Thoughts: Post-ALA

Back from another ALA, one that had a nostalgic feeling for me.  There's a lot of reasons for that: there was the celebrating for the 2011 Printz, which came with moments I had been waiting for since May of 2009, when I was elected to the 2011 Printz committee.  There's also knowing that this ALA marks a transition for me.  I'm not on any committees right now, and my plans for the next year are to serve on a process committee, which are primarily virtual right now.  But after getting to serve on the Printz, I think it's time to give back to YALSA by being on a less-"glamorous" process committee.

But what was this conference like, you're wondering?

--I got a chance to attend some great programs, giving me some ideas for improving teen services at my library.  In addition, many of these ideas can be expanded to other areas, which is great.  For example, Renee McGrath at Nassau Library showed off a mobile website that looks like an app--something I've already shown to people here at my library.  And I definitely want to start using QR codes on my program publicity and to promote the library's online resources. 

--I am a bit concerned with YALSA's insistence on being all things Apple.  I can understand that Apple's products have a very high cool factor--teens want iDevices.  However, they're not the only option.  And in cases where there are legitimate alternatives, I think that we should have balance by hearing about all the options.  Given that Android is gobbling up a larger and larger market share with each month, it just seems short-sighted to focus only on today's hot product and not tomorrow's, too.

--Another matter for concern was Penguin's ARC distribution methods.  Instead of having ARCs available throughout the conference, they only gave out ARCs during very short windows--in most cases, one hour.  These were usually timed with when an author was signing.  But there's two problems with this: in many cases, I don't really want a signed ARC; I just want the ARC.  Beyond that, though, is the fact that anyone who had committments they couldn't break--committee meetings, meals, etc.--then you were out of luck.  Given that many people come to ALA to do work, not just to get ARCs, this seems like a real disservice to me.  Add in the fact that I can count on three fingers the number of times a publisher has sent me an ARC after the conference when they ran out, and I really hope that this idea is seen as the bad PR that it is.  I know it's not a right to get ARCs, but I don't understand why Penguin would make it harder for themselves in this way.  I don't think it's a coincidence that three boxes of Crossed ARCs went missing during the conference.

--In happier topics, the Printz reception was amazing.  All the speeches were just funny and touching and thoughtful, in different ways.  Lucy Christopher talked about how Stolen came from her experiences as an immigrant to Australia.  A.S. (Amy) King gave a moving speech about how her mother's illness when Amy was fifteen, inspired Please Ignore Vera Dietz.  Marcus Sedgwick made a funny, extemparaneous talk about how his research factored into Revolver.  Janne Teller gave three speeches in one to discuss how Nothing came to be published, and how writing for young adults taught her more than she ever thought.  And Paolo Bacigalupi made a call-to-arms, saying that the world he created in Ship Breaker is what we are creating now, and that it was up to us and to teenagers to prevent that from happening. 

--I couldn't help but be incredibly proud of the Printz committee for the hard work that went into these selections.  Two of our members couldn't be with us in New Orleans, which saddened us all.  Yet we had a glorious celebration of just how good young adult literature is, and I feel very honored to have been a part of this.  Being on the Printz committee is a highlight of not just my career, but of my personal life as well.

Those of you who went to ALA, I hope you had a good time as well!  And here's hoping we'll see each other again at another conference.  If you're interested to know what ARCs I managed to pick up, check in next week to see my ARC haul post.

ALA Time!

On Friday, I'll be on my way to the ALA Annual Conference, held this year in New Orleans.  It's bound to be a fun time--I'm particularly looking forward to this conference for a couple of reasons.  It's the first time in several years that I'm not serving on a committee during Annual, which means I'll get to attend programs.  What's on my schedule?  I'm glad you asked!  I'm planning to attend the following:

--Download This! (PLA)
--Teens Reading Digitally (YALSA)
--Teen Services Mashup (YALSA)
--Moving Up the Career Ladder (YALSA)
--Using Mobile Devices to Serve Teens (YALSA)
--Membership Meeting/President's Program (YALSA)
--Printz Reception (YALSA)

Thanks to my service on the 2011 Printz Committee, I've been invited out for several meals, which is always a treat.  I'm looking forward to good food, good programs, and good times with my friends and colleagues.

This will probably be the last ALA I go to for a while.  Sadly, I have rarely received any support to attend ALA from MPOW, and unfortunately, something's gotta give, as the song says.  So I'm taking a break from conferences at least for the 2012 calendar year.  After that, who knows what the future holds?

If you're attending Annual, I hope to see you there!  The blog will be on hiatus until next week.  I'll be back then with talk about the programs I attended and the ARCs I managed to snag.  Until then, happy reading!

Friday Fun: ALA Elections

I know the ALA elections may not seem like fun on the surface, but just think--it's time for librarians to express the direction that they think ALA should be heading in for the future.  If you say that ALA, YALSA, or any division doesn't reflect what matters, elections are a way to change that!

ALA Election Info

Posts about the upcoming election at the YALSA blog

There's just a week left to vote!  Don't miss out on your chance to create change.

ALA Midwinter Recap

It's been nearly two weeks since Midwinter ended, so what are the highlights that have stuck with me?

--Working with the rest of the amazing Printz committee to select this year's winner and honor books.  I'm incredibly proud of the work we accomplished: the books we read, the discussions we had, the fun we shared in the midst of all this work.  There were so many wonderful books published this year, and not to pat ourselves on the back too much, but I think we picked five very worthy books.

--Spending time with old friends and making new friendships.  My roommate buddies Liz B. and Sophie have been both friends and colleagues for several years, and they make conferences a time for both work and fun.  It was great to have Stacy as our fourth roommate, since I've always enjoyed her blog.  And it was great to meet Sarah, the GreenBeanTeenQueen in person!  (Psst: Sarah's running for the 2013 Printz!  You should check out her blog.) 

--Getting to walk around the exhibits, seeing what books are coming soon and of course, grabbing some ARCs.  What books am I most excited about?  Libba Bray's Beauty Queens, Micol Ostow's family, and Displacement by Thalia Chaltas are calling my name.  There's the sequels Dark Goddess: A Devil's Kiss Novel by Sarwat Chadda and Maureen Johnson's The Last Little Blue Envelope.  And a debut that's definitely intriguing: Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jennifer Violi.  

All in all, this was a memorable Midwinter Meeting for me.  Since I plan to take a break from committees and conferences after Annual in New Orleans, I'm glad I'm taking a break on a high point!  Leave a comment if you want to talk about the Printz or mention an ARC that you got at Midwinter.

ALA Annual 2010, Washington, D.C.

ALA, as always, is an energizing experience. While you're tired and busy and perhaps a bit stressed, there's also the time to have conversations with your friends who are scattered throughout the country, even the world. Plus, there's great events to attend, ARCs to pick up, and authors to meet. Here are some of my memorable moments:

--Having dinner at John Green's table, thanks to Penguin.

--Attending perhaps the best Printz reception I've ever attended, with wonderful, hilarious, heart-warming speeches from Adam Rapp, Deborah Heiligman, Rick Yancey, John Barnes, and Libba Bray.

--Showing masterful self-restraint and not grabbing every ARC I could, since thanks to the Printz Committee I know I'll be sent most books I saw at ALA. So, more for others!

--Having great meetings with the rest of the Printz Committee, discussing the merits of several books. There will be a post at the YALSA blog soon talking about the process of serving on the Printz Committee.

All in all, it was another great conference. If you couldn't make it, there's plenty of info at the YALSA blog about how to be part of the conference, even after the fact, if you weren't able to make it. If I saw you there, I'm glad we did, and if we didn't connect, there's always next time I hope.

Quick Thoughts About Midwinter

The 2010 ALA Midwinter Conference was, as always, full of activity. The YALSA Board voted on the BBYA proposal, AASL adopted the term "school librarian" for their profession, and of course, Random House jumped the gun in announcing the Newbery winner.

Midwinter isn't just about the controversial or the unusual. There's networking, watching committees in action, and advance reader's copies of forthcoming titles. Here are my short takes on 2010 titles I've read so far.

Heist Society
Ally Carter
Publication Date: February 2010

An all-out fun book, evoking the world of Oceans Eleven but with teenagers. Carter shifts from her Gallagher Girls series to bring us Kat Bishop, from a family of high-class thieves. She tries to get out of the family business only to be pulled back in when her father is threatened. Carter has a real knack for creating lively, interesting characters, and that skill is showcased in Heist Society. With a plot that moves smoothly and a dash of romance, there's also just enough complexity to create some tension. There's always a question of how Kat and her teenage crew will pull this off, but the answer isn't taxing reality. For a fun, fast-paced read, Heist Society is a great choice.

This World We Live In
Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publication Date: April 2010

The third book in the Last Survivors series brings together the characters from the two previous books: Miranda and her family from Life As We Knew It with Alex and Julie Morales from The Dead and the Gone. Pfeffer continues to be unafraid to pose hard challenges for her characters to face, ranging from a tornado to running out of food and personal care products, not to mention normal teenage concerns like meeting a cute guy and thinking he doesn't like you. It's unfortunate that the characterization in this volume seems clumsy; Miranda, in particular, does not seem to have any of the maturity she gained over the course of the first eight months since the initial disaster. Aside from this problem, Pfeffer shows her talent at constructing plots and increasing the jeopardy for her characters.

Jekel Loves Hyde
Beth Fantaskey
Publication Date: May 2010

The sophomore effort from Fantaskey once again combines a paranormal story with romance. In this book, she's mined less-popular ground, by using the jumping-off point of Stevenson's novella The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Plain, studious Jill Jekel can't help being drawn to enigmatic, gorgeous Tristan Hyde--and not just for the normal reason. No, they are drawn to each other because Stevenson's story was based on their actual ancestors. And Tristan needs Jill's help to conquer the beast within him. Full of sweeping romance, Jekel Loves Hyde is a compelling read. The character of Tristan is perhaps not successful as a teenage boy, but he's got the Byronic romantic hero part down pat. But it's a minor quibble for readers who are looking to be carried away by romance.

Any opinions on books published in 2010 are my own and do not represent the opinions of the 2011 Printz Committee.

ALA Annual 2009: By the Numbers

6: Authors Met
Justina Chen Headley was so pleased to hear feedback about her books, and was a delight to talk to. David Levithan laughed at my Team Peeta t-shirt. Melina Marchetta gave a wonderful Printz Award acceptance speech, and then was just as wonderful in conversation. E. Lockhart shared details about her upcoming books after presenting a knock-out speech exploring the inspirations for her award-winning The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. Libba Bray and Sara Ryan remain separated at birth.

4: YALSA Events Attended
The Happy Hour and Fashion Show was a hoot and a half, not to mention a great time to reconnect with friends and colleagues. Thanks to the generosity of School Library Journal, I got to attend the Edwards luncheon for the first time, and got treated to a stellar speech by Laurie Halse Anderson. The Morris Award Presentation and YA Authors Coffee Klatch was another first-time event for me, but I'll definitely be attending this again! And finally, the Printz Award Reception was full of wonderful, compelling, funny speeches, followed by a fantastic reception.

3: Board of Directors Meetings Attended
This is a bit of a cheat, since I had to attend the Board meetings as an ex-officio member. But I greatly encourage all YALSA members to attend occasional Board meetings and read the available documents and minutes. The YALSA Board of Directors are the people who are setting YALSA's course, and being aware of what's being discussed or showing up to voice your opinion is your benefit as a member.

3: Boxes of Books Shipped Home
I'm eagerly awaiting getting my boxes of materials. True, there were much fewer ARCs available than in past years, as well as less swag as a whole. Yet I thought I still came away with several books that I'm excited about and that I'm looking forward to reading.

2: ARCs Already Read
Waiting for reviews, that will hopefully come next week, are two new books from fantastic authors. First, there's The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, acclaimed author of A Room on Lorelei Street and The Adoration of Jenna Fox. And then there's Shiver, the widely-discussed novel from Maggie Stiefvater. Both were fantastic, and I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts with all of you!

2: Great Roommates
I've been rooming with Liz Burns (of Tea Cozy) and Sophie Brookover (of Pop Goes the Library) for years, and they're not only considerate roommates but great friends. They always provide another way of thinking about issues and are founts of knowledge.

1: Presentation Made
I spoke about historical fiction at YALSA's Genre Galaxy on Friday. I had a great time talking about this often-unappreciated genre, and had a fantastic time at this event.

I hope everyone who attended Annual had a good time, and I'm excited to be back to blogging, my batteries recharged and my bookshelves overflowing.

Hiatus: ALA Annual

From Thursday July 9th through Tuesday July 14, I'll be attending the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Therefore, the blog will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. If you'd like to see my stream-of-consciousness thoughts about the conference, check out my Twitter. Thanks, and I hope to be back with lots of books to discuss!