The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Winner

The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award will be accepting votes for the 2016 award beginning July 1. This honor commemorates the most popular books among middle and high school students in Colorado as nominated and chosen by teens. Check out their website to view the 2016 nominees. Students are eligible to vote through December 31.

YALSA Teen Read Week Free Resources and Grants

The theme for the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) 2016 Teen Read Week, celebrated October 9–15, is “Read for the Fun of it.” The national literacy initiative encourages librarians, educators, and parents to support the value of reading for pleasure. This year all promotional tools and products will feature six most-spoken languages in the United States to identify with youth who speak a language other than English, as the subtheme. Interested participants can visit the Teen Read Week website to access resources and grants and other material to assist in hosting their event.

AASL Inspire Grants

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) invites school librarians to apply for two new grants. The Inspire Grants, made possible by the generosity of Marney Welmers, an AASL member and retired middle school librarian, provide funds to help public middle school and high school libraries update their existing collections and coordinate activities that enhance student learning. The Inspire Collection Development Grant will award libraries up to $5,000 to expand and diversify their print, online, subscription and/or software holdings. The Inspired Special Event Grant awards up to $2,000 to selected school libraries seeking funds to create a new program or enhance existing extracurricular activities that encourage student development and achievement. Eligibility criteria are available for each award. The application deadline for both grants is May 23.

YALSA Project for Small, Rural, and Tribal Libraries

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and the Association for Rural and Small Library (ARSL) will fund a three-year project to promote college and career readiness for middle school students. The “Future Ready with the Library: Connecting with Communities for College & Career Readiness Services” aims to aid library staff at a rural, small, and/or tribal library in building a learning program that will provide students with the skills needed to pursue higher education and successful careers. YALSA and ARSL will work with library staff to introduce testing methods and refine turnkey resources, which other libraries can adapt for their own use. Learn more about the project from the American Library Association's (ALA) press release.

ALAN Grants for Librarians

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE has two new grants that may be of interest to librarians working with teen and/or middle and high school teachers. The Cart/Campbell Grant offers $500 plus registration to a librarian to attend the ALAN two-day workshop in late November. The Smith/Carlsen Grant, worth $500, will be awarded to graduate students in programs focused on English Education, Literacy Education, and/or YA literature. Membership in ALAN is required for consideration. For both grants, the last day to apply is September 1. Applications are available on each grant's website.