The 2012 Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee introduced its award winning authors. Susan Goldman Rubin, gold medalist in the Older Readers Category, started off the session with a discussion of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein. She was followed by Rob Sharenow, gold medalist in the Teen Readers Category, discussing The Berlin Boxing Club.

Presented at the 2012 AJL Conference in Pasadena, CA.

1 hr 1 min 58 sec

With intermarriage hovering at 50% and diminishing rates of Jewish affiliation, Jewish community leadership has been concerned about how to reach and engage young families while they are in the critical stage of exploring how they want to raise their children. Ms. Eisen shows how the JP Library, founded in 2005, helps address these issues  by offering the gift of free, high-quality Jewish books and music each month, sent directly to families' homes, making resources accessible for making Jewish choices and establishing Jewish connections.

Presented by Rosalie Eisen at the 2012 AJL Conference in Pasadena, CA.

36 min 14 sec

Aimee Lurie, Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, announces the 2013 winners during the AJL Midwinter Council meeting, January 2013 in Manhattan, NY.

10 min 15 sec

In the fast-changing world of e-books, how do you determine what the best product is for your school or institution and which vendors do you use? Three experienced librarians from the Los Angeles area will introduce youto some of the different publishers, vendors and platforms entering the e-book market and discuss the main questions to be considered as schools and institutions move forward into this volatile area.

Presented by Shannon Acedo, Cathy Leverkus and Lisa Silverman at the 2012 AJL Conference in Pasadena, CA.

1 hr 12 min 40 sec

Which children's books with significant Jewish content are among the winners of the two most important US awards for translated books? Goldsmith describes the Mildred L. Batchelder Award and the Outstanding International Books (OIB) List, analyzes editors' decision-making processes and discusses the modest number of winners with Jewish content. Findings from her dissertation research outlines editors' motivations for and barriers to publishing translations, as well as editors' awareness of helpful resources that are available to them.

Presented by Annette Goldsmith at the 2012 AJL Conference in Pasadena, CA.

42 min 13 sec

The Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series.

Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda, author and artist of Chanukah Lights, Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club, are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the Association of Jewish Libraries.

The winners were revealed at the 2012 council meeting of the Association of Jewish Libraries in January, 2012 in Manhattan, NY. Awards chair Barbara Bietz made the official announcement, and shared her thoughts on this year’s winners in this interview, originally recorded for The Book of Life at bookoflifepodcast.com and cross-posted here by permission.

Click here for the 2012 press release and full list of award, honor and notable books.

13 min 11 sec

At the annual awards banquet, authors, illustrators and publishers are recognized for their excellent work. This presentation includes acceptance speeches by the 2011 winners of the RAS Bibliography and Reference Awards, the Sydney Taylor Book Awards, and the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award.

Presented at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

56 min 38 sec

The Sydney Taylor Book Award committee shares insights of the many books received in 2010, from picture boooks to young adult novels, as they worked to select the 2011 winners. Categories of books discussed include: "Chickens and Roosters and Hens, Oy Vey!" "Learning About Our Neighbors and Ourselves," "Woulda Coulda Shoulda," "Sneak Peaks," "Teen Picks," "Holocaust books/series for Libraries," "WWII Perspectives," and "Hot/Not Books."

Presented by members of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

1 hr 39 min 50 sec

Author Howard Schwartz discusses his book Gathering Sparks, illustrated by Kristina Swarner, the 2011 gold medal winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Younger Readers category.

Presented by Howard Schwartz at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

28 min 07 sec

Author Dana Reinhardt discusses her book, The Things a Brother Knows, the 2011 gold medal winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the Teen Readers Category.

Presented by Dana Reinhardt at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

24 min 35 sec

In the spring of 1943, odds of a Ukranian Jew surviving World War II were less than 5%. Hitler's final solution had reached a furious climax with no safe place left to hide, except below ground in a cave. This is the story of how several families, some of whom eventually settled in the Montreal region, chose this option, and fought to survive during one of the darkest times in history. Through the use of slides and an accompanying natrative, Chris Nicola tells this amazing story of survival, as well as his 10 year search for those who lived this remarkable story and his subsequent work in the making of a documentary, featuring himself and some of the Priest's Grotto survivors, based on his book, The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story.

Presented by Chris Nicola at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

1 hr 12 min 32 sec

One of the most popular and most influential children's adventure books in Irael in the 1950s and 1960s was HaSaMBaH (an acronym for Havurat Sod Muhlat Be-HeHlet/The Gang of the Ultimate Secret), authored by Igal Mosehnzon. Led by a teenager named Yaron Zehavi and his aide Tamar, this group of teenage boys and girls set out to secretly assist the adults intent on ousting the British and on setting up the modern State of Israel. While promoting values such as courage, camaraderie, and freedom, the series also dealt with political ideologies, gender equality, and ethnic diversity. This presentation illuminates the creative modes of delivering societal norms and political ideologies in pre-State Israel and the lasting impact of the series as evident in its recent revival in Israel.

Presented by Yaffa Weisman at the 2011 AJL Convention in Monteral, Quebec.

27 min 19 sec

A book's cover is often the first thing one notices about a book when skimming a catalog or browsing in a bookstore. Although they help form an initial impression about the book, covers are seldom mentioned in book reviews or recognized through awards. This session aims to bring attention to the art and skill of book cover design by highlighting both effective and problematic Judaica book covers using a variety of examples, formats, and genres (picture books, graphic novels, fiction, biography, and history).

For images of the book covers discussed in this presentation, please visit jewishbookcovers.blogspot.com.

Presented by Steven M. Bergson at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

30 min 42 sec

The ways that women have been portrayed in comics during the past 75 years has led to criticism by fans, scholars, and creators in the industry. At one extreme, there are unrealistic superwomen who are shown being able to juggle both their career and their household, while still finding time to use their superpowers to save the world time and again. At the other extreme are women characters who are victimized, brutalized, and/or sexualized to a greater extent than their male counterparts. Although Jewish women characters are a minority in the comix genre, dozens of examples of such characters may be found. This session highlights several examples of such characters from various comix genres (e.g. Bibllical, superhero, biographical, war, graphic fiction, travelogues) and illustrate what types of values these characters embody.

NOTE: At the end of this recording, speaker Steven Bergson mentions the following speaker, Barry Deutsch, author of Hereville, whose presentation may be found here.

For the visuals from this presentation, please visit http://jewishwomenincomix.blogspot.com.

Presented by Steven Bergson at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

27 min 51 sec

Monique Polak discusses her novel What World Is Left, a work of historical fiction based on her mother's experience as a teenager in Theresienstadt. Polak will discuss the sad secret that lies at the heart of her novel: that the father of her young protagonist, Anneke, has been forced by the Nazis to produce propaganda drawings. Anneke will grapple with this revelation and it is this moral dilemma that helps to make Polak's novel resonate with contemporary tweens and teens. Polak will also explain the personal journey she undertook to produce this novel, as well as the delicate task of melding fact and fiction, especially when exploring a subject as painful and important as the Holocaust.

Presented by Monique Polak at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

24 min 08 sec

Authors Margie Gelbwasser and Sarar Darer Littman have both written novels which feature characters struggling with their Jewish identity within the constructs of the everyday life of today's teens. This panel explores the portrayal of Judaism in middle grade and YA fiction, using both past and contemporary examples.

Presented by Margie Gelbwasser and Sarah Darer Littman at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

27 min 03 sec

Our panel of library administrators discusses the financial challenges facing libraries in today's economic climate and their strategies for success.

Presented by Helen Fortin, Evy Raby, Steven Spodek and Lynn Verge at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

1 hr 13 min 52 sec

This session presents a survey of free online professional development resources that librarians can use both in their own practice and to develop expertise to share with colleagues. Of primary interest to those working with school-aged children, many resources will overlap with the needs of those working in research-based settings.

Presented by Sara Ravid at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

53 min 57 sec

In these times, where technology goes so fast and helps librarians to develop their work in the most efficient way, Rita Saccal shows how it is possible to manage a library without all the advantages of modern technology.

Presented by Rita Saccal at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

21 min 24 sec

While hip-hop is a uniquely American musical genre, its influence has spread all over the world. In recent years, Israeli hip-hop has come into its own, developing recognizable Israeli sounds and themes. Hip-hop has permeated nearly all the existing genres of Israeli music and cuts a wide swath across Israeli culture. With their inimitable wit and charm, Sharon Benamou and Daniel Scheide explore the musical, political and sociological dimensions of this music.

Presented by Sharon Benamou and Daniel Scheide at the 2011 AJL Convention in Montreal, Quebec.

22 min 31 sec