Tag Archives: Call for Submissions

CSK Award Announcements, CSK Award Winners, CSK Book Donation Grant

Meet the 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant Recipients

Students in PS 627 and NIA Community Services Network’s after-school program explore their new books. Photo credit: Elaysel German

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards engage communities in multiple opportunities to increase the love of literacy in our youth, including the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant. Every year, the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) of the American Library Association receives approximately 60-100 books for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards jury to review, including a full set of that year’s Coretta Scott King Award winning and honor book titles. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant brings these books into the lives of children and their communities. When an organization is selected as a grant winner, it is sent the books EMIERT collected and these books are used to support innovative projects that foster community connections, build reading opportunities, and increase children’s access to quality materials.

The 2019 recipients of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grants have been announced! Please read below to learn more about the ways this year’s grant recipients are connecting communities through innovative literacy- and youth-centered projects.  

Kane County Juvenile Justice Center: Saint Charles, IL
The Kane County Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) has a library run by volunteers who believe reading adds “immeasurable value to young lives.” Library materials are open and available to all people living in the Center for checkout, and the library works to support patrons as they develop a passion for reading. The books received from the grant will be featured in a special collection area celebrating the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.

Main Street Academy: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Main Street Academy (MSA) is an alternative school serving young people in grades 6-12, with a newly renovated media center that is open daily for the community. The books acquired from the grant will support the media center’s print collection, and staff will continue to nurture a culture of reading and learning through face-out displays, book talks, book clubs, and by promoting community-wide enrichment programs that connect learners inside and outside the school’s walls.

NIA Community Services Network: Brooklyn, NY
NIA Community Services Network, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “building strong children, strong families, and strong communities.” Through a collaboration with PS 627 Brighter Choice Community School, the books acquired from the grant will be used to support an after-school program that supports students as they develop a love of reading through culturally relevant literature activities. The books will also be available to students throughout the school day.To learn more about the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant and how to apply for a grant in 2020, visit http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards/bookgrant. To learn more about the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, visit http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards/csk50.

Elisa Gall & Marguerite Penick-Parks are Chair and member of the CSK Book Awards Donation Grant Committee, respectively.

CSK Book Donation Grant

2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant: Apply Today!

Photo credit: CCAC North Library

In 2019, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards will mark its 50th anniversary of celebrating “outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.”

Every year, the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) of the American Library Association receives approximately 60-100 book titles for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards jury to review, including a full set of that year’s Coretta Scott King Award-winning and honor book titles. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant brings these books into the lives of children and their communities. When an organization is selected to receive the grant, it is sent the books that EMIERT collected; those books are used to support innovative projects that foster community connections and children’s access to quality materials and reading opportunities.

Any agency or institution serving children who make these materials available to children is encouraged to apply for the grant. Last year, grant recipients included Art Aids Art in Khayelitsha, South Africa, the Uni Project in New York, NY, and a collaboration between the Athens Housing Authority, the University of Georgia College of Education, and Parkview Community in Athens, GA. You can read more about how these organizations are using the books they received in 2018 here.

Applications for the 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant will be accepted until January 31, 2019. Applications are accepted from any location but note that grant recipients must pay for shipping and handling charges. Click here to apply and learn more about the criteria, guidelines, and past winners.

Elisa Gall & Regina Carter are Chair and member of the CSK Book Awards Donation Grant Committee, respectively.

CSK 50th Anniversary

Help Us Celebrate CSK Award Winners!

Elementary students award Kwame Alexander their own medal for distinguished writing.
Photo credit: Susan Polos

Call for Submissions for the CSK Blog

The CSK Technology Committee would like to hear from you. As we count down to our 50th anniversary celebration in Washington D.C., we would like to feature the many ways our community uses and engages with CSK award-winning books in their libraries. Our goal is to feature as many CSK Award-winning books on the blog from now until our big celebration.

Are you a school librarian who uses CSK winning titles in innovative lessons? Are you a public librarian using CSK winning titles for programs or storytimes? Do you have a connection to, a cool story about, or a unique artifact of, a CSK award winner? Whether you would like to write your submission or be interviewed about your work by a technology committee member, please get in touch with us at csktechcommittee at gmail dot com today! Be sure to include the CSK award winner that will be highlighted in the post. Additionally, if you have ideas on how we can feature older award-winners, we would love to hear about that, too.

Maegen Rose works as a middle school librarian at Rye Country Day School in Rye, NY. She is a member of the CSK Book Award Technology Committee.

CSK Book Donation Grant

Call for Applications: Coretta Scott King Book Awards Donation Grant

A reader explores past Coretta Scott King Award-winning books
A reader explores past Coretta Scott King Award-winning books. Credit: BJ Neary, Creative Commons.

Since 1970, the Coretta Scott King Book Award has recognized “outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.” In addition to the winning titles, dozens of worthy books are submitted to the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) of the American Library Association for consideration each year.

The CSK Book Awards Donation Grant helps ensure that these valuable materials are distributed to areas of greatest need by offering complimentary copies to organizations, especially underfunded ones, that provide educational services to children and are looking to expand their book collections.

Last year, books were awarded to three organizations: the W.R. Saffold Community Resource Center in Britton’s Neck, S.C., the Mayaguez Children’s Library in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and the Lawrence Memorial Library in Windsor, N.C. The W.R. Saffold Community Resource Center provides after-school homework help, summer programs, and community functions for all ages, and books are readily available for visitors. The Mayaguez Children’s Library in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, focuses on meeting the needs of children aged 2-18 and adults, with many of its efforts dedicated to promoting recreational reading among all members of the community. The Lawrence Memorial Library, part of the Albemarle Regional Library System in Windsor, N.C., provides children with quality books that reflect the community’s demographics and gives a bright spot in the lives of people who sustained losses during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The Book Grant Donation Committee accepts applications online through January 31, 2018, through the following link.

A complete list of past winners, as well as criteria and guidelines, can be found on the grant website. We will consider applications from any location, but the applicant must pay shipping and handling charges.

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Post by Laura Simeon

Laura Simeon is a school librarian and member of the CSK Book Grant Committee living in the Seattle area.