The Gryphon Lecture series is hosted every spring semester by the Youth Literature Interest Group (YLIG) and features a leading scholar in the field of youth literature. It is an event developed to hold relevance across disciplines at the University. These lectures are free and open to students and the public. A reception to discuss issues raised, network across departments, and meet with the speaker follows each lecture.
The 2008 Gryphon Lecture was delivered by Dr. Lynne McKechnie on on Saturday, March 1st. Dr. McKechnie is the first Beverly Cleary Professor in Services and Literature for Youth at the Information School at the University of Washington. She is currently professor at the Faculty for Information & Media Studies, University of Western Ontario. Before joining academia, Dr. McKechnie was a children’s librarian for almost twenty years with Lindsay and London Public Libraries in Ontario, Canada. Her talk, titled "'Because really they only have a few books I like...' Why Reading Teens Don't Use Libraries," described her research investigating teens' use of and attitudes toward the public library and their own recreational (i.e. non-curricular) reading.
PAST GRYPHON LECTURES
2008
"'Because really they only have a few books I like...' Why Reading Teens Don't Use Libraries"
Presented by
Dr. Lynne McKechnie, Beverly Cleary Professor in Services and Literature for Youth at the Information School at the University of Washington and Professor at the Faculty for Information & Media Studies, University of Western Ontario.
Audio: http://waterfall.lis.uiuc.edu/dl/classes/auditorium/mckechniemar01_08_1.ram
2007
"Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
Presented by Roger Sutton, Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine, former Editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.
Audio: http://waterfall.lis.uiuc.edu/dl/classes/auditorium/suttonmar02_07_1.ram.
2006
"Stony the Road We Trod : African American Children's Literature, Stories of a People's Journey"
Presented by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Faculty Emeritus, School of Teaching and Learning, Ohio State University.
Audio: http://waterfall.lis.uiuc.edu/dl/classes/ccb/gryphonfeb23_06_1.ram
2005
"Becoming What You Eat: Identifying with Food in Children’s Picture Books"
Presented by Perry Nodelman, Professor of English at the University of Winnipeg.
