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In February we are posting interviews with each of the 2012 Candidates for YALSA Award Committees. This week we are focusing on the Excellence in Non-fiction Award Committee.  Each day this week we’ll post an interview with one of the candidates for that committee. We are posting alphabetically by candidate’s last names.  

The YALSA Nominating Committee for 2012 has been working hard to select candidates for this year’s election. The Excellence in Nonfiction Award Committee honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. The Committee is made up of eight members, including the chair. You can read the Committee policies and procedures on the YALSA website.

This is your chance to get to know this year’s candidates nominated to serve on the Excellence in Nonfiction Committee. Polls are open from March 19 to April 27.

Today we have an interview with Renee McGrath.

What experience do you have that makes you a good candidate for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I have served on Popular Paperbacks for YAs (2 years) and just finished my term on the 2012 Newbery Award Selection Committee. Both of these committees gave me the experience of working with a big group of people on how to come to a decision about a book and whether or not it should either be included on a list or was worthy of an award. I also learned a lot about critically evaluating titles for an award. It is a different kind of reading. You must set aside your personal beliefs and interests and only look at the book for what it offers the reader in regards to the criteria of the award.

Why do you want to be a member of this awards committee?
I have always had a special place in my heart for nonfiction geared for younger people. I think part of that is professional and most of it is personal. When my son was young, nonfiction books would make him come alive! As he got older, it was sometimes the only thing I could get him to read. So, I came to really appreciate having excellent nonfiction available at my public library. It was not something I could afford to purchase on my own. I know what a good nonfiction book can mean to a parent who is struggling to get a child to read. When I became a librarian serving youth, I also realized the value of an excellent nonfiction book. It was something I could rely on when doing readers’ advisory. I would also use them in class visits. Many times, it was the nonfiction titles that went out first.

What are you most looking forward to in being a part of this award decision process?
Everything! Getting the books, reading them, critically evaluating them, and ultimately working with the committee to select the winner.

What do you feel are the key factors for decision-making for the Excellence in Nonfiction Award?
I will have to study the policies and procedures a bit before being completely knowledgeable on how the committee comes to their decision. However, I do know that we will look at the writing, making sure it is written in an engaging manner. We will also make sure that the information presented is accurate and organized in such a way that it is clear to the young adult reader.

The reading load for awards committees is very high, how do you plan on managing the work load of award committee life?
I was able to manage the reading load for both Popular Paperbacks and Newbery, so I don’t think I will have a problem with this one. I have become very good at using my iPad to organize my notes and schedules.

What have you learned from past experiences on awards, juries, or other YALSA committees that you will bring with you to this committee?
To always keep

Two YALSA programs at Annual Conference are geared to helping librarians think about and plan for how to connect with teens within the mobile and digital reading environments.

On Sunday, June 23, from 1:30 to 3:30, YALSA will sponsor the program Teens Reading Digitally Going Handheld and Mobile. The focus of the program is on how teens read, write, and learn using digital devices. Speakers include:

• Me, Linda Braun, who will provide an overview of the digital reading environment, what’s available for teens within that environment, and how teens are reading digitally and via mobile interfaces and devices.
• Supervisor of Library/Media Technology at Pinellas County (FL) Schools Bonnie Kelley, who will discuss how one visionary school district in Florida has created a buzz around the world by implementing the first one-to-one Kindle ebook reader initiative in K-12 public education, including digital textbooks, newspapers, and novels.
• Jacob Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Figment, who will discuss how technology enables communities of readers and writers to be participants in the life of a story. Lewis will frame his discussion around the Japanese cell phone novel phenomenon and has lots of information about digital and mobile reading habits and preferences of teens.
• iDrakula author Bekka Black, who will join the panel via Skype and is going to cover why she wrote iDrakula so it would look as if the reader were reading the story on stolen cell phones, how she got the idea for the novel, and how it ended up being available in a variety of formats and for a variety of platforms.

On Monday, June 24, from 10:30 to noon, YALSA is sponsoring the program titled, Trends in YA Services: Using Mobile Devices to Serve Teens. The focus of this program is on how libraries are meeting the needs of teens using mobile devices. The panel of speakers is made up of:

• Jennifer Velasquez, Coordinator of Teen Services for the San Antonio Public Library System, who will start the program with a portrait of how teens are using mobile devices.
• Students at the Patrick F. Taylor Science Academy, Enjoli Gilbert and Courtney Beamer, who will talk about how they use mobile devices as a part of their daily lives and will discuss ways in which librarians might use the devices in order to work with teens successfully.
• Kerrilyn Hurley, Young Adult Librarian at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley (NY) Community Library, who will cover the ways in which she connects with teens no matter where they are by using mobile technologies.
• Renee McGrath, Manager of Youth Services at the Nassau Library System in Uniondale, NY, will discuss development of a mobile site for providing access to booklists for teens.
• The NYC Haunts project is the topic that Jack Martin, Assistant Director of Public Programs/Lifelong Learning for Children, Teens and Families at The New York Public Library, will cover. This program gives teens the chance to research important places in New York City and then use iPads and the Scavngr platform to take part in a mobile scavenger hunt.
  

Each program is going to be full of useful content and attendees