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CHICAGO — Kimberly Taylor-Cloud, a Youth Services Librarian at the Fairburn Branch Library of the Atlanta-Fulton (Georgia) Public Library System, has won the library worker stipend from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The stipend will provide Taylor-Cloud with up to $1,000 to offset travel expenses to attend the 2018 Young Adult Services Symposium, which will be held Nov. 2–4 in Salt Lake City, UT.

"I am a firm believer that if the teenager won’t come to the library, then the library must go to the teenager” Taylor-Cloud wrote in her application. “I have found that meeting with classes on a monthly basis at both middle and high schools has worked to keep them engaged with library programming, and forged a bridge to keep the childhood connection to the library vibrant during a time when they have been bombarded with so many other interests that the library goes by the wayside.”

Branch Manager, Eugene Haston, commended Taylor-Cloud on her “excellent job of providing programming for children and outreach to the South Fulton community.” In addition, Haston stressed that “her participation [in the symposium] is vital to her own professional development and the knowledge that she brings back contributes greatly to the service that she is able to provide to our youth.”

The 2018 will be held Nov. 2-4 in Salt Lake City, UT with the theme: “Zeroing In: Focusing on Teen Needs.” To learn more about the symposium, including information on programs and how to register, please visit . Join the conversation online with the hashtag #yalsa18.

Members of the 2018 YA Services Symposium Marketing Task Force who vetted the applications are: Sharon Deeds, Chair, Utah State Library; Rita Covelli, Mahopac (NY) Public Library; Kim Farnsworth, Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library; Izabel Gronski, Oak Lawn (IL) Public Library; Vera Elwood, Hays (KS) Public Library.

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 or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.