An Information School alumna had a major hand in awarding this year鈥檚 , given for the most outstanding contribution to children鈥檚 literature. Cecilia McGowan, a 1984 alumna of the school鈥檚 Master of Librarianship program (now MLIS), chaired the committee that selected this year鈥檚 winner.
The 2018 award, announced Feb. 12, went to 鈥淗ello, Universe,鈥 written by Erin Entrada Kelly. Newbery Honors went to 鈥淐rown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut,鈥 written by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James; 鈥淟ong Way Down,鈥 written by Jason Reynolds; and 鈥淧iecing Me Together,鈥 written by Ren茅e Watson.
McGowan, who is the Children鈥檚 Services Coordinator for the King County Library System, also has a tie to the iSchool as KCLS鈥檚 representative to the professional development portion of the school鈥檚 Beverly Cleary Endowed Professorship. Puget Sound-area library systems send representatives to meet annually with the Cleary professor, Michelle Martin, to share best practices in children and youth services librarianship.
As chair of the Newbery Medal committee, McGowan guided the 15-member group through the secretive process of selecting the winning book before the award鈥檚 governing organization, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), announced the Newbery Medal Award Winner.
Andrew Medlar, past president of the ALSC, who selected McGowan to lead the committee, said: "I have long admired her nationally-recognized work at KCLS and deeply respect her true commitment to books and kids, and her passion for connecting them through libraries.鈥
"Hello, Universe" is a story about a diverse group of middle school students and their unexpected encounters, including a boy who gets trapped in a well with his guinea pig.