Librarians will find new book an authoritative source of information, a reader’s advisory tool, and a checklist for collection development

New York, NY (July 16, 2008)—Just in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), eight nationally recognized authorities have brought together essential information about the YALSA awards in one comprehensive guide. The Official YALSA Awards Guidebook, available from Neal-Schuman Publishers as of June 24, will provide librarians with an exhaustive list of award-winning books with which to build their collections, as well as useful tools for
promoting those books to readers.

“When you add YA award-winning books to your collection,” says contributor Erin Downey Howerton, “you then have an incredible asset—a core go-to list of books that provides both popularity and quality to your teen patrons.”

Ideal for any library that caters to a young-adult population, the book provides information on three YALSA awards: the Alex Award, honoring adult books that hold promise for young-adult readers, the Edwards Award, for YA titles that speak especially to adolescent interests and needs, and the Printz Award, for the best young adult book of the year. For each award, contributors discuss the history and founding of the award, as well as characteristics of the winning books. Lists of winning books
provide concise summaries as well as subjects covered.

The contributors have also included award acceptance speeches from notable authors like Judy Blume and Ursula LeGuin. Librarians, teachers and scholars will find the speeches useful for the insights they provide in the authors’ own words.

To help librarians promote their collections, the book includes photocopy-ready pages listing the winners of each award.

“By learning more about YALSA’s awards, every librarian working with teenagers, from generalists to teen specialists, can greatly improve the service they provide teenagers in their libraries,” says Paula Brehm-Heeger, YALSA President. “And, in the end, that is
the greatest accomplishment of all.”


The Official YALSA Awards Guidebook
ISBN 978-1-55570-629-6.
2008. 6 x 9. 225 pp. $55.00

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Tina Frolund is a librarian in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tina holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is an active member of YALSA and a reviewer for VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates. Her previous book is Genrefied Classics: A Guide to Reading Interests in Classic Literature (Libraries Unlimited, 2006).

About Neal-Schuman Publishers
Founded in 1976, Neal-Schuman Publishers is based in New York City with offices in London, UK. Neal-Schuman is a leading publisher of textbooks in all areas of library and information studies, from library science to archival and records management, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.


For More Information
Contact Yelena Perlin
(yelena@neal-schuman.com)