Morris Award Committee

Morris Award Committee

Type: Standing

Membership: The Committee shall consist of a chair, eight members, and an administrative assistant if the Chair requests. The Chair and members will be appointed by the President-Elect of YALSA.

Qualifications:

  • Current personal membership in YALSA
  • Experience in evaluating library materials, such as relevant course work, on the job materials evaluation experience, publishing reviews and/or relevant articles in respected publications, previous selection committee experience, etc.
  • Ability to attend both ALA's Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference during your term of appointment on the committee.
  • Ability to work year-round in a virtual environment with tools including, Google Drive, Skype, webinar platforms
  • Ability to dedicate a significant amount of time to seeking out and reading relevant titles.
  • Ability to comply with YALSA policies, including the Conflict of Interest, Ethical Behavior & Social Media policies, which are found in YALSA's Handbook
  • Good time management and organizational skills
  • High ethical standards
  • Previous service on a YALSA committee/jury/taskforce is preferred.

For information on the responsibilities of committee/jury/taskforce members, visit YALSA's Handbook.

Term of Office: 12-months, commencing Feb. 1 and ending Jan. 31 one year later. Committee members, including administrative assistants and chairs, who have completed one full term on any of YALSA’s six award committees may not be appointed to the same or another YALSA award committee for two years from the conclusion of their term. In extreme circumstances, and at the President’s discretion, an exception may be made if a committee member resigns suddenly or if there is a shortage of qualified candidates for positions. The President, after discussion with the Executive Director and Committee Chair, may determine that the best course of action is to appoint a member regardless of his/her recent committee service history.

Function: The award will honor the best book published by a first-time author for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The award's shortlist of five will be announced in early December, with the winner announced at ALA's Midwinter Meeting's Youth Media Awards press conference.