Catholic Library Association

St. Katharine Drexel - Recipient for 2006

Patrick Jones, nationally respected YA librarian, author, and lecturer, was presented with the 2006 Katharine Drexel Award at the 2006 CLA Convention on April 20th in Atlanta. Jones also is the recently announced recipient of the American Library Association's 52nd annual Scholastic Library Publishing Award.

Mr. Jones, who holds a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Michigan, has had a long career as a librarian, having worked as a reference librarian and young adult librarian. He was the Young Adult Regional Manager at the Cuyohoga County Library in Ohio, and later a Houston school librarian and Youth Services Coordinator for the Houston Public Library. Patrick currently is a resident of suburban Minneapolis.

Jones's first professional publication was Connecting Young Adults and Libraries: A How To Do It Manual, the third edition of which was published by Neal Schuman in 2004. His latest,Reaching Reluctant Teen Readers, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2006.

Patrick Jones's first young adult novel, entitled Things Change (Walker & Company, 2004), was named a Recommended Books for Reluctant Readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Dealing with the subject of dating violence, this novel follows the struggles of high school junior Johanna and her difficult choices. Mr. Jones's newest novel, Nailed (Walker & Company 2006), has already garnered a Best Book for Young Adults nomination. According to its author, Nailed, was inspired by the works of REM. The YA novel tackles the issue of bullying through the experiences of sixteen-year-old Bret Hendricks, who refuses to conform to peer expectations.

In addition to writing and lecturing, Mr. Jones also runs Connectingya.com, a firm dedicated to consulting, training, coaching, and for providing powerful youth services in libraries. He has presented about library services to young adults in all 50 states, as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He can be found on the web at www.connectingya.com.