New Ambassador for Young People's Literature to be Named
On January 3, 2012 the next National Ambassador for Young People's Literature will be named by the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. The two-year post is intended to raise national awareness about the importance of young people's literature. At the time of the first appointment (Jon Scieszka in 2008; Katherine Paterson is the outgoing ambassador), the New York Times quoted Billington as saying, "We have organized to make sure that the central role of books and reading is not obscured by the new technology, but is rather enriched and enlivened by it."
The person selected must be a US author or illustrator who's made a substantial contribution to young people's literature. To decide who gets the post which carries a stipend, a selection committee is formed every two years and gives recommendations to the Librarian of Congress. The members of this year’s selection committee were:
- Jennifer Brown, Children’s Editor, Shelf Awareness
- Valerie Koehler, Bookseller, Blue Willow Books, Houston, TX
- Hillias Jack Martin, Assistant Director for Public Programs/Lifelong Learning for Children, Teens and Families, New York Public Library
- Katherine Paterson, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, 2010-11
- Caroline Ward, Librarian/Youth Services Coordinator, Ferguson Library, CT; Professor, Pratt Institute
- Seira Wilson, Book Editor, Amazon.com
- Junko Yokota, Professor, National-Louis University; Director, Center for Teaching Through Children's Books
More information about the position and selection criteria can be found at The Library of Congress website.
