How are Libraries engaging your readers with fun?

Wilson, Shibrie

Mackenzie, P. (2014, July 22). Libraries engage young readers with fun . Retrieved from http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/2014/07/18/libraries-find-creative-ways-engage-young-readers/12864743/

In central Jersey libraries are becoming more engaging and fun for young patrons. Creative programs are in implemented in an effort to encourage children and young adults to read when school is not in session. There are different programs offered to young patrons during summer months for example a Night Owl program, science workshops for students, bringing books to life, children being able to act out the stories. These are all wonderful programs and libraries in central Jersey have a tremendous success rate with such. "Super Summer Reader" is a book club for young readers and is membership only. To emphasize different books and share reviews using social media sites such as twitter. For this reading program readers of all ages are encourage to participate. This reading program encourages free reading opposed to choosing books readers.

Opinion:
I will definitely consider some of these programs when brainstorming ideas for patrons. It is important to use different outlets to engage readers aside from traditional library marketing. I like the concept that this cause patrons to become involved with their library experience in regards to acting out books, participating in hands on workshops, and making books come to life. 

Using social networking to connect teens with young adult literature

Saeteurn, Chi.

Hilbun, J. (2011). Using social networking to connect teens with young adult literature. Public Libraries, 50(3), 42-49.

Summary: Hilbun writes about the different ways that youth services librarians can connect with teens through social media platforms. Hilbun begins by highlighting the importance of librarians in connecting teens to reading. While there is a misconception that teens no longer read, teens are reading but what they are reading has slightly changed. Teens continue to read traditionally, such as books and required reading for school, but they are also reading websites, text messages, blogs, Facebook, and other social media nowadays. Thus, youth services librarians can step up and incorporate Web 2.0 tools in order to reach teens in platforms that they popularly converge. One step would be making the library webpage more appealing and teen-friendly and other methods include incorporating blogs, contests for teens to make video book reviews and trailers, online book clubs, book-sharing sites such as Goodreads, Facebook/Myspace, Twitter and RSS, and Avatars and Second Life. It is important to attract teens through these various platforms as well as keep teens engaged by asking their input.

Evaluation: Hilbun continues the push to incorporate more Web 2.0 technologies, providing informative examples of free tools to use. The section on the library webpage as a way to attract teens offered examples and links to public libraries with great teen webpages in order to provide the reader with a visual understanding. The promotion of author blogs and book-sharing sites as a way for teens to connect to literature provides a refreshing look at what resources teens may find valuable. Librarians can use the free Web 2.0 technologies to their advantage by creating a space to not only connect teens to literature, but to also enable teens to take an active role. These tools are useful especially as a way to promote the available collections at the library and to also solicit feedback on what teens would like to see added to the collection.

I would personally like to see the teen webpage of my library system redone in order to attract more teens.

Young adult Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) non-fiction collections and countywide anti-discrimination policies.

Kimura, Camden

Stringer-Stanback, K. (2011). Young adult Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) non-fiction collections and countywide anti-discrimination policies. Urban Library Journal, 17 (1), 1-27.

Summary: In this article, Stringer-Stanback described her study of LGBTQ non-fiction collections in Southeastern states in the USA (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia) and whether there was a correlation between amount of non-fiction books on LGBTQ topics in the public library system and anti-discrimination policies in the counties in which the public libraries resided. She had two hypotheses: 1) that counties with LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinances would be more likely to have a Young Adult LGBTQ non-fiction materials in public libraries; 2) that counties without LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinances would be less likely to have Young Adult LGBTQ non-fiction materials.

Stringer-Stanback ultimate found that the statistics she found were not significant to prove her hypotheses. Only 25% of the counties she looked at had 50% or more of the titles on her 23 item non-fiction materials list. What she did find evidence of was counties with that were more demographically diverse had more items on her list.  She recommends further studies into the relationship on demographically diverse counties and Young Adult LGBTQ non-fiction collections.

Evaluation: This was an interesting article; I expected to see some correlation between anti-discrimination policies and library collections and was surprised that Stringer-Stanback found so little evidence to prove that. That her hypotheses were not proven suggests that there are more factors at work in the creation of collections than county policy. Of course, this is going to be true of any collection, but I did expect that county policy would have some influence on library collections. I did wonder if Stringer-Stanback’s list was maybe too short: she only had 23 items on her list and the items either came from awards lists (LAMBDA Literary Foundation Awards, Stonewall Awards) or from the ALA GLBT Roundtable bibliography. If there are only 23 LGBTQ non-fiction materials for young adults, then I find that extremely disheartening. Otherwise, she might want to look at expanding her list.

One fact she had that I found especially interesting is that all libraries she examined had What Becomes of the Brokenhearted: A Memoir by E. Lynn Harris. This memoir is about Harris’ life as an African-American man and a gay man in the South. I wondered if this suggests that libraries are more likely to have LGBTQ non-fiction that is geographically relevant. However, I have no other evidence to back that thought up and it might be another idea worth studying.

Bringing Mental Illness & YA Literature to the Forefront

Laudato, Maricar

Scrofano, D. (2015). Not as crazy as it seems: Discussing the new YA literature of mental illness in your classroom or library. Young Adult Library Services.

Summary

Diane Scrofano underlines the importance of including literature that focus on the topic of mental illness into your classroom or library’s collection if your patrons are young adults. The reason for this, she argues, is because the age of onset, for a majority of the lifetime cases of mental illness, are those from 14-24 years old. She writes how, unfortunately, having a mental illness continues to have a stigma attached to it. Because of this, many teens affected by mental illness have no source of literature that they can see themselves (or their family/friends) on the written page and have their experience be validated.

Evaluation

Diane Scrofano makes a compelling case for including literature on mental illness into our libraries’ collections. I recently attended the YALLWEST book festival in Santa Monica this past April and one of the author panels was “I’m a Basketcase.” It was an awesome panel in which these best-selling authors that you would think have their ducks all in order shared their fears and personal experiences with mental illness. I thought it was really brave of them to do that, especially with all of the stigma associated with being mentally ill. I feel that the more that mental illness becomes part of the dialogue in regards to human rights, in the same vein that cultural diversity is, it will only help us to serve the developmental needs of our teens better.

Rethinking How We Organize Teen Spaces and Collections

Laudato, Maricar

Pattee, A. (2014). Rethinking library collections for young adults. Young Adult Library Services, 15-17.

Summary

In this article, Amy Pattee wants her readers to reconsider how young adult library collections are organized. In regards to the physical space, Pattee feels that placing literature that is deemed as “young adult” in the teen section is preventing adults who like reading ‘YA” books from accessing those materials. The same thing happens to teens who may like readings books that are in the “adult” collection. Pattee argues that this problem would be solved if librarians interfiled the young adult and adult print collection together. If libraries put the YA print collection with the adult collection, Pattee argues that it would free up the teen space for other opportunities, such as creating a Makerspace or create a computer lab.

Amy Pattee also discusses the importance of promoting the library’s eBook collection to teens. According to a Pew Internet Study, less than a 1/3 of adults own ereaders, and even fewer young adults. It is unclear whether teens are using their cell phones to access eBooks. Because of this, Pattee argues that librarians must actively enable and promote access to the library’s eBook collection to teens.

Evaluation 

I agree with Pattee that we should rethink how we organize our print collections because it is restricting our patrons to certain sections of the library and making them feel unwelcome in certain areas, or even discouraging patrons from accessing different genres of literature. In addition, if libraries interfile their YA collection into the adult collection, libraries can transform their teen spaces into a Learning Commons. Then, instead of merely inhabiting a space, teens would be using the space; thus making libraries more relevant in their lives.

In regards to eBooks, I personally feel that teens still prefer the print source when it comes to reading for fun, and I remember reading about it in a recent survey. When it comes to schoolwork, students prefer online eTextbooks. Students do not like reading on their phones because they equate that with socializing with their friends. But when it comes down to reading for pleasure/recreation, students seem to prefer holding the actual book in their hands.

Teens are from Planet Earth too: Adopting a Whole Library Approach

Laudato, Maricar

Braun, L. B. (2011). The importance of a whole library approach to public library young adult services: A YALSA issue paper. Young Adult Library Services (Issue Paper). Chicago: IL.

Summary

In this article, Linda Braun advocates for the equitable treatment of teens from all library staff personnel. Even though teens have very specific developmental needs, Braun argues that teens deserve the same level of high customer service from all library staff they come in contact with. Braun cites different ways in which library staff can support young adults with its library spaces and resources: staff training and professional development, collaboration in collection development, information literacy support, programming for parents regarding trends that affect teens, and cross-generational mentoring opportunities. For the most part, Braun contends that everyone should be an advocate for young adults, and that it is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of the specific developmental needs of teens. In regards to collection development, Braun discusses the importance of young adult staff, reference staff, and children’s services staff to collaborate and plan how they will build the library’s collection together. To do so, they need to find out the personal interests of teens, along with knowing their educational needs.

Evaluation

I thought that Braun’s article was important because she stresses the importance of every staff member being an advocate for teens. Too often, any issues or problems that have to do with teens are often relegated to the YA or teen specialist, and no one else is expected to think about the needs of teens. With the “whole library approach,” Braun has a refreshing outlook on how to strengthen services to teens. If the library staff views providing quality library service to teens as providing quality library service to future tax-payers, then I think that service to teens would be very different from what it looks like today.