YALSA Business Plan
FY 2005 - 2008

Vision and Mission Statements

In every library in the nation, quality library service to young adults is provided by a staff that understands and respects the unique informational, educational and recreational needs of teenagers. Equal access to information, services and materials is recognized as a right not a privilege. Young adults are actively involved in the library decision-making process. The library staff collaborates and cooperates with other youth-serving agencies to provide a holistic, community-wide network of activities and services that support healthy development.

To ensure that this vision becomes a reality, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA):

• advocates extensive and developmentally appropriate library and information services for young adults, ages 12-18;
• promotes reading and supports the literacy movement;
• advocates the use of information and communications technologies to provide effective library service;
• supports equality of access to the full range of library materials and services, including existing and emerging information and communication technologies, for young adults;
• provides education and professional development to enable its members to serve as effective advocates for young people;
• fosters collaboration and partnerships among its individual members with library and information services that meet the unique needs and interests of young adults;
• encourages research and is in the vanguard of new thinking concerning the provision of library and information services to youth.

The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to this population. The following concerns and activities are interdependent in fulfilling the goal of YALSA:

The Young Adult Library Services Association:

• Advocates the young adult's right to free and equal access to materials and services, and assists librarians in handling problems of such access.
• Evaluates and promotes materials of interest to adolescents through special services, programs and publications, except for those materials designed specifically for curriculum use.
• Identifies research needs related to young adult service and communicates those needs to the library academic community in order to activate research projects.
• Stimulates and promotes the development of librarians and other staff working with young adults through formal and continuing education.
• Stimulates and promotes the expansion of young adult service among professional associations and agencies at all levels.
• Represents the interests of librarians and staff working with young adults to all relevant agencies, governmental or private, and industries that serve young adults as clients or consumers.
• Creates and maintains communication links with other units of ALA whose developments affect service to young adults.

About YALSA

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), with almost 4000 members, is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world. The organization was founded in 1957.

Based in Chicago, YALSA is a member-driven organization. The association exists to provide a diverse program of continuing education, publications, and youth advocacy for its members and others interested in the advancement of library service to young adults.

YALSA Publications - All YALSA members will receive a subscription to Young Adult Library Services. The journal serves primarily as a vehicle for continuing education for librarians working with young adults, as a showcase for current practice in this specialty, and as a spotlight for significant activities and programs of the division. YALSA also publishes an on-line newsletter, YAttitudes.

YALSA Online - www.ala.org/yalsa offers information about YALSA membership, programs and activities. A "for members only" section offers exclusive annotated lists of recommended books, videos and audiocassettes, sneak previews of award-winning books, audio speeches by award winning authors, special subject bibliographies, and YAttitudes. YALSA-BK is one of several popular discussion lists used for communication and dissemination of information by members.

YALSA Awards - Annual awards include the Margaret A. Edwards Award, given to an author for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, and the Michael L. Printz Award, given to an author for excellence in young adult literature. The Alex Awards are given to ten authors of adult books that will appeal to young adults.

YALSA Grants - YALSA annually offers members grant opportunities that total $32,000. They include the Great Book Giveaway Competition, Book Wholesalers, Inc. Collection Development Grants, Baker and Taylor Conference Grants, the Frances Henne/VOYA ResearchGrant, and the Sagebrush Corporation Award for a Young Adult Reading or Literature Program.

Competition in the Marketplace

YALSA has no direct outside competitor that provides the broad range of products and services it does. 

Associations that focus on books, reading and literature such as the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English would come closest to appealing to current and potential YALSA members.  Internally, the Public Library Association (PLA) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) are prime competitors, especially in continuing education opportunities offered through national conferences.   Externally, a variety of commercial publishers and for-profit/non-profit CE providers compete for continuing education dollars.   While there has existed a strong tradition in YALSA to make everything freely available to the public, the organization has begun to change in order to create incentive for nonmembers to join the organization.

Young adult-related media provide content aimed at the same teen serving librarians that belong to YALSA or who are targeted as potential members.   Journals, such as Voice of Youth Advocates, and School Library Journal, compete in the dissemination of news, ideas, and recommended library materials.  Those same journals also affect YALSA’s membership perquisite, Young Adult Services Journal, both in content and advertising revenue.  In addition, the publishing industry (including such publishers as Scarecrow Press, Neal-Schuman, and Libraries Unlimited) also competes with YALSA indirectly in the same areas as the journals, but even more so in a direct way with YALSA’s own publishing efforts.   Lastly, the increasing number of Internet sites dedicated to sharing and providing information with and for teen serving librarians is an additional area of media-related competition.

The Urban Library Council initiative Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD), sponsored by The Wallace Reader's Digest Funds, challenged public libraries to work with youth to develop innovative high quality educational and cultural enrichment programs for low-income youth during non-school hours.   ULC has published a brief overview of the program available to its members and non-members.   Any further opportunity to leverage the lessons of this program could result in a competitive environment with ULC. 

Libraries for the Future has a developed a Youth Access initiative targeting young adults 10-18 years of age.   The Youth Access effort trains library staff in the delivery of the curriculum and in outreach and coalition-building to insure program participation from all segments of the community.   Individual sites select the curriculum strands that meet local interests and educational needs.   These efforts could result in competition with YALSA’s own professional development portfolio once it is fully developed.

The strength of YALSA is its human resources.   Volunteers from across the country, and even the world, have banded together to turn YALSA into the preeminent source of information for those serving teens in libraries.   These volunteers serve in a variety of capacities, but all work toward fulfilling the mission of the organization.   YALSA is also strengthened by its dedicated paid staff members, who move YALSA forward and provide guidance for its volunteers to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives.

Marketing the Organization

Coming Soon

Management Information

YALSA’s day-to-day operations are managed by a staff of 3.3 FTE.   An executive director serves on a part-time (3/10) basis in a shared capacity with the American Association of School Librarian (AASL).  The remaining staff are full-time and are a deputy executive director, program officer, and administrative assistant. 

The corporate body that determines the goals and objectives of the YALSA is an elected Board of Directors, elected by/from the YALSA membership. 

ALA also has a high level of responsibility for assisting YALSA in achieving its goals.  As a division of ALA, YALSA is “inextricably interrelated in structure, personnel, resources, overall mission, and operations.” [ALA Handbook of Organization, 2002 – ALA Policy Manual Section 6.4.1 (I)]  This responsibility is seen most visibly in the financial relationship between the two entities but is most prevalent in other areas.  As a division, YALSA exists to fulfill the needs and interests of ALA members who work with and/or advocate for teen library customers and voluntarily select YALSA membership.  No other ALA division fulfills this need exclusively, yet almost 4000 ALA members rely on YALSA’s efforts.  ALA recognizes YALSA’s purpose by supporting its operations, providing “tangible evidence of its recognition of the importance” [ibid] of YALSA.  Lastly, YALSA’s efforts are ALA’s efforts.  Whether through its publications, programming efforts, conference activities, or statement of responsibility, YALSA serves ALA and helps fulfill the overall mission of the organization.  ALA, in turn, supports YALSA.

Financial Management

YALSA is guided by the following ALA policy:

Policy: Section V.H. of ALA Policy 6.4.1:  “ALA Council has assigned specific responsibilities to Divisions. To carry out these responsibilities, each Division requires a base of operating revenue. ALA recognizes that each Division must have staff and must provide basic services to its members as defined in Section III. When a Division's current revenue from dues and other sources excluded from overhead is not sufficient, ALA recognizes its obligation to provide supplemental financial support up to a maximum of 50% of the funding required. This support would be provided only as a result of a well-planned process that is an integral part of the annual budget process that includes review by BARC and approval by the Executive Board. This type support would not be available to a division, which, at the end of a fiscal year, happened to find itself in a deficit position.

“Annually BARC and the Executive Board will determine and approve the specific amount of funding required to provide a minimum level of staff and basic services, compare this amount to the Division's estimated revenue, and allocate an appropriate General Fund supplement.

“Divisions must generate from dues and other revenue excluded from overhead at least 50% of the funding required to provide basic services. If a division is unable to meet this 50% level for two consecutive years, its status as a division to Council must be referred to Council by the Executive Board, with an appropriate recommendation. Money from the General Fund will not be used to offset expenses for non-dues revenue-generative products and services. Divisions may retain the net revenue from these activities to initiate and support other similar activities in the future.”

YALSA is currently one of three divisions that receive this subsidy.   YALSA’s most important financial goal is to remove the need for this funding source and become financially self-sufficient. 

Historical Data

Risks

YALSA faces some potential risks over this next business cycle.   It is entirely possible that the goals outlined below may not be attainable due to a number of external or internal factors.   

Given ALA’s current financial situations, one probable risk faced by YALSA is the reduction or early termination of the small division subsidy from ALA due to the larger organizations’ own economic situation.  Additionally the organization could face major staff changes brought about by retirements, resignations or realignments that could require a larger financial burden on the division.  The current economic climate in the United States is one that is beginning the slow climb out of a recession-like atmosphere.  Unemployment is rising, tax receipts are down, and so are library budgets throughout the country.  Some states, rocked by the need to significantly tighten their budgets, have either significantly cut funding to their state libraries, or proposed the elimination of those libraries.  As a result, ALA is also facing difficult financial times.  If this climate persists, continuing education activities, a cornerstone of future revenue gains (see below), could be greeted without enthusiasm by the customers YALSA wishes to target.

Strategies

In recent years, YALSA has had significant success in increasing membership and other areas of revenue.   It must continue these increases, although it is not realistic to expect increases at the same levels.  YALSA must prepare additional strategies to develop new revenue streams while maximizing existing efforts. 

• Continued emphasis on membership will be a primary focus.  Possible target populations are student memberships, former members, and joint membership efforts with other ALA divisions/round tables (i.e. AASL, ALSC, NMRT, PLA).  Membership will continue to grow a minimum of 5% per year.

• YALSA is currently developing a portfolio of professional development opportunities.  A committee of Serving the Underserved trainers is developing these programs.  YALSA intends to “package” the programs in order to make them available for licensing to libraries, ALA chapters, and/or other sponsors of library training efforts.  In addition, organizations will be able to contract directly with YALSA to present the programs for them.  The committee is also examining ways to establish a web-based professional development presence.  At this point, miniature versions of the above programs are to be made available for such use.  A preconference institute developed for the 2001 AASL national conference is currently being offered as a regional institute.  There are currently 2-3 more institutes in development and will be available by FY2006.

• Teen Read Week Sponsorships will be vigorously sought.  Relationships stemming from this activity should be prudently nurtured to maximize long-term participation.
• Increase the publication schedule of the Young Adult Services Journal from twice per year to quarterly to increase advertising revenue.
•   Teen Read Week royalties can be maximized through the continued development of a wide-array of products.
• Publishing opportunities will add at least one additional item per year to YALSA’s existing portfolio.  YALSA should closely examine its relationship to ALA Editions and minimize expenses related to this publishing effort.  Relationships with existing teen librarian-focused publishers will enhance YALSA’s earning potential.  The publications committee is exploring possible topics and proposals in order to increase the number of self-published titles, which will provide greater revenue.
• The Michael L. Printz Award is quickly becoming a “branded” product.  Sales will increase as the portfolio of winning titles grows proportionately.

Financial Goals

By the end of this Business Plan-cycle, YALSA will:

• achieve independence from the ALA small division subsidy.  To facilitate this transition, in each of the years covered by this plan, YALSA will freeze its total net assets at the FY 2004 level.  In addition, in each year of this plan, YALSA will off-set the allowed amount of ALA-subsidy by an amount equal to the net revenue earned for the year.  This will have the effect of reducing YALSA’s reliance on the subsidy and easing the transition away from the need for it.
• maintain the existing number of Division staff members
• reach a level of financial stability that will allow for the ability to absorb the cost of a full-time executive director
• have grown its membership a minimum of 5% per year

• publish Young Adult Library Services on a quarterly basis, thus increasing advertising revenue

• have established its continuing education portfolio in FY2005

• have increased recurring level of sponsorships from Teen Read Week

• have increased its royalty/product revenue from Teen Read Week

• have added to its publishing portfolio in way that allows for these levels of increased profits

• have further branded the Printz Award and reaped revenues accordingly

Summary

YALSA’s goals are clear.  In order to achieve them, YALSA will develop bold new initiatives that will capture the imagination of its stakeholders and produce a return on investment that will allow YALSA to achieve its goals.  YALSA is not afraid of taking the risks necessary to move away from being a “small division” of ALA and into the world of the “grown-ups.”  In the past few years, YALSA has “come-of-age” in the same manner as the teens for whom its members advocate.  YALSA has grown larger, accepted more responsibility, and developed pride in its achievements (Teen Read Week and the Printz Award).  Now is the time for YALSA to leave the nest and survive on it own.

YALSA’s Portfolio of Products and Services

Publications and Graphics:

             ALA’s Guide to Best Reading, annually

             Bare Bones Young Adult Services

             Best Books for Young Adults, 2^nd Edition

             Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults, 2^nd Edition

             Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults, 3^rd Edition

             Hit List, 2^nd Edition, June 2002

             New Directions in Library Service to Young Adults, 2002

             Outstanding Books for the College Bound:  A Generation of Choices

             Planning Library Service to Young Adults:  Access and Advocacy, June 2001

             Sizzling Summer Reading Programs

   Teen Read Week: A Manual for Participation

             Teen Read Week products

             Youth Participation in School and Public Libraries

Projects and Programs:

             ALEX Award

     Annual Conference, Preconferences and Programs

             Annual Conference Booth

             Awards Luncheon

             Electronic Lists (27)

             Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts

             “For Members Only” Web Site

             Great Book Giveaway

             Individual Awards:

                         Baker and Taylor/YALSA Conference Grants

                         Book Wholesalers, Inc./YALSA Collection Development Grant

                         Sagebrush Award for a Young Adult Reading or Literature Program

                         Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA Research Grant

             Margaret A. Edwards Award

             Media Lists:

                         Alex Awards

                         Audiobooks (Media Selection and Usage Committee)

                         Best Books for Young Adults

                         Best of the Best

                         Outstanding Books for the College Bound

                         Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

                         Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

                         Selected Videos for Young Adults

             Michael L. Printz Award

             Power Up with Print (regional institute)

             Serving the Underserved Training Project

             Teen Read Week

             YALSA Web Site

             YAttitudes Newsletter

             Young Adult Library Services (journal)