Melissa Rabey for the 2011 Printz

Ballots for the ALA elections have started going out, so now I will take the time to shamelessly pimp someone I voted for.

Melissa Rabey, whose blog is Librarian By Day, is one of the most organized, thoughtful people I know. This year, she's running for a spot on the 2011 Printz committee, so if you've got a vote to spare, give it to her! Every day, she busts her butt to serve the teen patrons of the C. Burr Artz branch of the Frederick Co. (MD) Public Library as best she knows how. She is a font of knowledge in the realms of history, fashion, and pop culture and will even bring her expertise in historical fiction to the YALSA Genre Galaxy preconference in Chicago this June. She also has years of experience on YALSA committees, including Popular Paperbacks and Organization & Bylaws.

Most importantly, Melissa is my good friend of many years, fellow America's Next Top Model addict, and owned by an adorable cat. She can hem pants, review books, and discuss classic movies all at once. She's an asset to YALSA and someone who will be fantastic on the Printz. Give her a vote, won't you?

Read this: Your life in color

My most excellent colleague and close friend Melissa Rabey has a guest blog post at YPulse today: Your Life in Color. She blogs about a recent article in the NYTimes about preteen beauty treatments, and asks the very interesting question about rebellion through hair color.

Go read! Comment! Tell Melissa she's fabulous! I'll be commenting even though I've never dyed my hair in my life.