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CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected Grace Hammond, media specialist at the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) in Delaware, Ohio, for her Work Smarter Boot Camp as the recipient of its 2022 Innovation in Teen Services Award. (/yalsa/innovation-teen-services-award)

Hammond’s program was created because students were overwhelmed and having trouble working efficiently during the switch to hybrid learning. She created a six-week, fully-online class called “The Work Smarter Boot Camp” to support students’ executive functioning skills and multiple literacies. In this new curriculum, students examined their beliefs around procrastination, considered their goals, reflected on digital health and wellness, and practiced using digital and physical productively tools to stay on track. Last year, seventy students participated online and this year the Work Smarter Boot Camp transitioned into an in-person weekly curriculum taught by Hammond that has been taught several times already this year and has a waiting list. The program is aligned to Ohio School Library Media Standards, Ohio Social-Emotional Standards, and Career Technical Education employability standards and has expanded the role of the school library in the school to support students as whole learners in deep, integrated ways.

In her letter of support, Tamara J. Hall, director of secondary operations, stated that Hammond’s Work Smarter Boot Camp “overwhelmingly filled a need for the students of the Delaware Area Career Center. Students came to Grace with a need/desire to learn to be more organized and productive. What started out as a way to help a few students that were struggling with organizational skills has become a program so in demand by entire classes at our school that we had to put parameters around the offerings.”

As the Innovation Award recipient, Hammond will receive a $500 award, funded by Friends of YALSA, for demonstrating a commitment to creating innovative library services for and with teens in their community. Learn more (/yalsa/innovation-teen-services-award).

Members of the 2022 Innovation Award Jury are Chair Sarah Hill, director of library services, Lake Land College (Illinois); Jenna Ingham, senior librarian, head of youth services, Verona Public Library (New Jersey); and Ariadna Jimenez-Barrios, librarian II, Spring Valley branch manager, San Diego County LIbrary (California).

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens–especially those with the greatest needs–on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA ot to access national guidelines and other resources go to (/yalsa), or contact he YALSA office by phone 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or email: yalsa@ala.org.