'School Library Journal' Wins Three 2007 AEP Awards
RSSBy SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 06/14/2007
School Library Journal has received three Distinguished Achievement Awards for best editorial, feature article, and e-Zine from the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP). The awards, which recognize this year’s best educational materials in books, periodicals, educational toys, and software, were announced June 12 during the annual AEP Awards Banquet and Gala at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. In all, SLJ was nominated for eight awards.
The award for best editorial in a periodical went to Editor-in-Chief Brian Kenney for “Do the Right Thing,” a personal account about how alienating and difficult it can be growing up as a gay teenager starved for information about other gay people. It concludes, “It takes guts to create libraries that support the needs of all our students. It takes even more guts to support collections that may attract fierce opposition. But that just happens to be our job.”
Debra Lau Whelan, SLJ’s senior editor for news and features, won the award for best feature article in a periodical for “Out and Ignored,” about why so many school librarians are reluctant to embrace gay teen literature, despite the fact that there are roughly three million gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, many of whom are coming out as early as middle school rather than waiting until later in life.
School Library Journal’s newsletter, Extra Helping, won for best e-Zine. Extra Helping, which delivers news, tech trends, hot book and audio/visual picks, and interviews with prominent children’s authors, illustrators, and educators, reaches about 15,000 subscribers each week.
“It is very gratifying to receive these awards,” says Kenney. “Debra Lau Whelan’s feature on school libraries and gay teens asked some tough questions, breaking new ground in the process. And the inspiration for Extra Helping has always been our readers—school, children’s and young adult librarians—one of the most innovative, creative, and risk-taking group of professionals you’re likely to find anywhere!”
Almost 300 publishing and press professionals were on hand at the Renaissance Hotel to honor the most outstanding educational products of 2007. For the past four decades, the AEP Awards have recognized significant and excellent achievement in supplemental educational products and education marketing. Selected by a panel of educators and industry experts, AEP Award winners earn the right to display the Lamp of Learning logo, nationally recognized by educators and administrators as a mark of outstanding quality and achievement.
