History of the Children’s Literature Conference

Sponsored by the Youth Services Department of Suffolk Cooperative Library System

and the Children’s Librarians Association of Suffolk County, Inc.

DATE	LOCATION	THEME	KEYNOTE SPEAKER	AUTHOR SPEAKER
10/20/89	Sheraton Inn, Smithtown	Cultural Literacy: Children’s Literature Makes the Connection	Dr. Barbara Baskin	Christopher Collier
3/8/91	Sheraton Inn, Smithtown	The Challenge of Books: Values and Controversy in Literature for Young People	Dr. M. Jerry Weiss	Brock Cole
3/6/92	Sheraton Inn, Smithtown	There’s a Place for Us: Cultural Diversity in Literature for Young People	Kathleen T. Horning	Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff
No conference in 1993 so as not to conflict with the NYLA/YSS Spring Conference which was held in Suffolk
3/22/94	Sheraton Inn, Smithtown	For Children, For Adults, For Everyone: The Universality of Children’s Literature	Judith Rovenger	E. L. Konigsburg
3/31/95	Marriott Hotel, Melville	Books Everlasting or Reading is the Very Best Thing	Stephen Roxburgh	Natalie Babbitt
3/14/96	Marriott Hotel, Melville	Reading Through the Ages: Generations Come Together With Children’s Books	Barbara Elleman	Paul Fleischman
No conference in 1997 so as not to conflict with the NYLA/YSS Spring Conference which was held in Suffolk
3/27/98	Radisson Hotel, Islandia	Literature For Young People: Exploring the Long Island Tradition	Peter Spier	M. E. Kerr
3/26/99	Wyndham Wind Watch, Hauppauge	Book to the Future: Children’s Literature Looks Ahead	Kent Brown, Jr.	Jane Yolen
3/24/00	Wyndham Wind Watch, Hauppauge	Reflections on a Century of Children’s Books	Roger Sutton	Jennifer Armstrong
No conference in 2001 so as not to conflict with the NYLA/YSS Spring Conference which was held in Suffolk
10/4/02	The Watermill, Smithtown	Children’s Literature Out of the Box	Eliza Dresang	Jack Gantos
10/24/04	Sheraton, Smithtown	Pictures Worth a Thousand Words	Sue McCleaf Nespeca	Brian Selznick

DATE	LOCATION	THEME	KEYNOTE SPEAKER	AUTHOR SPEAKER
10/27/06	Sheraton Long Island, Hauppauge	The Many Faces of Children’s Literature	Betsy Hearne	Naomi Shihab Nye
10/24/08	Sheraton Long Island, Hauppauge	The Joy of Reading: Books for Youth Make It Happen	Rob Reid	Avi