ALSC is a busy organization, juggling a huge array of activities from hosting multi-day educational conferences to generating booklists that help caregivers explain complex current events to children. All those projects cost money. Have you ever wondered where ALSC gets its funding? And how the money from your dues gets spent? The Budget Committee wants to answer your questions! Check out our new infographic designed to give ALSC members an overview of where our money comes from and where it goes. If you have other budget-related questions, fire away in the comments or drop in to one of our meetings to learn more about ALSC’s finances. Nancy Funes is a Children’s Librarian at the Salt Lake City Public Library System, serving the west side communities of Salt Lake City, UT. Nancy is a current member of the ALSC Budget committee and the ALSC Notable Children’s Books committee. She received her…
Category: Guest Blogger
Intergenerational Book Clubs: How to use reading to raise social justice awareness
We are living in complicated times. There’s plenty we can reflect on about 2020 and its impacts on our families, our professions and our relationships. And with the arrival of 2021, the conversations have only become more complex. Explaining the world to our children and our students is no easy task. In order to set up our students for success, we need to seek out culturally and linguistically diverse viewpoints.
2022 Legacy Award Committee Seeking Suggestions
Hello, this is Brian E. Wilson, chair of the 2022 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. Our committee is now accepting suggestions for the Legacy Award from you terrific ALSC members. The deadline for submitting suggestions is April 15, 2021.
2023 Children’s Literature Lecturer – Send Your Suggestions!
The Children’s Literature Lecture Award Committee is seeking suggestions for our 2023 honoree. The lecturer may be an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature. The lecture will be given in April or May of 2023 at a site to be chosen next year. ALSC members are welcome to send suggestions to the committee for consideration. Please send your proposed lecturer(s), with supporting rationale for each recommendation. The nomination form is available online and the deadline for submissions is July 31. Recent past lecturers include Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Neil Gaiman, Dr. Debbie Reese, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Jacqueline Woodson. The complete list of past lecturers is on the ALSC website. The 2023 lecturer will be announced at the 2022 ALA LibLearnX next January in San Antonio. For…
Educating Young Children on the Importance of Freedom of Speech
The right to freedom of speech is established in the First Amendment because it is one of the most important freedoms we value in the United States. Freedom of speech gives us the right to use our voices in countless ways – from signing a petition, to writing a poem or creating a piece of art, to voting and attending a protest, to practicing a religious tradition. Like learning the ABC’s to build words for communicating, learning about the First Amendment and freedom of speech is a building block we can use to empower young voices.
The Underdogs 2020: Ten Picture Books You May Have Missed
I have been assembling the “underdogs” list for several years now, and this one was particularly difficult. Between the library being closed in the Spring, and then adjusting to modified services upon reopening, I haven’t had a lot of access to new picture books, much less time to leisurely browse them.
Virtual Playtime with GameRT at #alamw21
GameRT presented examples for virtual gaming, as well as resources and tips for introducing them to patrons. Our presenters were Dan Major of Orion Township Public Library (adult services), Erica Ruscio of Ventress Memorial Library (teen services), Rebecca Strang of Naperville Public Library (children’s services), and Jeff Pinsker of AMIGO Games (CEO).
Singing Along to the Song of Change in Our Libraries at #alamw21
In the fourth day of ALA Midwinter, the themes of flexibility and planning continued with the panel, The Road Ahead: Libraries in an Uncertain Future. Speaker Zoe Dunning began her presentation by saying, “You can’t predict the future, but you can plan for it.” What a way to summarize the past year and many of the ideas of this conference! Throughout every panel that I attended in the past few days, there is an undercurrent of change happening. 2020 certainly gave us all new perspectives about how libraries can work. While sometimes we found ourselves drained thinking of how to best serve our communities, there were also pockets of light when new ideas came into focus and practice.