2014 Midwinter Highlights

ALACognotes

PHILADELPHIA, PA February 2014

ALA Announces 2014 Youth Media Awards in Philadelphia

The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, video, and audio books for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards -at its Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo is the 2014 Newbery Medal winner. Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: Doll Bones by Holly Black; The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes; One Came Home by Amy Timber-lake; and Paperboy by Vince Vawter.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

Locomotive, illustrated by Brian Floca, is the 2014 Caldecott Medal winner. The book also was written by Brian Floca. Three Caldecott Honor Books also were named: Journey, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker; Flora and the Flamingo, written and illustrated by Molly Idle; and Mr. Wuffles!, written and illustrated by David Wiesner.

Coretta Scott King Book Award, recognizing an African-American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia is the King Author Book winner. Three King Author Honor Books were selected: March: Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell; Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers; and Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes.

Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me, illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The

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Book committee members and librarians react as the Youth Media Awards are announced at the Pennsylvania Convention Center January 27 during the 2014 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits.

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ALA Master Series; Lisa Waite Bunker

by Brad Martin
LAC Group

Lisa Waite Bunker told how her attendance at a South by Southwest (SXSW) program led to the creation of Catalyst Cafe at the Pima County Public Library in Tucson, AZ. Catalyst Cafe is a place where small business and nonprofits can be helped in the library by bringing different parts of the community together to share ideas.

Bunker, a social media librarian, shared the story during an ALA Masters Series session of the 2014 Midwinter Meeting. The SXSW event, which involved the intersection of nonprofits, small business, and the tech community showed her how beneficial dialogue between these groups can be. The program was so eye-opening that she decided to share her experience with the whole community and not just other library staff when

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Video Highlights of the 2014 Midwinter Meeting

Wanted: Librarian Wizards to Help Change the World

By Brad Martin
LAC Group

Andrew Slack cast a magic spell over the ALA President's Program audience on January 26 as he described the work of the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA) and its efforts to battle what he called the “dark arts of our world.”

Slack, HPAs executive director, recalled how he fell in love with the many Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and how that was the spark to create a kind of real-world Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry:

“All of a sudden the doors to the house I grew up in were

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