a plaque and be recognized at YALSA’s Membership Meeting at the ALA Annual Conference this summer in San Francisco.  The award is supported through funds donated to Friends of YALSA.  To learn more, or to make a donation, visit www.ala.org/yalsa/givetoyalsa/give.

The YALSA Writing Award recognizes the contribution of YALSA members who have written an article or blog post for the association’s journals or blogs that is well written, timely, original and relevant to YALSA members. Each year, YALSA’s blog managers and journal editors select a shortlist of up to five articles or posts that meet award criteria to submit to the YALSA Writing Award Jury. Items are selected based on the following criteria: applicability to a variety of library settings, originality of ideas, timeliness, relevance to young adult librarianship, persuasiveness of arguments, quality of writing, clarity of presentation and contribution to the YALSA membership.  The articles must address young adult library services or information regarding young adults that can be applied usefully to young adult library services.

The 2014 YALSA Writing Award Jury members are David Wang, chair, Young Adult Librarian, Queens Library at Queensboro Hill, Flushing, New York; Margaret Cichantk, Young Adult Librarian, Wood Dale Public Library, Wood Dale, Illinois; Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian, Ridgefield Library, Ridgefield, Connecticut; Kim Herrington, Librarian, Pearland Junior High West, Pearland, Texas; Gigi Yang, Manager of Young Adult Services, Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library, Broomfield, Colorado.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and library staff 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.