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director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), will deliver the 2010 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture. The announcement was made by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵ (ALA) during the 2009 ÂÜÀòÍøÊÓƵMidwinter Meeting in Denver.

“I am struck by the clarity of Horning’s thought processes as well as her ability to express those thoughts gracefully,” stated Arbuthnot Committee Chair Kristi Jemtegaard. “She will make a distinguished addition to the already distinguished list of Arbuthnot Lecturers.”

Three threads clearly run through Horning’s long and distinguished career: freedom to read and open access to information for young people; the continued struggle to produce a body of authentically multicultural literature for young people in the United States; and the need to provide clear practical training for both new and experienced librarians, especially with regard to evaluating (and setting high standards for) literature for young people.

As director of the CCBC, Horning coordinates a non-circulating examination, study, and research library for books, ideas, and expertise in the field of children's and young adult literature. In addition to her work with CCBC, Horning is a reviewer, lecturer, and author of books on evaluating and understanding youth literature. She is the author of From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books, which School Library Journal called “an excellent guide to analyzing books.” Horning is the immediate past-president of ALSC and a past president of the United States Board on Books for Young People. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics and a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Riverside County (Calif.) Library System has been selected as the host site for the lecture. The lecture will take place on May 13, 2010. Additional information and instructions on how to obtain free tickets to the lecture will be available on this Web site in early January.

“Riverside County’s emphasis on multicultural, literacy-based children’s programming, its leadership in promoting El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Day/Book Day, and its broad based program Project Read with Me, as well as its strong partnership with the University of California at Riverside, made this an ideal match for Horning’s expertise and background,” said Kristi Jemtegaard, chair of the 2010 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Committee.

Members of the Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Committee are: Chair Kristi Jemtegaard, Arlington (Va.) Public Library; Marian Creamer, Children’s Literature Alive, Portland, Ore.; Peter Howard, Louisville (Ky.) Free Public Library; Joyce Laiosa, Voorheesville (N.Y.) Public Library; and Lauren Liang, University of Utah.