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CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced the participants of the fourth and final cohort of its project. The project is funded by the and implemented in partnership with the .

"It's exciting to see how the library staff participating in cohort 4 will partner with organizations in their community building off the lessons learned from the previous cohorts,” said YALSA President Todd Krueger. “The partnerships and career and college ready programming that this cohort develops will create new opportunities and exposure to new potential futures for middle school students in their local small, rural, and tribal communities.”

Cohort participants are as follows:

• Caum, Nicholas. Library Lane District Library; Creswell, OR
• Cole, Jenny. Burlington Public Library; Burlington, WA
• Cutright, Judith. Clay County Public Library ; Celina, TN
• Davis, Abby. Laurel Public Library; Laurel, DE
• Herstine, Lynne. Sandy Valley Branch Library; Magnolia, OH
• Hilton, Kelli. Stanberry R-II Library Media Center; Stanberry, MO
• Hopkins, Mega. Sullivan County Public Library; Blountville, TN
• Jenkins, Austin. Oglethorpe County Library; Lexington, GA
• Juhlin, Lori. Hawarden Public Library; Hawarden, IA
• Madsen, Nick. Community Library Network Hayden; Hayden, ID
• Martinez, Zulema. Dalles Wasco County Library; The Dalles, OR
• Miller, Raven. Union County Library System; Union, SC
• Raszi, Michelle Hanna. Mt Everett Regional School ; Sheffield, MA
• Reisig, Kelly. Sidney-Richard County Library; Sidney, MT
• Thompson, Pam. Calispel Valley Library; Cusick, OR
• Vogt, Leslie. Josiah Carpenter Library; Pittsfield, NH
• Walsh, Morgan. Island Free Library; Block Island, RI

Participants of the cohort will participate in a two-day orientation in November in Memphis, TN and take part in a virtual community of practice through the rest of the year.

At the conclusion of the project, tangible, turnkey resources such as templates for program planning and partner development will be freely available and ready for use by the library community at-large. Learn more about the project .

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. The agency’s mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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 www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.