“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh?” he whispered. “Yes, Piglet?” “Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. “I just wanted to be sure of you.” from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (1926) Sure… In looking up the definition to sure, I found these words in the dictionary: steadfast, reliable, trustworthy, indisputable and these phrases marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty and careful to attend to. The dictionary also described steadfast as “a sure hold” just as in the quote above where Piglet is certain of Pooh’s hand. It has been an honor to serve as your ALSC President this past year and as your ALSC Vice-President/President-elect the year before. When first elected in May 2011, I could never have imagined how quickly the months would go by. And, during these months it has been a challenge to combine the many facets of life and add this layer…
Category: Blogger Carolyn Brodie
Don’t You Want to Go? ALA in Sweet Home Chicago!
There’s still time to attend the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago scheduled for June 27-July 2, 2013! With so many exciting events, programs and meetings planned there is certain to be plenty to fill your days (and nights) with opportunities to learn, explore, network and experience all that ALSC and Chicago have to offer. Our ALSC experience has two “bookends” with the pre-conference at the beginning on Friday, June 28 and the Charlemae Rollins President’s program at the other end on Monday, July 1—with lots of great selections in between! Here are just a few! Friday Such an exciting time with the 75th Caldecott Celebration as a center for festivities at our annual conference, it all begins with the Friday, June 28 ALSC Preconference A Wild Ride: 75 Years of the Caldecott Medal even though the event is sold out, there is a waiting list for registration. If you can’t…
44th Arbuthnot Honor Lecture: An Honorable History
If you know the Dick and Jane, then you have already encountered May Hill Arbuthnot, who co-authored these iconic readers. The 44th Arbuthnot Honor Lecture will be delivered on Thursday, May 16, 2013 by Michael Morpurgo. The selected hosts for the event are Nazareth College and the Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association in Rochester, New York. The honor lectureship will be tied to several other significant events for librarians and readers of children’s and young adult literature during Children’s Book Week and will kick off the 38th annual NYLA Youth Services Section’s Spring Conference. Much detailed information about the event, including ticket ordering can be found here. The May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award was established in 1969 by the Association for Library Service to Children with Arbuthnot providing the inaugural lecture. As a tribute to this esteemed author, editor, critic, anthologist and educator, the lecture…
Día! Diversity in Action!
Día! Diversity in Action is the 2013 tag line for the celebration of Children’s Day/Book Day. For those of us serving children in libraries, that is every day. We know first-hand the power of the right book at the right time in the hands of a child. We know that reading changes lives. And, we work hard to share this news with everyone! Luckily, we have Día to help us. El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) is one of those robust, flexible campaigns that provides resources to create programs and plan a celebration. Although April 30 is the day most celebrations happen, Children’s Day/Book Day can happen on any day or on multiple days, at any time of the year. A Día! fact sheet provides additional information. It was — and is — an exciting project to learn about. Día grew out of Children’s…
14 Sweet Memories of 2013 ALA Midwinter in Seattle!
Though it has been a little over two weeks since ALA Midwinter in Seattle, there are still (and will always be) so many sweet memories of all the good work that happened, the creativity that continued (and was born), the friendships that deepened and the new ones that began, and how we all worked hard to continue in our journey to create a better future for children through libraries. As your President, here are just a few (14 since it is Valentine’s Day) of my highlights on your behalf, if you were there I know you have your own list. If you weren’t in Seattle, please know that we need and welcome your contributions through virtual committee work, contributions to ALSC publications, notes on ALSC-L, participation in our online communications via ALSC Community Forums, Facebook and Twitter. Here’s my 14…. One of my very favorite parts of any conference is…
Happy 2013! ALSC Opportunities at ALA Midwinter
Happy 2013! ALSC Opportunities at ALA Midwinter At the end of this month the American Library Association will convene in Seattle, Washington for our Midwinter Meeting, January 25-29. It’s that beginning of the year time for ALSC members to recharge, revitalize and make valuable contributions to the advancement of our profession as we work together to create a better future for children through libraries. We’ll meet old friends from across the country and make new friends as we share learning experiences. It’s an opportunity to network, to share your story and to learn many new stories. Highlighted here are three ALSC opportunities for connecting and learning. And, even if you can’t be at Midwinter this year, read on to learn how you can participate with two of the events below from your own virtual location. #1–Leadership and ALSC (formerly known as ALSC Division Leadership) On Saturday morning, January 26 from…
You’ve Got a Friend(s) in ALSC….
This past year a brand new logo for the Friends of ALSC was unveiled along with the announcement of a direct URL address of http://www.ala.org/alsc/donate. We hope this new logo and new URL will help ALSC promote the work of the Friends group and the generous nature of its members. The Friends of ALSC also supported two ALSC Institute scholarships for Amanda Struckmeyer and Joella Peterson to attend the program in Indianapolis. Also supported were two Nook and a Book prizes: one during the Annual Conference raffle and one virtually for the ALSC eBadge Contest. As we gear up for further changes in 2013 for Friends of ALSC, we invite you to make a donation prior to the conclusion of 2012. The Friends membership year follows calendar year — January through December — and will culminate in an end-of-year thank you/membership drive letter highlighting the uses of Friends of ALSC…
83 Days to Go: ALA Midwinter in Seattle & the 2013 ALA Youth Media Awards!
Seattle is the place to be for our next ALA Midwinter Conference on January 25-29, 2013 where thousands of ALA members will gather to conduct our association’s business. A major highlight for ALSC is the Youth Media Awards (@alayma on Twitter), is our own announcements of the award winners for the Newbery, Caldecott, Carnegie, Arbuthnot Lecture, Sibert, Geisel, Batchelder, Odyssey (with YALSA), Belpré (with REFORMA). If you’re in Seattle, please attend the ALA Youth Media Awards announcements in person at the Convention Center on Monday, January 28 at 8:00 am PT (doors open at 7:30 am). It is a truly unforgettable experience full of anticipation, energy and excitement. Or you can watch the live Webcast on your computer or mobile device that will also begin at 8:00 am PT and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Either way, you’ll be among the first to know which books and media are our committees’ choices for the best of the best. As the announcer for ALSC, I’m thrilled to be the one to share the much anticipated news! Award press releases…