GreatStories CLUB - Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

YALSA names winners of 2010 Great Books Giveaway

The recipient of the Great Books Giveaway will be announced by a press release issued by the ALA Public Information Office during the upcoming Midwinter Meeting.

2010:
Benjamin Banneker High School in Atlanta, Ga.
(1st); Conley-Caraballo High School, New Haven Unified School District in Hayward, Calif.
(2nd); Farmington (N.M.) High School Library (3rd).

YALSA will be recognizing all Grant and Award Recipients at their Annual Membership Meeting in Washington DC on Monday, June 28th.

#7 on the agenda:

     Recognition of Grants & Awards – Linda W. Braun 

1.     Braun 

1. Great Books Giveaway

                                                     i.     Winner: Julia Lundstrem, Benjamin Banneker High School in Atlanta, GA

                                                      ii.     Runner Up: Martha Utley, Conley-Caraballo High School, Hayward, CA

                                                        iii.     Runner Up: Kyla Johnson, Farmington (NM) High School Library

YALSA's Great Books Giveaway Competition

Each year the YALSA office receives approximately 1,200 newly published books, videos, CD's and audiocassettes, materials that have been targeted primarily towards young adults. Publishers and producers submit copies for selection committees to review and nominate. After the ALA Midwinter Meeting (when committees select their annual lists), these materials need to be removed from the YALSA office to make room for the next year's publications.

The YALSA Board of Directors believes many libraries that serve young adults would benefit by receiving this collection of materials. YALSA and the cooperating publishers are therefore offering one year's worth of review materials as a contribution to a library in need through this application process. Applicants must demonstrate:

Why the collection is needed in their community.
Why the collection is needed in their institution.
How acquiring the collection will help them better serve the youth of their community.
That the library's commitment to intellectual freedom and equity of access for young adults is supported by an up-to-date, board-approved collection development policy which is based upon the guidelines in the Intellectual Freedom Manual (ALA, 1996) and/or Censorship and Selection: Issues and Answers for Schools by Henry Reichman (ALA, 2001).
Criteria

Each application will be judged on the basis of:

The degree of need in the community. (20 points)
The degree of need of the school, public library, or institution where the library is located. (20 points)
The degree of improvement of service to young adults in the community. (20 points).
The degree of clarity and effectiveness of the statement of need. (20 points)
An estimate of the age of the nonfiction collection. (10 points)
The currency and completeness of the institution’s board approved collection development policy, including the materials selection policy, with procedures for handling challenges. (10 points)
A total of 100 points is possible. Each entry will be rated by this point system and the winning application will be the one with the highest total number of points. The Great Books Giveaway Jury will judge the applications.

New Books: "I found this really helpful....."

" 'What to expect when your expecting' by Heidi Murkoff: I learned how to prepare for my baby and during my pregnancy what pains, emotions and symptoms to expect. I also learned what my baby looks like inside my and what is developing during each week or month. What to prepare for during labor, the different medications and what they are and what they do. How the labor works and what to take for the labor and delivery. I found this really helpful because it gave me more information on and about my pregnancy."

New Books: "I appreciate coming into the library....."

"I appreciate coming into the library and being able to check out new books that are entertaining and relevant to my life."

New Books: "....it helps me raise my baby better....."

"This book was important to me because it helps me raise my baby better and I learned a lot from the book about babies."

New Books: "Reading the 'PostSecret' (books) made me feel a lot better....."

"Reading the 'PostSecret' (books) made me feel a lot better about myself and my actions, 'cause I realized that I wasn't the only one who did them."

New Books: "....I like to read about other people's experiences in their lives."

"This book I have checked out called 'Homeboyz' by Alan Lawrence Sitomer opens up a lot of things I've gone through. It's the life I have grown up in and I like to read about other people's experiences in their lives. I would love for our library to receive more grants for these kind of books!"

New Books: "....catch my attention a lot faster."

"The books that I've checked out today compared to previous books I've read actually catch my attention a lot faster. They also relate to things that are of interest to me.

New Books: "Maximizing the thrill of reading a book"

Conley student happily displaying books she has read that were purchased with funds from the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Grant.




"Compared to the older books we had, these new ones are a breath of fresh air. They are written in our time so we can put ourselves in them more easily, maximizing the thrill of reading a book."

Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Grant = New Books For Our School Library

A big THANK YOU to the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation for their generous $3000.00 Grant Award. I have been able to purchase books that support the curriculum; meet student interests and needs; and encourage a love of reading.

This is very exciting for our school and our library.

GreatStories CLUB - One of those hideous books where the mother dies by Sonya Sones

GreatStories CLUB - Afterlife by Gary Soto slideshow

Great Stories CLUB - Afterlife

The Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a reading and discussion program that targets underserved, troubled teen populations.  

The program reaches teens through books that are relevant to their lives, inviting them to read and keep the books, and encourages them to consider and discuss each title with a group of their peers.   

It seeks to show that reading can be a source of pleasure, a tool of self-exploration, and a meaningful way to connect to the wider world.  Its ultimate goal is to inspire young adults who face difficult situations to take control of their lives by embracing the power of reading.

I have received the books in early January and began reading and discussing Gary Soto's Afterlife with our first group of students the first week of February.  The group meets twice weekly for one hour and will earn either 1 English credit or 1 Elective credit.  I moderate the group, occasionally the community liaison will join us, as will other staff members who pop in briefly to join in the discussion for a few minutes.  

We have 7 boys involved in the group.  The boys enjoy reading aloud with each other and engage in deep philosophical discussions about the various themes brought up in the book. 

Great Stories CLUB grant

On December 8, 2009 I also received the following e-mail:

Martha Utley

Conley-Caraballo High School Library

Dear  Martha Utley:

Congratulations! Your library has been selected to receive a Great Stories Club grant from the American Library Association (ALA).  The Great Stories Club is organized by the ALA Public Programs Office, in cooperation with the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Major funding for the Great Stories CLUB has been provided by Oprah's Angel Network.

Your collection of Great Stories Club books has been shipped to the address provided on your grant application.  If your books have not arrived by the first week of January, 2010, contact publicprograms@ala.org. The Public Programs Office staff will not be available to answer questions about the status of shipments prior to that time.

Included in the package, you will find:

* 11 copies of “The Afterlife” by Gary Soto

* 11 copies of “Rules of Survival” by Nancy Werlin

* 11 copies of “One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies” by Sonya Sones

By January 8, 2010 you will be subscribed to the Great Stories Club electronic discussion list. Please feel free to use this list to pose questions and share ideas with fellow project directors. In the meantime, visit www.ala.org/greatstories to access programming resources, preview questions that will be included in the final report, and review the grant guidelines. Per the guidelines, your library may retain only one copy of each Great Stories Club title. All other books must be distributed to participating teens to keep. The online final report is due June 30, 2010.

Thank you for your interest in the Great Stories Club, and congratulations again on your successful application.

Sincerely,

Lainie Castle

Project Director

Public Programs Office

American Library Association

(312) 280-5055

1-800-545-2433, ext 5055

www.ala.org/publicprograms