Kent State University's Reinberger Children's Library Center is proud to announce the new members of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction Selection Committee. The committee is responsible for choosing the best historical fiction books for young readers each year. We are excited to welcome the new members and look forward to seeing the winner they choose for this year's award.
2025 O'Dell Committee Chair
- Uma Nori, Head of Youth Services at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL.
Uma Nori was unanimously chosen as the Chair of the committee for her exceptional work on the 2024 O'Dell Award committee. Nori has an M.L.I.S. from Dominican University, River Forest, IL, and a M.S. in Plant Sciences from the University of Hyderabad in India. She also serves as Co-Chair of the ALSC Managing Children's Services Committee and was a member of the AISLE Monarch Award Committee from 2017-2022.
Representatives from Kent State University
- Mary Ann Stahr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, iSchool, Kent, OH.
- Jessica Wise, iSchool Graduate Student/Youth Services Specialist - Columbus, OH.
- Metropolitan Library Franklinton Branch, Johnstown, OH.
Other Committee Members:
- Mackenna Dasco, Library Media Specialist at Shaker Heights Middle School, Shaker Heights, OH.
- Christy Kepler, Head of Youth Services at the Oswego Public Library District, Montgomery, IL.
- Maura Moore, Teacher, Language Arts Grade 5 at St. John of the Cross Parish School, Western Springs, IL.
- Tim Protiva, Children’s Services Supervisor, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH.
- Desiree Thomas, Youth Services Librarian at Worthington Libraries, Columbus, OH.
- Carol Wolfenbarger, Adjunct Instructor, Curator of the Wolfenbarger Collection, Columbus, OH. (Not pictured above.)
The Scott O'Dell Award was established in 1982 by children's author Scott O'Dell to encourage authors to write about historical fiction for young readers. The award is administered and funded by the O'Dell family.
About Kent State University School of Information’s Reinberger Children’s Library Center
The Reinberger Children’s Library Center at Kent State University is a research facility that serves as a community for diverse and passionate individuals who are committed to advancing interdisciplinary research in the field of children’s literature and youth services. The center's mission is to promote inclusive and culturally responsive literature that honors and reflects diverse lived experiences and enhances children’s learning while fostering their growth as global citizens.
The Reinberger Center's special collections include over 40,000 children's books, original picturebook art, posters, and related ephemera, as well as resources for those serving, studying, or creating for young people across multiple disciplines. The collection is particularly unique because it includes the Marantz Picturebook Collection, which is a one-of-a-kind collection of picturebooks cataloged and shelved by artists.
The Reinberger Center offers two fellowships, the Jacqueline M. Albers Guest Scholar in Children’s Literature Fellowship and the Kenneth and Sylvia Marantz Fellowship. These fellowships allow national and international scholars to use the Reinberger Center's collection as a springboard for their research.
Additionally, the Reinberger Center offers volunteering opportunities, special projects, and internships for both graduate and undergraduate students interested in advancing their professional/research skills. The center also hosts a Writer/Illustrator-In-Residence program that gives writers and illustrators the opportunity to use the Reinberger Center's resources as inspiration for their own work.
If you are interested in connecting with the Reinberger Center or learning more about the programs they offer, please contact Michelle Baldini at mbaldini@kent.edu.