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Initiatives
The Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture in Children’s Literature
The Susan Steinfirst Memorial Lecture in Children’s Literature honors the memory of Susan Steinfirst, a professor of children’ss and young adult literature at SILS from 1976 to 1996. Steinfirst dedicated her life to the promotion of children’s literature by teaching future librarians and by publishing scholarly works in the field. She died of cancer in 1997.
- 2008—Sarah Dessen, young adult author and UNC graduate, author of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults title, This Lullaby
- 2006—Avi, children’s author of the award-winning historical novel Crispin: The Cross of Lead and Honor
- 2004—Paul O. Zelinsky, children’s illustrator and Caldecott Medalist, Rapunzel
- 2002—Vera B. Williams, children’s author and illustrator of the Caldecott Award-winning book, More, More, More Said the Baby
- 2000—Seymour Simon, children’s science book author, “From Paper Airplanes to Outer Space: Science Books are the Real Thing”
- 1999—Deborah Hopkinson, children’s author, “Only Connect: Using Literature to Help Children Understand the Past”
- 1998—Mary Pope Osborne, children’s author, “Myth, Legend and History: Sources of Inspiration for a Children’s Author”
Winter Stories
Winter Stories has become a cherished tradition of seasonal storytelling and music from cultures around the world. Hosted annually by the UNC Friends of the Library and featuring Dr. Brian Sturm and SILS students and community, this yearly event is a true delight for children of all ages.
Information in Life Series
In conjunction with UNC-Chapel Hill and YouTube, The School of Information and Library Science has developed a series of videos of lectures and interviews on topics related to information and library science and the use of information in learning and research. The following videos highlight the area of children and young adult library services:
- Storytelling Theory and Practice—Professor Brian Sturm presents storytelling as a way of organizing information, conveying emotions, and building community. A model of storytelling as altered state of consciousness (the story trance) is presented that includes 16 portals to altered states. Three stories are told to illustrate the theoretical model: Truth and Story; What happens when you really listen; and The stone cutter. Storytelling ethics and the need for trust and truth are discussed.
- Interview with Sandra Hughes-Hassell—Professor Sandra Hughes-Hassell discusses youth services and school library media centers. Studies of urban teens’ information seeking and leisure reading behaviors are considered with an aim of giving voice to urban youth and changing negative stereotypes. The many roles that school library media specialists play in curriculum and learning require strong leadership skills beyond required knowledge of libraries and technology
- danah boyd: A Discussion with danah boyd—danah boyd gives an impromptu talk on the development and applications of social networking on the WWW with particular emphasis on young adults and implications for personal relationships. Includes Q and A session.