91´«Ã½

CHICAGO – Dr. Sylvia Vardell, professor at the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University, has been selected to receive the 2014 91´«Ã½ Scholastic Library Publishing Award. This special recognition is given annually to a librarian whose “unusual contribution to the stimulation and guidance of reading by children and young people” exemplifies achievement in the profession.

“It is with great pleasure that the 2014 Award Jury recognizes Sylvia Vardell for her important and distinguished achievements in the field of Library and Information Science”, said Ernest A. DiMattia, Jr., chair of the Scholastic Library Publishing Award Committee, and President of The Ferguson Library in Stamford, Connecticut. “Sylvia is most deserving of this outstanding honor and continues her significant efforts to further the development of our profession.”

Vardell attained a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas (1976), and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (Children’s Literature/Language Arts) from the University of Minnesota (1983). During her professional career, she has been an assistant or associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington (School of Education), University of Nevada at Las Vegas (College of Education), University of Zimbabwe (where she was also a Fulbright Scholar) and the University of Houston-Victoria (Division of Education). She has taught courses about children’s and young adult literature at both the Master’s and Doctorial levels, has authored, or co-authored, more than 80 published articles, has contributed chapters to, or authored, over 25 books and has given in excess of one-hundred presentations at the regional and national levels.

Among her other professional activities, she is a prolific author, especially in the area of children’s poetry, a regular poetry columnist for 91´«Ã½’s Book Links Magazine, a communicator of poetry for young people through her blog Poetry for Children, an editor of digital poetry anthologies and a very successful grant recipient. She has served as a member of many 91´«Ã½ committees, as president of the United States Board on Books for Young People and as chair of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.

Members of the 2014 91´«Ã½ Scholastic Library Publishing Award Jury are: Brian J. Kenney (White Plains Public Library, N.Y.); Heather Jo. Ketron (Loudoun County Public Library, Va.); Natalie Caroline Donoso Lane (Marion County Public Library, Fla.); Sandy Wee (San Mateo County Library, Calif.); and Ernest A. DiMattia, Jr., (Chair).

The Scholastic Library Publishing Award will be presented to Sylvia Vardell at the 91´«Ã½ Award Ceremony at the 2014 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

The Nomination and form for the 2015 Scholastic Library Publishing Award can be found at ala.org.