91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has named Emily Booth, PhD candidate and research assistant at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the recipient of its . Booth will receive $1,000 for her research project.

Booth’s project will explore how teenagers’ responses to misinformation on digital media platforms are influenced by the types of fiction they read. Through her research, Booth is interested in learning how teenagers’ experience with narratives that are clearly classified as "not real" influences their responses to narratives they see online which may be manipulated or entirely false. The project builds on her PhD research, which explores contemporary Australian teenagers' leisure and school reading practices.

"I am so thrilled that my project was selected for the 2021 award—it is an honour to have YALSA's support for my research,” said Booth. “I'm very excited to explore how teenagers' leisure reading affects their digital media practices in our current world. These two areas are so often held in opposition to each other, but librarians play a significant role in guiding teenagers in both spaces. I hope my findings can benefit practitioners and teens and continue the legacy of this prestigious award."

The Frances Henne Research Grant provides seed money for small scale research or action research projects that respond to the . The for the Frances Henne Research Grant is available in the section of the YALSA website. must be received annually by Dec. 1.

The 2021 Frances Henne Research Grant Jury Members are: Rebecca Morris, Allison Park, PA; Rebecca Baldwin, Akron, OH; Heather Colby, Homer Glen, IL; KE Hones, San Francisco, CA; and Angela Steele, San Diego, CA.

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.