Bringing the Young Reader’s Choice Award to Life in Your Library The Choice is Yours Bringing the Young Reader’s Choice Award to Life in Your Library Presented by Sara Saxton Youth Services Librarian Wasilla Meta-Rose Public Library

About Sara Loves books. Loves kids. Loves living in Alaska. Loves giving the power to the readers. Has a lovely family of three. Can be found in Wasilla. About Sara

About PNLA An international, regional library association Includes Alberta, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Washington Provides opportunities for networking, education, and leadership training Major Activities: Annual Conference, biennial Leadership Institute (LEADS), Job Board, and the Young Reader’s Choice Award About PNLA

About YRCA Begun by Seattle bookseller Harry Hartman in 1940 The oldest children’s choice award in North America The only reader’s choice award that includes youth in the US and Canada Facilitated and run by Youth Librarians and School Librarians Now I’ll take you through the process of creating the award step by step. About YRCA

Nominations Making the List

Eligible titles must be published 3 years prior to the award year. No sequels will be considered. Nominees from three divisions will be accepted: Junior (Grades 4-6), Intermediate (Grades 7-9), and Senior (Grades 10-12). Fiction, Non-Fiction, Manga, and Poetry are all eligible. There must be at least one book by a Canadian author in each division. Criteria

Who nominates titles? Librarians Teachers Parents Students Literature Lovers Mostly librarians. Around here, not many folks seem to know that they can nominate titles. Thus, the job falls largely to librarians. A list is compiled… Who nominates titles?

Creating the Ballot YRCA State & Provincial Representatives 6-8 Nominees per division Balanced list with appeal for both boys & girls, variety of genres, quality writing, and high readability Chance to expose readers to new genres & titles Creating the Ballot

Voting Choosing the Best

Rules Only students in grades 4- 12 may vote. No matter their age, kids may vote in any division where they have read more than 1 book. Takes place annually between March 15 and April 15. Last year more than 50,000 kids voted across the region. Rules

Awards Honoring the Authors

Honorees at Conference 2011 Junior Division Winner Kazu Kibuishi signs books after accepting his medal at the PNLA Conference. Honorees at Conference

Get Involved Boosting Our Momentum

At Your Library Create Displays Feature YRCA Titles Label Network Resources At Your Library

Professionally