PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 62 No.3 Spring 1998

Discussion Papers: Young Reader's Choice Award

BACKGROUND

The YRCA has been a part of PNLA since 1940 making it one of the longest running programs in the association. From the beginning, the award was designed to promote reading among children and to allow them a chance to honor the books they liked to read. This was in contrast to the existing Newbery and Caldecott awards which are determined by librarians and not by the juvenile readers. The award was originally developed to promote reading for the upper elementary children. In 1991 a young adult award was established to promote reading among that age group.

The Award is currently managed by a PNLA Committee. The chair coordinates the award and works with the state/provincial representatives to promote and organize the nomination and balloting process. The state/provincial representatives work with librarians within their state/province to ensure that information about the award is available and to answer questions regarding the award. The Chair is appointed by the PNLA Board at the recommendation of the Committee for a two year term. The Chair then appoints the various state/provincial representatives for two-year terms. There is also the "YRCA Store" which sells various materials such as the YRCA Handbook, stickers, etc.

In formulating this paper, I talked to the current chair of the committee Betty Holbrook, the Washington State representative Tina Sieg-Craig, and public and school librarians who have or are currently participating in the award.

SUCCESSES

The award has been a long standing success for both the participating libraries and for PNLA. It is not unusual to see over 48,000 children vote for their favorites during the year. The award gives local librarians a chance to encourage and promote reading with their students and provides a well established framework for that work. The award is respected by publishers and authors and has been copied by other regions, a sign of a job well done.

Because of the history of the award, the mechanisms for running the award are well established and in place. There is also a large group of librarians willing to promote, monitor and work with the young readers.

In surveys regarding PNLA, the YRCA is listed as one of the major benefits and for many it is the major attraction and service of the association.

CHALLENGES

There seems to be a lack of organized communication within the structure of the committee and between the committee and the PNLA Board. In discussions with the chair and the state/provincial representative, it became clear that they received minimal documentation when they assumed their responsibilities and no formal training on what their job entailed. It also became apparent that no formal reporting structure exists for feedback from the state/provincial level to the committee or from the committee to the PNLA Board. This lack of a written documentation and a reporting structure very much leaves the committee and the state/provincial representatives operating as independent agents in regards to the award. While this has not been problematic in that the award is functioning well, one has to wonder if that is due to momentum and not to planning and coordinated effort on the part of PNLA and it's YRCA Committee.

The impression was given to me that many people have worked on the award for a number of years and have an institutional history and memory that served them and the award well. As leadership changes it may the time that the YRCA Committee examines its structure and its documentation.

The budget of the Committee is also problematic in that no official reporting of income or expenses is submitted to the PNLA Board. Thus, it is difficult to gauge the financial status of the award.

SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS