YALSA Great Books Giveaway

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsasgreatbook.cfm

Each year the YALSA office receives more than 1,200 newly published children's, young adult and adult books, audiobooks, and other materials. YALSA and the cooperating publishers are offering one year's worth of review materials as a contribution to a library in need.

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.

Guidelines

Applicants must be personal or organizational members of YALSA.
All applications must be received complete in the YALSA office no later than December 1.
All entries must include the cover sheet provided by YALSA.
The application must be signed by the director of the public library, the superintendent of schools, the building-level administrator or the director of the institution.
Applicants must agree to accept all the materials received at the YALSA office, with the understanding that this collection is material targeted primarily for young adults, ages 12-18.
The cover sheet, supplementary materials and an electronic copy of the current, board-approved collection development policy must be submitted via email to ngilbert@ala.org by Dec. 1 of each year. Applications must be sent electronically; hard copies will not be accepted. Attachments must be named the applicants last name, underscore, the name of the grant. IE. Gilbert_GBG.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Shipping and handling charges are the responsibility of the institution selected to receive the Great Book Giveaway collection. For purposes of estimating shipping costs, winning collections have weighed as much as 2,000 lbs. and included as many as 35 cartons. Shipping ranges from $500 - $800.

Previous winners are not eligible.

Announcement of Winner

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.

For further information contact YALSA at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4387, or via e-mail at YALSA@ala.org.

Previous Winners

2000 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy, Lexington, Ky.
2001 - Hialeah (Fla.) Public Libraries
2002 - Bell County (Ky.) Public Library System Bookmobile
2003 - Harvin Clarendon County (S.C.) Library
2004 - Tri-Community Library, Caldwell County, Texas
2005 - Hardee Senior High School Library, Wauchula, Fla.
2006 - Barbara Chace Library at the Forman School in Litchfield, Connecticut
2007 - New Orleans Public Library
2008 - Margaret Green Junior High School (MGJHS) in Cleveland, Miss. (1st) and Camden County High School, N.C. (2nd)
2009 - Lincoln County Public Libraries in Libby, Mont. (1st); Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga.; and Jackson District Library in Jackson, Mich.