Being a member of the Maud Hart Lovelace Award Selection Committee requires that you truly enjoy reading children's literature, are willing to spend many hours in the coming year seeking out and reading books, and can think critically about those books.  You must represent your school or community, but also be sensitive to and tolerant of schools and communities that are not like yours -- a big challenge and responsibility!

Selection Committee members serve in one of two capacities.  Regional Representatives read fiction books throughout the year and meet once a year in January/February to finalize the list of nominees for the following year.  There is one Representative position for each public library region in the state.  Representatives must be members of MYRA.  

Regional Readers read books throughout the year and give their feedback to their Regional Representative.  Regional Readers are not required to be MYRA members.  There is no limit to the number of Regional Readers who may participate.

We are unable to provide copies of recommended books to committee members.  Committee members must be willing to use inter-library loan or other sources to obtain books on the reading list.  Committee members also must agree to attend a meeting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area on a Saturday in January/February in order to arrive at a list of nominees for the upcoming school year.

Being a member of a Selection Committee is a lot of work -- but it is also a lot of fun for those who truly love and understand children's literature.