OASL Committees Promote Reading Engagement

February 2023
By: Elaine Ferrell-Burns, OASL Reading Engagement Committee Chair
reading@oasl.olaweb.org

Elaine Ferrell-Burns, your OASL Reading Engagement Committee Chair here sharing OASL statewide activities and programs that promote reading and the freedom to read, including book awards, reading competitions, and intellectual freedom. I’m excited to share with you information on programs for your students that provide reading incentive activities, curated reading lists, and a community of readers.  

The Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award (BCCCA) is chaired by OASL member Libby Hamler-Dupras. BCCCA is named in honor of Beverly Cleary, the Oregon-born children’s book author. Children of all ages may vote each spring for their favorite title written by a wide variety of authors from a list of nominated books that are targeted to the reading ability of 2nd and 3rd graders or a little higher. Students who have read or listened to at least two books may cast and then submit their votes through their school or public library staff. Additional BCCCA information can be found by visiting the website at https://ola.memberclicks.net/bccca-home or by contacting Libby at elfgirl@Q.com. 

The Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) Administrative Chair is Christy Sander. OBOB is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program. Students in 3rd-12th grades, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints. Community members nominate OBOB titles which are then vetted with criteria by the OBOB Title Selection Committee. Students may form teams and participate in local, regional, or state “battles.”  OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, to promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. For more information, visit the OBOB website at https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/  

The Oregon Readers Choice Award (ORCA) OASL Committee Representative is OASL member Carrie Light. ORCA is intended to be a fun and exciting way for Oregon youth in grades 3-12 to become enthusiastic and discriminating readers. During the course of the school year, students choose their favorite book in a real-life democratic process. Books must be nominated by an Oregon student, teacher, or librarian which are then reviewed by a committee of librarians and educators for inclusion on the ORCA ballot. The committee creates the final ballots based on a number of criteria, including literary quality, creativity, reading enjoyment, reading level, and regional interest. Students who have read or listened to at least two books in one of their divisions may cast their vote.  For more information, visit the ORCA website at https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/ or to volunteer, contact ORCA Chair, Amy Bowden at amycatherinebowden@gmail.com 

The Intellectual Freedom Advocate is OASL member Miranda Doyle.  Intellectual Freedom (IF) promotes efforts to ensure that every student has intellectual access to information and a broad range of ideas in an atmosphere of free inquiry and confidentiality. IF provides resources for both staff and students including a Took Kit for book challenges, privacy audits, collection development, and library policies as well as “Tuesday Topics;” a monthly series of listserv posts covering timely topics; and lastly, important resources supporting the right to read including celebrating banned books. Additional information on the IF Committee can be found at  https://www.olaweb.org/intellectual-freedom-committee-home

OASL is a division of the Oregon Reading Association and is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-oppression in our organization, policies, and practices.