Other interesting things I found

Technology isn't just for the teens...it's for the teen librarians too!  Many teen librarians are embracing blogs and social media.  I found many helpful websites, but here were two of particular note:

• http://www.lizburns.org/
• Liz Burns used to be a reviewer for the School Library Journal, before moving onto her own website.  She reviews books, movie and television shows, but her emphasis is on YA literature.  Ms. Burns is a librarian at the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and participated in YALSA's Outreach to Young Adult with Special Needs.  She is active on Twitter and Tumblr, and has written much of her own work to help develop YA services.

• http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/tag/teens/
• This is a link to the all the posts tagged 'teens' in "In the Library With the Lead Pipe", a blog dedicated to acting as an open-source, open-peer review journal for librarians and boasts an international board of contributors.  There are not many 'teens' posts as of yet, but the few that are there are good reads.  I look forward to any more that might pop up, and will continue to browse this blog across their tags.

It's not just about books anymore

Technology is undeniably a huge part of anyone's life anymore.  Especially so if you're a teen and you've grown up with it.  You're just used to it!  That can be a bad thing, because as I've already discussed in a previous post, a teen might not be aware just how little privacy they afford themselves with social media.  However, that's not to say that technology is bad.  That is most definitely not the case!  A library can really use different hard- and software to promote creativity and inclusivity among teens.

Many teens are creative individuals.  They are eager to bring their imagination to life and express themselves in some way.  Art and graphic design are popular creative outlets, as is music.  Some teens will embrace the Youtube age and take up video creation.  It is important for libraries to help facilitate this budding local talent.  These talents though can require equipment that a student may not be able to afford.  If a teen department can provide computers with graphic or audio/recording software, or loan out handheld video recorders, then teens could explore and develop their talents.  The short funding has been discussed, I know, but if it possible for a library to purchase such equipment and software, then it would not only draw teens but help them learn tech skills they may require later in life.

Nerd cred: my level 85 troll hunter.  Impressed much?
Creating an avatar can create a shield for insecure users
who are still working up confidence off-line.

In S401, we discussed multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and I was intrigued by the possible applications in a teen department.  Everyone knows the power and the draw of social media.  As a passionate gamer, I'm also aware of the draw of these environments.  In fact, my undergraduate thesis was on how anonymous individuals slowly build personal relationships in MMORPGs (massive multiplayer online role-playing games), specifically focusing on World of Warcraft. I played WoW for a couple years in college, and not only was it a fun game, it had a very supportive community surrounding it.  MUVEs like World of Warcraft provide a 'third place', an environment outside of work and home, where users can just simply be themselves without pressure to conform to a certain standard.  That's important--public libraries like where I work should provide service for everyone, including those who feel disenfranchised. MUVEs could be very effective in teen programming, especially in racially diverse communities and ones that need help with their support of LGBTQ teens.  In this class, we read many articles calling on librarians to become more tech-saavy in order to build better information portals.  I suggest teen librarians becoming tech-saavy enough to create a 'hangout space' online, even if it only be a discussion forum, where teens can discuss anything from social-political issues or their favorite hobbies.  Of course, such a space would have to be moderated, and that could create its own headaches.  But it would be worth trying, to see if the positives outweigh the negatives for each community.

(For an example of how MUVEs can have a positive impact for minority groups, see Proudmoore Pride.  It's been an annual event for the past nine years, created by players for LGBTQ players, that corresponds to real-life Pride events.  Proudmoore Pride is not sponsored by Blizzard, the massive developer behind WoW.  It would be great to see a librarian-created, online teen space be used to promote inclusivity such as this.)

It's dangerous to go alone!

There's no need for you to go into teen librarianship alone, even if you're the only librarian at your school or the only one dedicated to the YA section.  There are plenty of associations that can help you out, from the big to the little things.

In S401, I was asked to create a quick presentation that, in its smaller scope, was similar to this project.  While creating that Powerpoint, I found that many regional YA associations exist.  Such as BAYA in San Francisco or the CATS roundtable hosted by the Oklahoma Library Association.

Of course, the big one is YALSA or the Young Adult Library Services Association, which has been mentioned already in previous posts.  It is a division of the ALA, and as such sponsors several nationwide programs such as Teen Tech Week, and Teen Read Week, as well provides materials for the teen portion of the Summer Reading program (if a library chooses to use that year's theme).  YALSA hosts conferences and symposiums, with the purpose of bringing teen librarians together to support each other and the services, whether it be through panels or through award ceremonies.  Here's the itinerary for YALSA's Midwinter Meeting in Chicago this coming January.  Grants are also available through YALSA, as are training videos and kits to help you become the best teen librarian you can!  Advocacy is another of YALSA's focuses, which is to be expected since it is a part of the ALA.  Members of YALSA (which number over 5,000) use their collective voice to argue for positive legislation for libraries so that they can continue to provide the best resources and environment possible for teens to become engaged citizens.

Becoming a member of YALSA seems to me to be a great step towards becoming an effective teen librarian, but it would also be worthwhile to check for any regional YA associations as well.

Can't read dystopian novels all the time

"So...what's that there?"

As a teen librarian, you also have to read journals to help you stay on top of the latest trends in literature and programming.  When I visited the main library of the system I work for to interview our teen department, I was distracted by a whiteboard hanging on the wall above the desks.  It was the division of relevant journals among the staff.  Each would go over their assigned reading, and then bring the highlights to the attention of the others.  (They require a minimum of two good reviews before purchasing any material, as it helps to have the published opinions to combat any later challenges.)

School Library Journal is the big one.  Aimed at school and public librarians, it provides not only reviews of books and the movies based off them, but also includes programming ideas and articles discussing trends or issues happening in librarianship.  I knew of SLJ before, but didn't really dig into it until this project.  SLJ holds that diversity is an important goal they strive to achieve, and when I 'flipped' through some of the back issues they have available online, I was impressed by the strides they take.  For example, their May 2014 cover story was on racial representation in children's book and also included articles on LGTBQ issues in teen literature, new technology aimed at girls, and several that addressed the lack of multicultural material in children's & YA that doesn't reflect the number of multi-ethnic and -racial readers.  Their magazine and their website is a great source to keep up on all things children and teen librarianship.

Horn Book magazine seems to be more focused on just reviewing material, although there are a few editorials and miscellaneous articles thrown in to round it out as well.  The focus is not on librarianship, but on the books and authors themselves.  This a good source to help evaluate material and to keep up on latest trends in the publishing industry.

VOYA magazine (Voice of Youth Advocates) is closer to SLJ in goal.  The magazine describes itself as "dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, and the promotion of young adult literature and reading."  VOYA has a handy list of what to expect in their magazine here.  There are booklists, of course, but also sections on programming, keeping abreast with new technology, and peer-reviewed research.  That's definitely a point in its favor; so far these other journals do not include research to further the academia behind library & information science.  There are also several sections for teens to submit their own material.  While aimed at professionals, VOYA also seems to be accessible to our young patrons as well.

BookList boasts to having "more than 160,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers" and is published by the ALA.  However, this is truly a magazine for all readers, not just librarians, so don't expect many articles along with the reviews.  (However, BookList subscribers do receive a free quarterly called BookLinks that is aimed at teachers and youth librarians, that will be helpful in connecting kids of all ages with reading.  More info here at their FAQ.)  As it is a pre-publication review magazine, BookList is a great tool in determining what to spend your precious funding on.

(Unfortunately, CBBC resources only seem to be available to those in the UK.  How we swung a subscription, I have no idea and I wished I'd had more time to ask about it.  As it is, I can't access anything online for the Children's BBC and have no more information to give.  Sorry!)