Alyson Feldman-Piltch is an MIS/MLS student, pursuing a Specialization in Children’s and Young Adult Librarianship with a focus on Multicultural Literature. In the summer of 2013, Alyson accepted an opportunity to serve on a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Getting involved with professional associations is a good way for ILS students to embark on their careers. In an email interview, we asked Alyson to tell us about her experience.
From Alyson Feldman-Piltch
While my term for the committee started July 1st, I volunteered last October. The ALSC, in fact all of the ALA divisions, are always looking for volunteers to serve on committees and get involved. Since I wasn't sure how many people had volunteered, I opted to be placed where ever they may need me. Then this summer while I was working at NYPL (New York Public Library) I received an email asking me if I'd like to join the Intellectual Freedom Committee. I jumped at the opportunity because the topic interested me, and it was a great chance to meet other librarians and get involved in the ALA community. My appointment ends in 2015, and I hope that to continue serving on other committees after this.
Part of her service was to write an ALSC Blog post about the Banned Books Week. An excerpt from her post (September 21, 2013) is included below.
Censorship Education (ALSC Blog)
I encountered the concept of Banned Books for the first time in fourth grade, when I came across a book that explained on the cover it was a compilation of writers who all had had books banned at some point in their career. At that time in my life, we lived in Ithaca, New York, and a wonderful children’s librarian named June Gilligan briefly explained the concept to me, but told me that I should never let anyone tell me what I could or could not read.
Posted November 18, 2013