Like fellow #alsc2024 bloggers Lisa and Mitzi, I had the privilege of attending the Bill Morris Seminar this year. The seminar offered so much insight into the best practices for evaluating books for children. Whether you hope to serve on an ALSC, YALSA, or a state award committee (I spent three years evaluating history, biography, and historical fiction books for children for my state library association’s book awards!), here are some lessons that I plan to use in the future:
Everyone brings their own expertise. The seminar gives you the opportunity to sit in mock discussion groups where you evaluate a selection of books based on different committee criteria. My group included library workers from Washington, Florida, Montana, Wisconsin, and someone who lived just outside of Denver. It was interesting to hear the insight my group members shared – they noticed things in the text or illustrations that I hadn’t. Everyone’s unique identity, background, education, and work experience will impact how they view a book. These are your team members, not your competition and your combined knowledge and differing perspectives all have value.
Leave your personal biases at the door. We all have personal biases, whether you notice them or not, that impact the way we interact with a story or illustrations. For example, a character in the story might make a offhand joke about an illness that has impacted your family – it’s difficult to keep that from coloring your opinion on the book. Still, you have to acknowledge your bias and set it aside to evaluate as effectively as possible.
Acknowledge what perspectives you’re missing. Is your evaluation group a bit homogenous? It can help to consider those who aren’t in the room and how they might feel.
Expect to change your mind. You’ll likely come to a book evaluation with favorites, but this might change when you hear other perspectives. You may end up championing a book you thought was an easy cast off when you first read it.
Find your own way of taking notes. There were lots of different ideas on how to organize your thoughts when you’re reading hundreds of books. My favorite was to take notes on a sticky note and place it on the inside cover of the book so you can see your thoughts on the title at a glance – genius!
Talking to children can change your perspective. The book you loved might sound clunky when you read it out loud or may not hold the attention of a child. Read books with children and ask for their opinions when evaluating literature for children.
(Image courtesy of Guest Contributor)
Guest Contributor Vanessa Salo (she/her/hers) is the administrative assistant for the Virginia Library Association and a MSLS student at the University of Kentucky. She attended the Bill Morris Seminar at the 2024 ALSC Institute. Vanessa lives in New York and loves art history, basketball, and pierogi. (She stumbled upon Caldecott’s home – shown in the image at the top of this post – during a trip to London this year!)
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
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