People

Blogger and teacher-librarian Joyce Valenza will join Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information (SC&I) early next year, the university announced today. Valenza, who SLJ once dubbed a “rock star librarian,” will use her extensive experience in education and technology to lead courses in school media, social media and learning, and digital youth in SC&I’s undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. programs.

Our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books—an online elimination contest between 16 of 2012’s best children’s and teens’ fiction and nonfiction books—has crowned a winner: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson’s No Crystal Stair (Lerner/Carolrhoda). The final match was decided on April 1 by last year’s victor and the 2013 Big Kahuna, Frank Cottrell Boyce.

You will definitely want to add the ten DVDs and audio productions that received starred reviews to your school and public library collections

Chelsea Clinton and a group of teens that included a blind pianist, a citizen scientist, and a social media strategist gathered at the Scholastic global world headquarters in New York City on March 16 for the fourth annual TEDxTeen event. This year’s theme “The Audacity of whY” focused on the power of Generation Y.

McDaniel College awards librarianship scholarships to twelve teachers working in underserved areas of Maryland; a presentation from the opening night of Girls Write Now's reading series.

Mover & Shaker Kirby McCurtis, new youth librarian and storytime standout at Multnomah County Library (MCL) in Portland, OR, shares with us her top book picks (for storytime and beyond), her inspirations and passions, her strategies for meeting the needs of her entire diverse community, and her views on the future of youth services.

SLJ blogger and NYPL youth materials specialist Betsy Bird moderated a panel, “The Alternative Children’s Library,” in which several children’s librarians discussed their own nontraditional paths to the profession. Their places of employment include the Bankstreet School for Children, New York Society Library, Children's Book Council, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When asked for quality nonfiction titles, Barbara Kerley's name comes immediately to mind. Recently the author updated her website with references to the Common Core State Standards. We had a chance to talk about those changes and her work.

“March Madness” has taken on a secondary meaning in rural Pollok, TX, where 423 high school students have been closely watching, rooting for, and predicting the winners of a unique elimination contest this month—not basketball, but books. Under the direction of Donna Steel Cook, district library director and high school teacher-librarian, Pollok’s Central High School has incorporated our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books contest into an engaging program to support reading.