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So, remember when you got that email from ALA that gave you the link so you could vote? Yeah, you’re right; that was a month ago. But you still have three days left to vote: voting closes on Friday, April 25. Now is the time to dig through your email, find that link, and go ahead and vote.

As of yesterday, 16.6% of ALA members had cast a ballot in this election. That’s a pretty low voter turnout. We don’t have numbers for YALSA members specifically, but in the past, voter turnout for YALSA has been around 20%. Still, that means fewer than 1000 people are making the decisions about things that might matter to you: who serves on YALSA’s Award committees (Printz, Edwards, and Nonfiction), and who serves on YALSA’s Board of Directors.

In March, this blog had a whole series of posts to give you information about the candidates. Every weekday, starting February 26 and running through March 19, there was at least one (and usually two) interviews each day with the candidates. You can find them easily by going to the drop-down menu labeled “Categories” on the side of this page and selecting “Election.”

For even more details, including complete biographical information on all of the candidates, check out the sample ballot.

YALSA is a member-driven organization. That means it’s up to YOU to vote for the people who will be representing you over the next few years.

Don’t let any more time go by. Vote.

Sarah Flowers, Chair, 2014 Governance Nominating Committee

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.

We will start with the candidates for Board Director-at-large. YALSA Board members serve three-year terms, during which they jointly determine YALSA’s policies, programs, and strategic direction, in accordance with YALSA’s bylaws. They attend both virtual and in-person meetings and serve as liaisons to YALSA’s committee chairs and members. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Rachel McDonald.

Name and current position: Rachel McDonald Teen Librarian, King County Library System.

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board?  

After getting to know YALSA by serving on task forces & selection committees, serving on the board is the logical & exciting next chapter.

What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why? 

Having served on the YA Advocacy Benchmarks Task Force, I’m excited to educate and empower our members to do more advocacy.

What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?

Advocating for our members whose positions, whether in school or public libraries, are often in jeopardy. Let’s show everyone how much we’re needed!

What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?

We need to encourage librarians to facilitate connected learning with teens and provide opportunities for them to connect with mentors.

What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?

I welcome the opportunity to collaborate and learn from others, but still do my research so I can back up the positions I hold.

What do you see as the primary role of the Board?

Using the strategic plan as a guide, the primary role of the board is to help our members better serve teens in their communities.

If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?

I look forward to helping library staff & teen advocates connect by sharing research, best practices, & advocacy tools.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I believe my collaborative skills & vision will help move YALSA forward as we continue to look for ways to engage & support our members.

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.

We will start with the candidates for Board Director-at-large. YALSA Board members serve three-year terms, during which they jointly determine YALSA’s policies, programs, and strategic direction, in accordance with YALSA’s bylaws. They attend both virtual and in-person meetings and serve as liaisons to YALSA’s committee chairs and members. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Jennifer Korn.

Name and current position: Jennifer Korn, TeenSpot Manager, The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board?  

Serving on Board will allow me to give back to YALSA and to lead the organization in a way that supports my fellow teen serving professionals to reach their potential.

What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why? 

Advocacy and continuous education because of my past and present involvement in both of these activities within my library system, regional organizations, and YALSA.

What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?

The decrease in support for teen-focused, school and public library services as illustrated by a reduction of allocated resources and dedicated professionals.

What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?

Advocating for the necessity of teen library services needs to be a top priority – advocacy to legislators, library and school administrators, potential partners.

What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?

I welcome challenge and growth. I perform best with a team and prefer collaborative work. I am thorough and focused with all of my work.

What do you see as the primary role of the Board?

Creating high-level initiatives that support the organization’s strategic plan, and then arming members so they can translate these initiatives into objectives that address immediate organizational needs and encourage member growth.

If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?

I will make decisions guided by member needs and concerns, and emphasize the importance of engaging more members in YALSA’s activities.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

My involvement in YALSA has helped me move from librarian to a manager with recognized leadership ability. I want all of YALSA’s members to experience the same benefits to their professional growth.

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Michael L. Printz Award Committee, which honors the best book and up to four honor books written for teens, based entirely on literary merit, each year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Lalitha Nataraj.

Name and current position: Lalitha Nataraj, Youth Services Librarian, Escondido Public Library

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA selection committee?

I’d be honored to serve on this committee and take part in recognizing books that embody the highest literary quality. I celebrate diversity in YA lit and am eager to add my voice to the Printz Award Committee mix.

In a nutshell, what will you bring to the committee?

In serving on the Amelia Bloomer Project & YALSA Quick Picks, I’ve learned to read without bias, think critically about the representation of diverse voices and experiences, and carefully apply evaluation criteria.

What experience do you have with materials selection and evaluation?

I’m responsible for children’s and teen materials selection at my library. I review books and apps for SLJ, served as a Cybils Awards judge, and blog about multicultural youth lit.

What makes you a good fit for this committee in particular?

My Amelia Bloomer Project service has provided me great experience with critically assessing literature. Literary discussions among passionate feminists will more than prepare you for heated Printz deliberations!

How do you plan to manage the reading load required by selection committee participation?

Prior committee experience has prepared me for intense reading; I like keeping detailed notes on each title and tracking books on spreadsheets. Too, my husband is supportive and I know he’ll help with our kids!

What have been some of your favorite past winners of this particular award?

Gene L. Yang’s American Born Chinese, and Honor books Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, and E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

What books should have won the award, but didn’t?

Printz deliberations can very passionate and all-consuming- decisions are not made lightly. I prefer to respect the choices made by previous committees.

What else do voters need to know about you?

In addition to reading kid/teen lit, I also love talking about it on social media. Come chat me up on Twitter: @librarian_lali. We can talk about cats, too.

This interview was cross-posted on The Hub and the YALSAblog.

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.

We will start with the candidates for Board Director-at-large. YALSA Board members serve three-year terms, during which they jointly determine YALSA’s policies, programs, and strategic direction, in accordance with YALSA’s bylaws. They attend both virtual and in-person meetings and serve as liaisons to YALSA’s committee chairs and members. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Gretchen Kolderup.

Name and current position: Gretchen Kolderup,Manager for YA Education & Engagement @ New York Public Library.

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board?  

I’m jazzed about the opportunity to to dig into the work of our association with others who care deeply about library services for teens!

What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why? 

Member recruitment/engagement. My YALSA experience has been so meaningful; I love sharing that & helping others hook in to the association!

What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?

Remaining relevant and effective to its members as well as financially stable as our profession continues to change.

What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?

Sounds silly, but: help ppl feel comfortable getting out of comfort zones. Report shows evolution’s necessary & good, but change can be scary.

What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?

Determination, creativity, collaborative leadership style. Learned from building YA svcs from scratch in my first job & leading The Hub!

What do you see as the primary role of the Board?

Board fulfills YALSA’s mission to expand & strengthen teen services. Should help members in the now & advocate for members’ futures.

If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?

Provide practical tools (like YALSA’s Pub Lib Eval Tool), create opps to recognize & share best ideas, advocate for teen services nationwide.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

Whether I’m elected or not, I’m interested in helping us all become even more stellar librarians for teens. Always up to collaborate or chat!

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 YALSA Governance candidates.

We will start with the candidates for Board Director-at-large. YALSA Board members serve three-year terms, during which they jointly determine YALSA’s policies, programs, and strategic direction, in accordance with YALSA’s bylaws. They attend both virtual and in-person meetings and serve as liaisons to YALSA’s committee chairs and members. A full description of Board duties and responsibilities can be found here.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Betsy Fraser.

Name and current position: Betsy Fraser,Selector, Calgary Public Library

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA office? What excites you about serving on YALSA Board?  

I was inspired to run by the Board liaison I had while chairing the Summer Reading Taskforce and I am excited about the opportunity to do the same thing for someone else.

What areas of YALSA’s Strategic Plan do you think you can best contribute to? Why? 

Advocacy and member recruitment, as I am a staunch believer in YALSA and what it offers.

What is the most pressing issue facing YALSA today?

The need to attract and retain members, which offers possibilities for partnerships and advocacy.

What priority activities should YALSA take on to address the “paradigm shift” as described in The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report?

Promote digital and media literacy and capitalize on the know-how and innovative programming done by members.

What attributes have helped you succeed professionally?

Enthusiasm, determination, and a sense of humor.

What do you see as the primary role of the Board?

To look to the best possible future for the Division.

If elected, how will you help YALSA members (in their daily work, in their careers, other)?

Be available as a sounding board, as others have consistently been for me.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I’ve served on Council, ALSC committees, & YALSA award, selection & process committees & have a solid understanding of where we fit.

Get ready to vote! The YALSA election runs from March 19 through April 25, and to help you be an informed voter, we’re sharing interviews with each of the 2014 candidates for YALSA Award Committees.

This week we are focusing on the Michael L. Printz Award Committee, which honors the best book and up to four honor books written for teens, based entirely on literary merit, each year.

Candidates, who will be presented in alphabetical order, were asked to craft “Twitter-length” responses (i.e. around 140 characters). Full biographical information on all of the candidates can be found on the sample ballot.

Today we have an interview with Kelly Jensen.

Name and current position: Kelly Jensen, Teen & Adult Services Librarian, Beloit Public Library

Why did you decide to run for a YALSA selection committee?

After serving on other YALSA selection committees, I felt ready to take on Printz. It’s an honor to volunteer time and energy for my professional organization.

In a nutshell, what will you bring to the committee?

I’m passionate about discussing and debating the merits of YA books. I’m excited by the opportunity to spend a year talking about what makes a book stand out as the most excellent with fellow passionate readers.

What experience do you have with materials selection and evaluation?

Selected YA materials since my first librarian job in 2009; served on the CYBILS YA judging panel for 3 years & Outstanding Books for the College Bound. I write critical, in-depth book reviews at STACKED.

What makes you a good fit for this committee in particular?

I’m a fair, objective, and critical evaluator of books across genres. My skills for reading deeply and eagerness to discuss the qualities which make a book “best” or “not best” are a strong fit.

How do you plan to manage the reading load required by selection committee participation?

Serving on the CYBILs required reading 60-100 books in a 3-month period. I’ve also served on Outstanding Books for the College Bound & I’ve developed a method for reading lots of books in a short period of time.

What have been some of your favorite past winners of this particular award?

My favorite Printz winners are John Corey Whaley’s Where Things Come Back and John Green’s Looking for Alaska but I’ve loved a number of titles that have earned Printz honors, too.

What books should have won the award, but didn’t?

Each committee makes their choices based on what they read and discussed at length. I think one thing that the Printz does- and does well- is constantly surprise.

What else do voters need to know about you?

I’m really good at keeping spreadsheets, a skill that is far more handy in committee work than most people realize.

This interview was cross-posted on The Hub and the YALSAblog.