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The topic of the next forum is the newly revised ALSC Core Competencies (photo courtesy of ALSC)

The ALSC Board of Directors and ALSC President Andrew Medlar will be hosting an ALSC Community Forum live chat on the freshly updated ALSC Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries.

Join us to discover how these recommended professional standards, newly revised to reflect our ever-evolving field while honoring our best traditions, can support you and your colleagues in providing the best service possible to the kids in your community. This event will be co-hosted by the ALSC Education Committee.

ALSC’s next forum will be held on Monday, November 9, 2015 at:

• 2pm Eastern
• 1pm Central
• 12pm Mountain
• 11am Pacific

Members are invited to logon to learn more about the revised competencies and to discuss their implications on the field.

Accessing the Forum

ALSC Community Forums take place on Adobe Connect. A few days prior to the event, ALSC members will receive an email with a URL link to the forum. You can also find a direct link to the forum from the Community Forum site.

Questions? Contact ALSC Membership and Marketing Manager, Dan Bostrom, or by phone, 800-545-2433 ext 2164.

The post Participate in the Next ALSC Community Forum appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

November 1 is a significant deadline for three ALSC professional awards. Fall is professional award season for ALSC. Every year, more than $100,000 is given away through ALSC’s professional awards, grants, and scholarships. These funds are awarded to deserving individuals and libraries across the country. Submit your application or nomination for one of these great awards soon:

Applications open!

• Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Distinguished Service Award – Due Dec. 1, 2015
• Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant – Due Dec. 1, 2015

Opening soon!

• Bookapalooza

The post Final Week to Apply for Three ALSC Professional Awards appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Love the ALSC awards? Sign up for two upcoming ALSC online courses taught by K.T. Horning! Learn about the history, terms, and definitions of these two great awards. Each of these six-week classes are open for registration. Hurry, registration is limited!

Winter 2016

The Sibert Medal: Evaluating Books of Information
January 4 – February 12, 2016

Spring 2016

The Caldecott Medal: Understanding Distinguished Art in Picture Books
April 4 – May 13, 2016

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning section of the ALSC website.

Image courtesy of ALSC

The post Upcoming Awards Online Courses appeared first on ALSC Blog.

This fall, ALSC is performing a survey to measure the preferences and awareness of members in regards to communication, publications, and messaging. The survey measures opinions in regards to:

• Children & Libraries: The Journal of ALSC
• ALSC Matters! newsletter
• Everyday Advocacy Matters newsletter
• ALSC Blog
• ALSC’s social media accounts
• general ALSC messaging and marketing

The 2015 ALSC Communication & Messaging Survey is open for participation. The survey consists of 28 questions and should take about 15 minutes to complete. Survey results will help ALSC measure the impact of its communications and messaging on our members and inform future communications decision-making. The survey will close on Friday, October 23, 2015.

Image courtesy of ALSC

The post Take the Communications & Messaging Survey appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

It’s ALSC professional award season and our goal this year is to see you apply for one of these great grants and scholarships. To help you understand why, we’ve prepared a list of the top ten reasons why you should apply for award or grant this fall!

1. Programs are expense

ALSC has a bunch of great grants that will help cover the cost of materials, speakers fees, and other assorted costs.

2. Your boss will love it

Nothing says, go-getter like going and getting a grant or award. Especially for early-career professionals! Go get ’em!

3. Your community will love it

Awards and grants are great public relations fodder. When you win, you can share the news with your local newspaper. Brag a little!

4. A gateway to becoming more involved

ALSC professional award winners are in a special community among themselves. Winning an award with ALSC shows that you are ready for bigger things. Think of the places you’ll go, for instance, if you won the Bechtel Fellowship and spent four week studying children’s literature at the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library!

5. Take advantage of membership

Most ALSC professional awards are open to ALSC members, so make sure to use this benefit to your advantage.

6. Host a famous author or illustrator

This is specific to one amazing award…the Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award. You could bring a recognized author/illustrator to your school or library!

7. Showcase your great ideas

Think you have a really innovative and exceptional program? This is a great way to show it off. Apply for a grant like the Light the Way or Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant which recognize outstanding ideas.

8. We tailored these specifically to librarians involved in youth services

You’re probably already doing these things in your library, so why not get recognized for it?

9. You can also recognize someone else!

The ALSC Distinguished Service Award recognizes an ALSC member who has made significant contributions to and an impact on, library services to children and ALSC. Know someone like that? Nominate him or her!

10. Money doesn’t grow on trees..nor do books!

Maybe your parents told you this at one point, but it’s true! ALSC grants and awards are a great way to supplement your library budget. If you’re in a small library that wants to build your collection, consider applying for the Bookapalooza program (applications open soon)!

Hurry! Many ALSC professional awards have deadlines of November 1, 2015. 

The post Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Apply for An ALSC Professional Award appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

Fall is professional award season for ALSC. Every year, more than $100,000 is given away through ALSC’s professional awards, grants, and scholarships. These funds are awarded to deserving individuals and libraries across the country. ALSC has several awards to choose from:

Applications open!

• The Penguin Young Readers Group Award – Due Oct. 1, 2015
• Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Distinguished Service Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015

Opening soon!

• Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant
• Bookapalooza

The post Apply for an ALSC Professional Award Today! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

ALSC has launched Babies Need Words Every Day: Talk, Read, Sing, Play. These shareable resources were designed to bridge the 30 Million Word Gap by providing parents with proven ways to build their children’s literacy skills. Babies Need Words Every Day resources include eight visually appealing posters that deliver simple, effective rhymes, games and other suggestions for immediate, enriching ways to communicate with babies.

These free posters are available in English and Spanish, and are ideal for posting above changing tables in child care centers, in doctors’ waiting rooms and anywhere else where children and their caregivers have a moment to talk, read, sing and play. ALSC also provides a book list that suggests some books for parents to request at their local library. Librarians should encourage their community partners to download and display these free printable resources.

Image courtesy of ALSC.

The post These Posters Would Look Great in Your Bathroom! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

ALSC encourages participants to sign up for Fall 2015 ALSC online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, September 14, 2015.

One of the courses being offered this semester is eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: www.ala.org/alsced

It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration
6 weeks, September 14 –October 23, 2015
Instructor: Rachel Reinwald, School Liaison/Youth Services Librarian, Lake Villa District Library

Storytelling with Puppets
4 weeks, September 14 – October 9, 2015, CEU Certified Course, 2.2 CEUs
Instructor: Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian, Wilsonville Public Library

The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future
6 weeks, September 14 – October 23, 2015
Instructor: KT Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland at [email protected] or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.

The post ALSC Online Courses – Fall 2015 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Applications for Curiosity Creates grants are due September 25, 2015

ALSC is excited to announce the availability of a new grant to help fund creativity programming in public libraries. The grant application is officially open!

Your library could be one of 77 lucky recipients of a $7,500 grant to encourage creativity for children ages 6-14. The grants may be used to expand existing programming and/or create new opportunities for children to explore their creativity.

• Applicants must be public libraries; individual branches within a library system are welcome to apply separately.
• Grantees may be invited to participate in the development of a best practices publication for creativity programing in libraries. Selected grantees will be expected to participate in interviews and/or site visits by a consultant who will be developing this publication.
• Projects should be for the development and implementation of a program or series of programs to serve children ages 6 to 14.
• Projects should focus on one or more of the following seven critical components of creativity:

1) Imagination & Originality
2) Flexibility
3) Decision- Making
4) Communication & Self-Expression
5) Collaboration
6) Motivation
7) Action & Movement

Selection Criteria Includes:

• Creativity components addressed
• Program reach (including diversity, inclusion and community partnerships)
• Project design and replicability

Apply now for the Curiosity Creates grant program

The post Curiosity Creates Grants Now Open appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Applications for the ALSC Professional Awards are opening this fall (image courtesy of ALSC)

ALSC and the Grants Administration Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2016 Penguin Young Readers Group Awards. This award, made possible by an annual gift from Penguin Young Readers Group, provides a $600 stipend for up to four children’s librarians to attend their first ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.

Each applicant will be judged on the following:

• Involvement in ALSC, as well as any other professional or educational association of which the applicant was a member, officer, chairman, etc.;
• New programs or innovations started by the applicants at the library in which he/she works;
• Library experience.

Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply. Deadline for submissions is Thursday, October 1, 2015. For more information about the award requirements and submitting the online application please visit the Penguin Young Readers Group Award Web page.

The post Apply for the Penguin Young Readers Grant Award appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The award acceptance videos from the 2015 Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet are now available. These speeches took place at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. Below are the three videos from each of the winners. You can also watch the video of the full banquet (running time 1 hour 45 minutes 54 seconds). Enjoy!

Kwame Alexander – Newbery Speech

Dan Santat – Caldecott Speech

Donald Crews – Wilder Speech

The post Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet Videos appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Applications for the ALSC Professional Awards are opening this fall (image courtesy of ALSC)

ALSC and the Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2015 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship. The Bechtel Fellowship is designed to allow qualified children’s librarians to spend a total of four weeks or more reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, a part of the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

The Baldwin Library contains a special collection of 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin and provides a stipend of $4,000.

Each applicant will be judge on the following:

• the description of the topic of study for the fellowship period;
• the applicants’ demonstration of ongoing commitment to motivating children to read;
• the applicants’ willingness to spend a total of four weeks in Gainesville. The time spent does not have to be successive weeks.

Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 1, 2014. For more information about the requirements of the fellowship and submitting the online application please visit the Bechtel Fellowship page.

The post Applications open for 2016 Bechtel Fellowship appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Winners of the 2015 Pura Belpre awards (image courtesy of ALSC)

The ALSC award acceptance speeches from the 2015 ALA Annual Conference are now available from the ALSC website. Speeches includes the winners of these 2015 awards:

• Batchelder
• Belpré
• Caldecott
• Carnegie
• Geisel
• Newbery
• Sibert
• Wilder

Each of these is available as a downloadable PDF. For a full list of 2015 ALSC Book & Media Award winners please see the ALSC website.

The post 2015 ALSC Book & Media Speeches Now Online appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth white paper (image courtesy of ALSC)

On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, ALSC is offering a free webinar on media mentorship. Presented by Amy Koester, Youth & Family Program Coordinator, Skokie (IL) Public Library, Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth: A Primer is an opportunity to learn more about the core ideas behind the white paper. Registration is free and open to anyone.

Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth: A Primer
Tuesday, July 21, 2015

• 12pm Eastern
• 11am Central
• 10am Mountain
• 9am Pacific

The post Free Media Mentorship Webinar appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Check your clock! You have one more week to sign up for ALSC online courses for summer 2015. Classes begin Monday, July 13, 2015.

Two of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs) by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced

NEW! It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration
6 weeks, July 13 – August 21, 2015

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Programs Made Easy
4 weeks, July 13 – August 7, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 1.2 CEUs

Storytelling with Puppets
4 weeks, July 13 – August 7, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 2.2 CEUs

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning website. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland, 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.

Image above provided by ALSC.

The post ALSC Online Courses Start in One Week! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

A big thank you to all of my colleagues who have already had the opportunity to post about the conference so far. There’s been so many good posts! This is my first and I just wanted to acknowledge how hard these people work. Live blogging is a great way to spread the lessons of the conference far and wide.

This was the first year that our blog manager, Mary Voors has convened a live blog meet up at today’s Leadership & ALSC program. The picture above shows a good portion of those individuals. What a great crew! I look forward to reading all of their great posts throughout the rest of the conference!

Photo courtesy of ALSC

The post Recognizing Our Amazing Live Bloggers #alaac15 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Now is your chance to honor ALSC members for their years of service! The ALSC Distinguished Service Award Committee is looking for nominations. All nominations must be submitted by Monday, December 1, 2015.

This award honors an individual member of ALSC who has made significant contributions to, and an impact on, library service to children and/or ALSC. The recipient receives $1,000 and an engraved pin at the ALSC Membership Meeting during ALA Annual Conference. The nomination form is available at the ALSC Website.

The post Nominate a Peer for the Distinguished Service Award appeared first on ALSC Blog.

ALSC Online Education (image courtesy of ALSC)

Summer has a way of sneaking up on you, doesn’t it? ALSC is giving you a little extra time to get ready for our new semester of online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, July 13, 2015.

Two of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs) by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: http://www.ala.org/alsced

NEW! It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration
6 weeks, July 13 – August 21, 2015

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Programs Made Easy
4 weeks, July 13 – August 7, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 1.2 CEUs

Storytelling with Puppets
4 weeks, July 13 – August 7, 2015
CEU Certified Course, 2.2 CEUs

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning website. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland, 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.

The post ALSC Online Courses for Summer 2015 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The Bill Morris Seminar is possible through funds from the William C. Morris Endowment (image courtesy of ALSC).

ALSC is now seeking applications for the 2016 ALSC Bill Morris Seminar to be held on Friday, January 8, 2016, prior to the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Ma. The seminar will be facilitated by ALSC member leaders including past committee members and chairs of evaluation committees, and will focus on children’s book and media evaluation.

The purpose of the Bill Morris Seminar: Book Evaluation Training is to honor and support William C. Morris’ dedication to connecting librarians, and ultimately children, with excellent children’s books. This seminar will bring new ALSC members and members with limited evaluation experience together with those who have served on ALSC’s media evaluation committees in an environment to train and mentor them in the group process and in children’s media evaluation techniques. The seminar will result in new and emerging leaders for future ALSC evaluation committees.

The William C. Morris Endowment was established in 2000 and activated in 2003 upon the death of Morris, former vice-president and director of library promotion at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Morris was a long-time ALSC member and friend, the recipient of the first ALSC Distinguished Service Award, and an advocate for children’s literature and librarians. Morris envisioned his endowment funding programs, publications, events, and/or awards that would promote excellence in children’s literature.

The ALSC William C. Morris Endowment will support those selected to attend the training seminar by offering the seminar at no charge to the attendee. This includes all materials, breakfast and lunch. To help defray additional costs for hotel and other expenses, a $300 stipend for each attendee will be provided from the Morris Endowment.

An advisory group consisting of ALSC member leaders who have previously served and/or chaired evaluation committees will review the applications and letters of nomination to select the attendees.

Selected attendees will be required to complete pre-seminar readings and assignments so that they are able to fully participate on the day of the seminar. This will include reading articles, books and materials for discussion. Assignments and some materials will be available to access online.

Candidates should be ALSC members with limited evaluation experience. The seminar is intended for those who have not served on book award evaluation committees in the past. Applicants must:

• Be personal members of ALSC as well as ALA. Organizational members are not eligible.
• Seek permission from supervisor for time off to attend the seminar, prior to submitting application.
• Have access to a computer, internet, email and a printer.
• Submit a completed application and recommendation by the due date. Late entries will not be considered. Applicants will receive confirmation that their application has been received within 1 business day.
• Arrange for 1 letter of recommendation from ALSC members or library peers who can attest to your potential as an ideal candidate for children’s media evaluation training.
• Letter must be submitted at time of application submission.
• If selected, maintain ALSC membership and be a potential candidate for future service on an ALSC media evaluation committee.

For more information and a link to the online application please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/morrisseminar.

The post Apply for the 2016 Bill Morris Seminar appeared first on ALSC Blog.

2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco (image courtesy of ALA)

ALSC and the ALSC Awards Preconference Pilot Program Task Force want to remind Annual attendees that registration slots for the 2015 ALSC preconference program are still avaialable. This program takes place 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

The program, entitled Distinguished and Diverse: Celebrate the 2015 ALSC Honor Books, will spotlight 2015 Honor Book recipients for the Newbery, Caldecott, Batchelder, Pura Belpré, Sibert and Geisel awards. The keynote speaker for the program is K.T. Horning, and there will be a panel facilitated by Judy Freeman.

The event will feature authors, illustrators and editors such as:

• Cece Bell
• Jacqueline Woodson
• Lauren Castillo
• Mary GrandPré
• Candace Fleming
• Yuyi Morales
• Jillian Tamaki
• Katherine Roy
• John Parra
• Patricia Hruby Powell
• Mark Siegel
• Christian Robinson,
• Jon Klassen
• Melissa Sweet

This is the first year that such a preconference will be held. The charge of the Awards Preconference Pilot Program Task Force is “to develop content and the program for a half-day preconference that will feature 2015 ALSC-only award honorees.” Based on the success of this year’s preconference, ALSC may or may not choose to hold similar events in connection with upcoming Annual Conferences. ALSC members receive a special discount (use code: ALSC2015) on registration.

The post Distinguished and Diverse: Celebrate the 2015 ALSC Honor Books appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Many thanks to all of the candidates who ran for division office this year. We appreciate their willingness to put their names forward for the division. Here are the results from the 2015 ALSC elections:

Vice President/President-Elect

Elizabeth “Betsy” Orsburn, Philadelphia, PA

Board of Directors

Christine Caputo, Free Library of Philadelphia-TOPSS, Philadelphia, PA
Vicky Smith, Kirkus Reviews, Portland, ME
Mary Voors, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, IN

Division Councilor

Jenna Nemec-Loise, Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL

Caldecott 2017 Committee

Stacy Dillon, Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI), New York, NY
Laurie Reese, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, CA
Ashley Waring, Reading Public Library, Reading, MA
Brian Wilson, Evanston Public Library, Evanston, IL
Erica Dean Glenn, Berkeley Public Library, Oakland, CA
Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, Chappaqua, NY
Janet Mumford, James McKinney Elementary School Library, Victoria, BC CANADA
Holly Jin, Skokie Public Library, Skokie, IL

Newbery 2017 Committee

Daniel Meyer, Kew Gardens Hills, NY
Brandy Sanchez, Daniel Boone Regional Library, Columbia, MO
Tony Carmack, Rocklin Library, Rocklin, CA
Jamie Watson, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD
Laura Lutz, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York, NY
Matthew Krueger, Irondequoit Public Library, Rochester, NY
Maryann Owen, Oak Creek Public Library, Oak Creek, WI
Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Calgary, AB CANADA

Sibert 2017 Committee

Elise DeGuiseppi, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, WA
Ted McCoy, Springfield City Library, Springfield, MA
Gail Nordstrom, Viking Library System, Fergus Falls, MN
Louise Capizzo, Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, ME
Michael Rogalla, Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL

Wilder 2017 Committee

Robin Gibson, Westerville Public Library, Westerville, OH
Luann Toth, School Library Journal, New York, NY
Virginia Walter, Venice, CA

A full list of election information including candidates and proposed amendments is available from the ALSC Election Information page.

To learn more about ALA’s election results, please visit the ALA Election Information page.

The post 2015 ALSC Election Results appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Pat Mora will deliver the 2016 Arbuthnot Lecture (image courtesy of Pat Mora)

ALSC and the 2016 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Committee are proud to announce the opening of the application to host the 2016 event featuring award-winning children’s book author and pioneering literacy advocate Pat Mora.

Host site application forms can be downloaded at the Arbuthnot site. Applications are due May 15, 2015. Information about host site responsibilities is included in the application materials. The lecture traditionally is held in April or early May.

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Mora grew up bilingual and bicultural. With degrees in English and speech, she was a teacher and university administrator before writing children’s books. Known for her lyrical style, Mora’s poetry and prose have won numerous awards, including a 2005 Belpré Honor Medal for text for “Doña Flor: A Tall Tale of a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart,” published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, and illustrated by Raul Colón. Her generosity for sharing bookjoy, the phrase she coined for the power and pleasure of words, led Mora to launch “Día,” which will observe its 20th anniversary in 2016.

The post Reminder: Apply to Host the 2016 Arbuthnot Lecture! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Apply to present at the 2016 ALSC National Institute (image courtesy of ALSC)

ALSC is now accepting proposals for innovative programs for the 2016 ALA Annual Conference and the 2016 ALSC National Institute. Be part of this exciting professional development opportunity by submitting your program today! Each event has its own site for submitting a proposal:

2016 Annual Conference
To submit a program proposal for the 2016 Annual Conference, please visit the ALSC website at http://www.ala.org/alsc/AC16cfp for the submission form and instructions. All proposals must be submitted by Sunday, June 7, 2015. The 2016 ALA Annual Conference is scheduled for June 23-28, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.

2016 National Institute
To submit a program proposal for the 2016 National Institute, please visit the ALSC website at http://www.ala.org/alsc/institute for the submission form and instructions. All proposals must be submitted by Sunday, July 12, 2015. The 2016 ALSC National Institute is scheduled for September 15 -17, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The ALSC Program Planning Committee is looking for a wide range of themes and topics such as advocacy, technology, multiculturalism, administration and management, early literacy, research, partnerships, best practices, programming, and outreach. ALSC committees, members, and other interested individuals are welcome to submit a proposal.

Please note that participants attending ALSC programs are seeking valuable educational experiences; the Program Coordinating Committee will not select a program session that suggests commercial sales or self-promotion. Presentations should provide a valuable learning experience and avoid being too limited in scope.

Please contact the chair of the ALSC Program Coordinating Committee, Patty Carleton, at [email protected] with questions.

The post Present with ALSC at an Upcoming Conference! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco (image courtesy of ALA)

ALSC and the ALSC Awards Preconference Pilot Program Task Force announced the theme and speakers for the 2015 ALSC preconference program. This program takes place 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday, June 26, 2015, at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco.

The program, entitled “Distinguished and Diverse: Celebrate the 2015 ALSC Honor Books,” will spotlight 2015 Honor Book recipients for the Newbery, Caldecott, Batchelder, Pura Belpré, Sibert and Geisel awards. The keynote speaker for the program is K.T. Horning, and there will be a panel facilitated by Judy Freeman.

The event will feature authors, illustrators and editors such as Cece Bell, Jacqueline Woodson, Lauren Castillo, Mary GrandPré, Candace Fleming, Yuyi Morales, Jillian Tamaki, Katherine Roy, John Parra, Patricia Hruby Powell, Mark Siegel, Christian Robinson, Jon Klassen and Melissa Sweet. More speakers will be announced soon.

This is the first year that such a preconference will be held. The charge of the Awards Preconference Pilot Program Task Force is “to develop content and the program for a half-day preconference that will feature 2015 ALSC-only award honorees.” Based on the success of this year’s preconference, ALSC may or may not choose to hold similar events in connection with upcoming Annual Conferences. ALSC members receive a special discount (use code: ALSC2015) on registration.

The post Distinguished and Diverse at #alaac15 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Image courtesy of ALSC

The ALSC Membership Committee announced the launch of the 2015 ALSC Membership Needs Assessment Survey. This survey is performed biennially and will assess:

1. who ALSC members are
2. how the division can best serve its members

To encourage participation, the committee is offering participants the opportunity to be entered in a giveaway. Prizes include tickets to the 2015 Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet, an ALSC online course, a $50 ALA Store gift certificate, and award books. Winners will be notified by Friday, May 15, 2015.

Participants must be personal members of ALSC. The survey is 25 questions and should take around ten minutes to complete. The deadline to submit the survey is 11:59pm Central on Friday, May 1, 2015. Learn more at the Needs Survey tab above.

Take the 2015 ALSC Membership Needs Assessment Survey!

The post Take the Membership Needs Survey, Win a Prize! appeared first on ALSC Blog.