91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) announces that e-books, including a book published in both the country of origin and the United States exclusively as e-books or a book published in both countries as an e-book and print book may be submitted by a publisher to be considered for the 2016 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. This effort is part of a pilot program investigating the inclusion of E-books in the ALSC awards submissions process. E-books submitted for consideration must meet all . E-books submitted by publishers must be final editions in standard, freely accessible electronic formats as currently available on the market.

Copies should be submitted to the ALSC office and the Batchelder chair, Elizabeth Stalford, with permission to distribute to committee members without expiration date or expectation of return. E-books are defined as intended primarily for the purpose of reading and are not games, apps or interactive entertainment. Digital copies must include a statement verifying copyright, include an ISBN and follow a naming convention that includes the title of the work in the file name.

The award honors Mildred L. Batchelder, a former executive director of the Association for Library Service to Children, a believer in the importance of good books for children in translation from all parts of the world. Established in her honor in 1966, the citation is awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

“In today’s global media landscape, this effort seems as important as ever,” says Batchelder e-book task force Chair Sue Kimmel. “The award’s purpose is ‘to encourage the exchange of quality children’s books’ and the criteria direct primary attention to the text.” The definition of “book” in the Batchelder terms does not exclude the possibility of a digital text, only that the “book” not be an abridgement, condensation, or excerpt of the original. The inclusion of e-books for consideration for this award honors the intention and history of the Batchelder award while harnessing the promise of technology to bring such literature to a larger audience.

ALSC, a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s Web site at .