From the Editor

RoseMary Honnold

Taking the lead from this year’s Teen Read Week slogan, Read Beyond Reality, I am indeed changing my reality this year. After twenty-five years in Coshocton Public Library, I am retiring and taking on a new exciting challenge, editing VOYA magazine. I began this editorial in April, the transition month in which I transferred my library and YALSA responsibilities to others, a very strange feeling! Luckily, I won’t have to say good bye to my many friends and colleagues in YALSA. I plan to see as many of you as possible at conferences and hear from you in e-mail at
rhonnold@voya.com.

This summer issue of YALS is packed with Teen ReadWeek ideas, program ideas, tips on reviewing books, and all those many bits of association news and articles that make YALSA such a supportive professional organization to those working with teens in libraries. It is the YALSA membership dedicated to sharing ideas and resources that makes YALS possible. YALSA has also given me opportunities for meeting friends, active participation, new experiences, and networking.

YALS was passed on to a very capable guest editor for a short time, Tina Frolund, who I had the pleasure of working with on her book, The Official YALSA Awards Guidebook. YALSA has announced Sarah Flowers as the new YALS editor, who is now working on the fall issue. You can contact Sarah through the YALS editor’s e-mail address,
yalseditor@gmail.com. Sarah will be eager to hear from you if you are interested in writing for YALS. As I always tell librarians in my workshops, share your successes! Someone else is looking for good ideas and yours might be a perfect match for what he or she needs.

I send a big thank you to Stephanie Kuenn of YALSA! Stevie knows everybody and has been so helpful when I was looking for authors on specific topics or if I needed to toss around an idea. I know YALS is in good hands with Sarah and Stevie steering the way.