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!)