Awards Monday

I don't think I have slept longer than 2.5 hours at a clip since Thursday night. I am not the best sleeper most nights, but my insomniac tendencies worsen when traveling. So, I'm up again at 3 AM PST working on the computer in the bathroom so as not to disturb my snoring, um sleeping husband. I'm normal.

So. The Youth Media Awards are in a few hours. I'm sure all the hardworking committee members are up and about getting ready to make the famous "calls." I doubt they slept much in the last few days either. I hear the balloting process can be intense as fifteen children's literature lovers passionately defend their favorites. Hundreds will flock to the ballroom at the convention center and many thousands will watch the awards stream live. (However did we survive back in the day? When we had to wait until the the ALA posted the news to the website, or worse, waiting until the evening or morning news?)

I haven't composed an "If I Ran the Awards Committees" post but I did post my "picks" on my school library page and have been fairly vocal about my favorites with friends, colleagues and on Facebook. I am sure there will lots of armchair quarterbacking in a few hours. Yesterday, on Educating Alice, Monica Edinger gently reminded everyone to be celebratory today. It suddenly occurred to me that, in this age of social media, I wonder if the committees feel the scrutiny? I'm sure that there was plenty of discussion and debate about possible choices in the years before list servs and blogs, but the intensity and immediacy of this online world must have some effect. Hm-m.