Alex Award Committee

General information and function statements for the Alex committee.

Type: Standing

Date of Establishment: Annual 1997

Membership: 9, plus one consultant from Booklist and one administrative assistant if requested by the chair. All members are appointed by YALSA's President-Elect. Members serve a one-year term with the possibility of appointment for one additional year.

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 plat
  • 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.

Function: To select and provide annotations for ten books from the previous year's publications written for adults which have special appeal for young adults, ages 12 through 18, and to compile and annotate a list of official nominees.

Term: 1 year, commencing February 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.

Procedures: See Policies and Procedures.

History: Funded by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust for five years at $5,000 per year.

Updated April 2017