Author: Nina Lindsay

Blogger Nina Lindsay

Diversity Jedi

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Brick wall busted open

I value conferences most for their amazing conversations–the hallways are essentially a primordial Twitter, with threads going in multiple directions, between friends and strangers, for days.  A great way to spark those conversations, especially for introverts, are intriguing ribbons, and ALSC is always listening for phrases or ideas our members may want to don…for instance, by following popular hashtags. But we realized that the #DiversityJedi ribbons we shared on Twitter last week were not the best way to have this particular conversation.  #DiversityJedi is a more complicated concept than a ribbon can communicate, as commenters swiftly pointed out: “I get the sentiment, but If ALSC truly wants to recognize #diversityjedi work, they would not create a ribbon. They would show it through actions, in programming, publications, & policies. This work is imperative, but ribbons only appropriate and trivialize” @TeachChildLit “This is appropriation. This is hurtful. This is erasure. We named…

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ALA Annual 2018

ALSC Charlemae Rollins President’s Program

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ALSC Charlemae Rollins President's Program

As Annual Conference draws near, I invite you to the  2018 ALSC Charlemae Rollins President’s Program, “Considering All Children: A New Ideal in Evaluating and Engaging around Books for Youth” on Monday, June 25 2018, from 1pm-2:30pm at the Ernest Morial Convention Center Rm 260-262, or on Twitter at #ALSCAllKids. The canon of American literature for children upholds “quality” and “excellence,” emphasizing that young readers deserve the very best.  But who is deciding which books stand out? How are some critics and some children privileged in our field’s thinking? How are some dismissed or made invisible?

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Blogger Nina Lindsay

Calling Everyday Advocates to National Library Legislative Day!

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Nina Lindsay (right) visits with Bethany Hoglund (left) and Bernice Chang (center) at the Bellingham Public Library Children's Room

I’ve just returned from the Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, delivered by Naomi Shihab Nye in Bellingham WA.  You will hear more on this event soon, but you can check it out now on Twitter at #Arbuthnot2018 (and contemplate your application to be the host site for the 2019 lecture with Debbie Reese?  Applications close May 15th). During her talk, which will be published in Children and Libraries, Nye said that she encourages everyone to read obituaries, and shared a little about how many amazing people she has discovered through them. “We don’t have to look far for heroes; but we do have to remember how many there are.” This made me think of the amazing work each of you do every day, in your libraries.  While in Bellingham, I visited the Bellingham Public Library and was impressed at examples of what I know so many of you accomplish: maintaining library environments…

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ALSC Board

ALSC Awards Program Review Update

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At the Midwinter Meeting 2018, the ALSC Board took action to establish a task force to review our awards program, beginning with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. The Awards Program Review Task Force is now underway, to bring recommendations regarding the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award to the Board at Annual Conference 2018.  Following Annual Conference, the task force will examine our other awards for discussion at Midwinter 2019. The task force’s exploration of the Wilder Award will include an online survey for members of ALSC and ALA ethnic affiliates to be announced this week (UPDATE March 27: the survey is now live here, open through April 8), and consultation with publishing representatives, relevant scholars and/or culturally proficient context experts as necessary, to fill gaps in knowledge regarding the impacts of the award as it is currently, and potential impacts for any changes. If the task force recommends changing the name…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Next Steps for Early Literacy: Board Update

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In my post last month post I invited you all to follow a couple of discussions happening at ALSC Board Meetings at Midwinter, including a our “mega-issue” discussion, Next Steps for Early Literacy. Following a review of the IMLS funded report Bringing Literacy Home: An Evaluation of the Every Child Ready to Read Program (2017), the ALSC Board examined the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) product as a strategic initiative, considering the necessity of further development of the product in formal partnership with PLA. We recognized that ECRR is now foundational to libraries’ work in early literacy, and is understood today as a practice, not just a toolkit. This is exactly what we intended to achieve with this initiative, and while there are opportunities to develop and extend its practices further, we determined that the constraints of the formal ECRR partnership no longer best serve our strategic effectiveness in early literacy….

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Board Action Update: the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award

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The Laura Ingalls Wilder award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.  It has been given since 1954, when the award was first conferred upon its namesake.  At first given every few years, it is now an annual award. Tomorrow we will announce the 23rd recipient of this award.  With each award conferred, we honor the hard work and dedicated mastery that goes into creating exceptional literature for children.  Each individual honored presents a new standard for book creators to set their sights on, and an established body of work for children to enjoy for years to come. As a member organization that seeks and holds up excellence in our honored award recipients, we also must examine ALSC and hold our structures accountable to our core values: including inclusiveness,…

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ALA Midwinter 2018

Join ALSC Leadership Discussions at Midwinter

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The ALA Midwinter Meeting is nigh, and with it some of the most anticipated discussions of the year…. Oh, you were thinking of the youth media awards, weren’t you? How about: Leadership & ALSC This session is an opportunity for anyone interested in leadership within ALSC to meet and greet, get division and association updates, and engage with an invited speaker on a topic of current concern to our members. How does toxic stress affect the families you serve, and what can you do to serve them better? Dr. Janina Fariñas and Johanna Ulloa Girón MSW (and Outreach Services Manager at Poudre River Public Library District), will introduce how current knowledge on toxic stress and its impact is shaping the way public libraries provide services and programs for children and their families, offering a brief overview of research as well as clear, practical approaches for implementing solutions that support the…

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Blogger Nina Lindsay

ALA ED Search: “MLIS Preferred” Supports ALSC Core Values

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A recently successful member petition will place a measure on the spring ballot to overturn a recent ALA Council action regarding requirements for the ALA Executive Director (ED).  The measure would change the language of the job announcement for the next ALA Executive Director from “MLIS preferred” (or CAEP/school librarian equivalent) back to “MLIS required.”    Background

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