Dr. Darryn Diuguid Elected to American Library Association's Caldecott Book Award Committee, Receives NEH Fellowship to Attend Exciting Conference
Lebanon, IL (06/07/2022) — Dr. Darryn Diuguid, professor of education at McKendree University, was recently elected to the American Library Association's (ALA) 2024 Caldecott Book Award Committee. His term of appointment will begin July 1, 2022 and will conclude with the adjournment of the 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego, Calif. At this conference, Dr. Diuguid will meet with famous illustrators when the awards are given.
The Randolph Caldecott award is given to the most distinguished American children's book of the year. The most famous previous winners include Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) and Chris Van Allsburg (The Polar Express). In order to determine the next winner, the committee of 15 people will read more than 1,000 picture books beginning in January 2023. In January 2024, the committee will meet at the ALA Midwinter meetings where they will nominate and vote in several rounds to choose the winner and honor books.
"Most of the books will be sent to our homes - it's time to make room for those!" Dr. Diuguid said.
Dr. Diuguid has also received a National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) fellowship and was selected to attend the NEH Summer Institute for Higher Education Faculty conference at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., from June 6 to 24.
The theme for the conference is Revolution in Books, and the 25 selected attendees will learn about the history of the book during the American Revolution. They will also develop a deeper understanding of books as historical objects and products of the labor of a diverse group of Americans through readings and discussions on theoretical aspects of book history combined with hands-on experience of papermaking, typesetting and bookbinding. They will also learn about the importance of printed material to the circulation of Revolutionary ideals and strategize ways to teach this material in the college classroom. The attendees will then reconvene via Zoom in early August to explain how they will implement their new knowledge in their university classes.
"In two of my classes, Children's Literature for Elementary Teachers and Adolescent Literature, I talk about the history of books. This workshop was the perfect fit since I needed more background knowledge," Dr. Diuguid said. "I'm also excited about visiting the institution's wonderful library, which has a special collection of artifacts such as printing presses, historical collections and more."
Florida Atlantic University is the home of the Marvin and Sybil Weiner Spirit of American collection, which holds an extensive assortment of original Revolutionary-era publications, including books, pamphlets and newspapers. The university also hosts the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, which has a variety of printing presses and related art materials.
