In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Award Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Emily Williams.
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
I’ve worked pretty extensively with our statewide book award for the last six years. I served on the Sequoyah Book Award’s Intermediate master list selection committee from 2005-08, and was chair from 2007-08. During that time I helped advocate for a high school master list, which successfully launched in 2008. I’ve been on the Sequoyah High School committee since 2009, currently as their faculty advisor.
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
I have been an advocate for YALSA since I started working in libraries in 1997. I teach a graduate-level YA literature class at the University of Oklahoma, and according to students’ comments in my class evaluations, my love of young adult literature and my passion about the field is evident. Having promoted the Printz since the first award was named in 2000, I would be deeply honored to serve on this committee. I feel like my entire career up to this point has been preparing me for this.
What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
I am most excited about working with other librarians that are as passionate about this award as I am, and creating something of which we are immensely proud.
What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for this award?
The Printz is an award for literary excellence. I think key factors of that are books that grip you, make you feel something, and leave a lasting impression. Maybe even change you.
The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
I fully understand that the reading load will be insane. I am organized, focused, detail-oriented, and I thrive on the challenge of an extensive reading list. I am used to reading hundreds of books a year from my state award committee experience and I am ready to live and breathe for the Printz. You will never catch me without a book.
What have you learned from past experiences on awards, juries, or other YALSA committees that you will bring with you to this committee?
Colleagues on past committees have found me to be an effective and valuable team member. You have to be flexible, open-minded, and willing to re-read titles.
In your experience how has the YALSA Awards and Selected Lists helped you as a librarian or made your work better or easier or different than expected?
I coordinate our library system’s YA Services for a large area that includesOklahoma Cityas well as many small rural communities. I do a lot of outreach to local sc
In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Award Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Sarah Wethern.
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
Well, this is perhaps a tad clichéd coming from a librarian, but I love to read and I read voraciously. I have served on Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace award committee, reading a plethora of both YA and middle grade books to narrow down the nominations which are then voted on by kids across the state. I served on the Cybils committee in 2009 in the Young Adult Fiction category as a round one judge, reading the many books that were nominated in order to create a list of seven finalists. As of February 2012, I am starting my tenure on YALSA’s Popular Paperbacks Committee which will give me better exposure to working within a YALSA governed media list and prepare me for the rigorous work that could potentially follow if I am elected to the Printz Committee.
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
There is something special in knowing that by participating in the Printz Committee, I am helping to leave an indelible imprint on the field of young adult literature. I work hard to match readers to new and interesting books every day in my job and I love being exposed to the various opinions that come out of those discussions and conversations. I believe that serving on the Printz Committee will help elevate my local library work to a new level.
What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
The discussion amongst my fellow committee members. Reading alone is wonderful but I have found that as I have become more critical about the books I read, I want people to discuss those books with. I enjoy the give and take that comes with talking amongst dedicated book aficionados. There is nothing better than digging in with a pen and a group of dedicated readers ready to dissect the text, to uncover its secrets and to ultimately make an exciting decision. And I am also looking forward to the speeches that come after from the winners. That is a special moment!
What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for this award?
Literary excellence is a key factor in this book. The beauty, ingenuity and freshness of the writing are qualities all Printz books need. These are books that have to stand the test of time, that feature themes that should be part of the reader conscious for years to come. Additionally, these books should have high teen appeal. After all, they were written with teens in mind. The Printz Award is leaving a literary mark on history and it needs to be a mark that will continue to evolve as new readers discover the stories and characters within.
The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work l
In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Patti Tjomsland.
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
I’ve always read numerous YA books, however I’ve been reading over 350 teen books a year since 2006 for a seminar, What’s New in Young Adult Literature that I present for the Bureau of Education and Research. I present this six hour seminar in about 40 places around the country annually, discussing about 100 of the best teen books from the current copyright year. One of the great things about working for BER is the opportunity to talk with teachers and librarians around the country. I hear about new books other people have found, and get a broad range of opinions from those who work with teens in all parts of the United States.
I just finished two years on Best Fiction for Young Adults, with year two as Chair. I have extended experience reviewing, writing, reading and working with groups of people. For the past three years, I’ve had over 30 students participating in a lunch-time review group. They have ignited an interest in reading and discussing books in our school. I’ve been a high school librarian for over 25 years and before that I taught high school English. Most of the English classes I taught focused on writing. I’m still in the trenches, working with teens and talking to them about books on a daily basis.
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
I think it will be a demanding and unique experience to select a book based on the quality of the writing without worrying about the title’s popularity.
What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
The whole process is exciting! I am most looking forward to the discussions with committee members. It is energizing to talk with other people who are passionate and enthusiastic about books and reading and committee works provides this opportunity. I think the fact that the award is secretive will be delightful! I must admit coming home and finding a box or envelope with brand new books inside is incredibly smile inducing.
What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for this award?
I think being ready for anything is important. Over the past few years, we’ve seen authors experimenting with format, presentation, voice and more. It is important to be non-biased. Of course there are all of the suggested items listed in the award criteria and I do like books with strong characters and a great voice. I think those books where you have the “Wow!” reaction are the ones I’m hoping the committee finds.
The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
I’ve just
In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Elizabeth Schneider.
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
For the last three and a half years, I have served on the Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee as a member and twice as a subcommittee chair. Through this experience, I have honed my reviewing skills of young adult materials, most importantly evaluating books for both literary merit and popularity by their audience. One of the fundamentals of working with teens in a library is learning to listen to what they have to say, and making your services, programming and materials reflect their interests. Taking that philosophy to heart, I asked my vibrant Teen Advisory Board to participate in reading the titles nominated for PPYA. They filled out forms, giving their feedback on the books, which helped PPYA members choose the best books for the list. I believe I will be an asset to the Printz Committee because I work so closely with teens, discussing what types of books they like to read and how teen literature affects their lives.
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
It would be an honor to serve on the Printz Awards Committee, and be a part of choosing the most notable literature written for young adults in a given year. I have a great passion for young adult literature, and helping teens discover books that speak to them personally. Others before me serving on this committee have helped me in so many regards, from collection development to being able to confidently recommend a wide array of well written literature for teens. Serving my professional community in this capacity would be a great privilege
What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
I have a great desire to contribute to my professional community. Being able to work with a team and decide on the paramount young adult literature for a given year would help libraries spend their book budget money effectively on high quality titles for their collection and serve as a recommendation list for teen readers. It would also be a pleasure to be a part of a forum that recognizes young adult authors.
What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for this award?
Quality literature can be very subjective. So when choosing the winner of the Printz Award, I believe literary merit, longstanding value and thought-provoking content are key factors. A winner of this prestigious award should be able to stand the test of time and not fade into the woodwork by the next year or become quickly outdated from frequent pop culture references. The work should generate discussion and allow teens to discover different walks of life through literature.
In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Award Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Rachel McDonald.
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
Since becoming a teen librarian in 2007, I have served on multiple YALSA book selection committees, including Best Books for Young Adults, Morris, and beginning in 2012, the Alex Awards committee. In addition to my YALSA commitments, I have been active in the Washington State Young Adult Review Group (WASHYARG), which meets quarterly to review both fiction and nonfiction titles for young adults. My participation in WASHYARG has exposed me to a wide variety of title beyond what I might normally read, as has my involvement in my library system’s Mock Printz Award.
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
The Youth Media Awards have been described as the “Oscars” of the children’s and teen literature community, and since its inception in 2000, the Printz Award has stood at the pinnacle of those honors. As a teen librarian who each year is consistently impressed and amazed by the quality of teen literature and its willingness to tackle life’s difficult questions, I would be honored to help choose the next Printz Award winner and honor books, and, more importantly, learn from other committee members about how they determine literary excellence in a young adult novel.
What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
I’m excited to work with advocates for teen literature across the country to choose the winner of the Printz Award. My favorite moments from previous committees have been when one person believes very strongly in the attributes of a particular book that s/he has fallen in love with. The debates that result are eyeopening and often reveal people’s assumptions about what makes a good book.
What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for this award?
When considering titles for the Printz Award, I feel that the committee must come to a consensus on how it will define excellence in young adult literature. I feel it’s helpful to have a discussion as a group before getting too focused on the nominations process, as we did during my tenure on the Morris Award committee. Since the parameters for the award are narrower that many other selection committees (literary excellence and not popularity), I would expect myself and other committee members to read and re-read carefully, keeping in mind our discussions about our charge. Because our face time is minimal, using email and ALA Connect to discuss nominations is a must.
The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
Since I’ve already served on t
In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on Michael L. Printz Award Committee. Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.
The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Printz Committee is charged with selecting from the previous year’s publications the best young adult book (“best” being defined solely in terms of literary merit) and, if the Committee so decides, as many as four Honor Books. The Committee will also have the opportunity for input into the oversight and planning of the Printz Awards Program. Committee size: 9, four to be elected, plus a consultant from the staff of Booklist, and an administrative assistant if requested.
This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates that have been nominated to serve on the Printz Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.
Today we have an interview with Jennifer Lawson
What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the award position for which you are running?
I think my best preparation for the Printz Award Committee is in having read 1000+ books written for teens in my years as a librarian. In addition, I keep current with the literature by participating in YALSA-bk and reading blogs, professional journals, and publisher communications.
On the professional front, I’ve been a librarian with the San Diego County Library for more than 10 years. For the first four years, I was the Youth Services Librarian at the Santee Branch. I was able to focus more of my time on teen services here, because much of the children’s programming was done by volunteers. I also re-discovered teen literature in this position and have been reading it almost exclusively ever since. I’ve been at our library headquarters for the past 6 years, first as the Teen Services Coordinator and now as Program Services Librarian.
Since 2008, I have served on several YALSA committees. My first committee was the 2008-09 Odyssey Award Committee. I feel lucky to have served under an excellent and experienced chair (Pam Spencer-Holley), who kept things running smoothly and made it easy to participate and learn along the way. Currently, I am finishing up a two year term on Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, the last of which I was chair. I also served on two task forces: the Young Adult Literature Symposium Task Force, 2009-11 and YALSA’s Midwinter Pre-Conference Task Force, 2011.
I’m a hard worker and I like to get involved, so I also participate on committees at the State level and present at conferences. Some of my accomplishments include:
Served on the California Summer Reading Advisory Council since 2008, as chair 2010-11.
Represented California as a voting member to Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), 2010-11.
Presented on the latest and greatest teen literature at the 2009, 2010 and 2011 California Library Association conferences with Courtney Saldana (Upland Public Library) and Joann Jonas (San Diego County Library). This is definitely my favorite presentation. We always have a good audience and have fun talking about books.
Presented Teen Programs in a Box at PLA 2008.
Locally, I volunteer on the Board of Directors for the Juvenile Court Book Club (JCBC) and chair their book selection committee. The JCBC is a volunteer run organization that leads monthly book clubs at five different juvenile detention sites. I lead one of the book club sessions most months. It’s something I really look forward to as the discussions are always lively and full of opinions!
Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
Every year, I eagerly await the aw
By: Beth,
on 1/22/2012
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association
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By: Beth,
on 7/29/2011
Blog: YALSA - Young Adult Library Services Association
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This fall, YALSA will be making appointments to the following selection committees and taskforces! Put your passion for young adult literature to work! If you have experience in evaluating and selecting young adult materials, as well as time to volunteer your skills, please consider serving on a YALSA selection committee. The committees and taskforces are:
- Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
- Best Fiction for Young Adults
- Fabulous Films for Young Adults
- Great Graphic Novels for Teens
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Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
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Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
- Great Graphic Novels for Teens
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Alex Award
- Morris Award
- Odyssey Award
- 2013 Midwinter Marketing & Local Arrangements Taskforce
- 2013 Midwinter Paper Presentation Planning Taskforce
- Readers’ Choice List Taskforce
How do I get on a committee or taskforce?
To serve on a committee or taskforce, you must be officially appointed by YALSA’s President-Elect, Jack Martin. YALSA is collecting volunteer forms from now through Sept. 30 for members who would like to serve on selection and award committees as well as taskforces that begin work on Feb. 1, 2012. If you are currently serving on a selection or award committee and you are eligible to and interested in serving for another term, you must fill out a volunteer form. This is the only way the President-Elect knows for certain that you’re interested in continuing on the committee. Also, please note that selection committee members are required to attend both Midwinter and Annual conferences. Please ensure that you can travel to both conferences before you volunteer.
What Do I Need to Know to Volunteer?
Before you volunteer to serve on a committee or taskforce, you’ll want to learn what the group does and what your responsibilities will be. YALSA has created a free webinar with information about what it’s like to serve on a selection or award committee. Be sure to take the time to view it. You can also contact the chair directly to let him/her know you’re interested in serving and to ask questions about what your involvement will entail. Names and contact information for all the committee chairs are available from the Governance link on YALSA’s website. From the Get Involved link on YALSA’s website you’ll also find information about each of the committees’ functions, size, etc. Lastly, be sure to read through YALSA’s Handbook, especially the sections that list responsibilities for committee members.
Where do I volunteer?
In order to be considered for a selection or award committee, you need to fill out a Selection Committee Volunteer Form by Sept. 30.
If you’d like to be considered for one of the task
As the Printz Award is now 12-years-old, it is the perfect time to showcase the book jackets of the winners on a calendar. The calendar will debut at Annual for the cost of $15. Members of the Financial Advancement Committee will be selling the calendars at Saturday morning’s Strategic Planning Session from 10am to noon and again that same day outside the entrance to the Edwards luncheon. Sunday you can purchase a Printz calendar at YALSA’s Membership booth from 2 to 5pm and, if you miss those opportunities, it will also be sold on Monday from 10 to 11am at the Membership Booth, then later at the Membership meeting, and that evening at the Printz Awards (if copies are still available).
FAC members have only a limited supply of calendars to sell, but a few more will be available at the ALA Store during Conference as well as via the ALA Online Store beginning in late June. And, you will want to have your calendar before the Printz Program and Reception because Paolo Bacigalupi will be speaking and could autograph it for you.
Scattered across the months, you can locate birthdays of YALSA’s winning authors (when the info was available) in addition to information on when to celebrate National Elephant Appreciation, Tell a Joke, Don’t Step on a Bee, National Turtle, or Support Teen Lit days. Equally valuable is learning which months focus on Internet Safety, Get Reading, or Teen Esteem. The special days and months will help you plan displays, programs, and other activities.
Remember last year when the Financial Advancement Committee asked you to “Give $10 in ’10?” Now they’re offering you the chance to buy what will become both a collector’s item and a source of programming ideas for years to come, and all for only $15.
As always, all monies collected are donated to Friends of YALSA and in 2011 are being used to produce materials to support our award and selection lists.
    
I like weird books.
Books like Punkzilla by Adam Rapp,
The White Darkness by Geraldine Mccaughrean, and
Going Bovine by Libba Bray.
These books have something more than their weirdness in common. They’ve all been recognized by the Printz Committee in some way.
I think this is because the committee members know something that everyone needs to know: weird books are good.
Punkzilla is a stream-of-consciousness narrative about a boy who travels across the country to be with his dying brother. It’s full of weird characters and scenes that leave your brain feeling muddy and full of fuzz. But it’s also a book about humanity and connection. Zilla says things that make you want to cry they’re so beautiful because everything else is so confusing that only the really true things make sense.
The White Darkness is about a girl following her (possibly insane) uncle to Antarctica on a mission to find a world that may or may not exist. It’s also about that same girl finding her own voice and her own sight, something that she was unable to do in her everyday life. It took a journey into nothingness, a place where her mind was stretched to the limits, for her to discover herself. And the reader gets to go there with her.
Going Bovine, the winner of the most recent Printz Award, is about a kid named Cameron who gets Mad Cow Disease and sets off on a cross country rode trip to save the world accompanied by a dwarf, a lawn gnome who may or may not be a Norse god, and a punk rock guardian angel addicted to sugar. But it’s also about a new interpretation of what reality is, and what it means to each of us individually. The most commonly accepted reality is not the only one that exists, nor is it the most important. Cameron’s hallucinations were as real to him as any of his other experiences were. Going Bovine takes you inside the mind of a sick kid, and when you come out the other side it leaves you thinking that maybe it’s okay that none of it was “real” because it was real for Cameron, and sometimes that’s enough.
The weird books can take you places that you’ve never been before, and sometimes they take you places that you never really wanted to go. But by the time the journey is over, they leave you with something new and something important. The best part is that you might not even know what it is right away. You might have to sit with your own thoughts for a while, which is one of the best things a book can do.
While I think there is a place for fluffy romance and adventure stories in every reader’s life, the weird books need to be there too because they dare you to make sense of the ludicrous and then make it impossible to leave empty-handed.
I love the Printz Awards for seeing what I see in weird books and I love them even more for pointing those books out to the people who can do the most with them-the librarians. Librarians are in the business of opening minds and I think the weird books are a vital tool of the trade. I’m so excited to know that at least the librarians are drawing people’s attention to more than just Twilight and Gossip Girl. I guess I wrote this blog post to tell them that I really appreciate what they’re doing and that I hope they aren’t planning on stopping anytime soon.
So librarians, thanks for the weird ones. I’m not sure I would have found them without you.
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