Dr. Joni Richards Bodart Receives 2010 Scholastic Library Publishing Award

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Joni Richards BodartAssistant Professor, Joni Richards Bodart, received the 2010 Scholastic Library Publishing Award, the most prestigious award in youth librarianship, presented annually by the American Library Association since 1954. Formerly known as the Grolier Award, the national award recognizes the librarian whose “unusual contribution to the stimulation and guidance of reading by children and young people” exemplifies outstanding lifetime achievement in the profession.

Dr. Bodart is an international booktalking expert, who has authored 17 books about booktalking, taught courses on booktalking to graduate students, and delivered hundreds of booktalking lectures and workshops for educators. She published her first book on the topic in 1980, and her second book, published in 1985, has become the standard in the field. Her books are referenced in the syllabi of virtually all LIS faculty members who teach courses regarding Young Adult (YA) or children’s services.

Additionally, Bodart developed curriculum for use by YA librarians at public libraries, as well as middle school and high school librarians and teachers, regarding how to include booktalks in their classes and programs. Bodart continues to study how booktalks can be used to encourage young adults to read, and her latest efforts include developing and building collections of digital booktalks, expanding audiences for booktalks to a new generation and inspiring young people to create their own digital booktalks and reach out to their peers.

Bodart has taught young adult literature and related subjects at four major institutions, including San José State University School of Information, which she joined in 2003, as well as the University of Denver, Emporia State University, Kansas, and Sam Houston State University, Texas. Bodart also invested many years working with teens in public libraries in California, Colorado, and New Mexico, so her teaching and writing come from experience in the field as well as scholarly pursuits.

The award will be presented at ALA’s national conference, to be held during June 2010 in Washington, D.C.

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