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CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has selected Karen Bilton and Emily Mazzoni as the recipients of its . Both recipients will receive $1,000, funded generously by Baker & Taylor, to purchase new materials to expand their library’s young adult collection.

Karen Bilton is a Young Adult/Reference Librarian at the Franklin Township Public Library in Somerset, NJ.

“We are grateful for this generous funding,” said Bilton. “With it, we will be able to lay the foundation for a wonderful teen collection for the new branch library opening in our town's new youth center. It is a pleasure and an honor to be able to work in partnership with the teens in the community, to gather their insights and put their diverse perspectives into action for all community members.”

Emily Mazzoni is a Teen Services Librarian at the Monroe Township (New Jersey) Public Library.

“I am grateful and excited that I will be able to offer new books for teens residing in the New Jersey State Home for Boys, the state's largest juvenile justice facility,” said Mazzoni. “This generous grant will greatly assist in creating a relevant, modern collection where teens will see themselves in stories, and provide supportive material for the next chapter of their lives.”

More information about the , including the application for the next round of the grant, is available on the YALSA page. Applications must be submitted online by Dec. 1, 2021.

The 2021 Baker & Taylor Collection Development Grant Jury members are: Chair Cyndi Hamann, Arlington Heights, IL; Pat Couts, Yukon, OK; Betsy Fraser, Calgary, AB, Canada; Elizabeth Giles, Kansas City, MO; and Ellen Wickham, Raytown, MO.

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.