I arrived in Anaheim yesterday morning.  The hotel was not quite ready for the onslaught of librarians who came early, so many of us checked our bags and went out to wander around the neighborhood.  Nice neighborhood–Disney across the street and all.  My first commitment is tomorrow with one of the YALSA preconferences (Got Tweens?). I hope to see some of you there.

I hope to blog from various meetings and receptions. For those of you unable to be with us, stay tuned. For those who have gathered, enjoy the city and the sights and the fantastic program YALSA folks have assembled.

Posted by Teri Lesesne

I’ve officially started my new job, heading up a brand-new teen department. While the children’s department has been serving teens here for a while now, this is the first time that my library has had a separate teen librarian with a separate budget and all that. So, I’m starting from the beginning, pretty much. To make things a bit more complicated, we’re moving into a new library in January. Right now, we don’t have a real space for teens, but we will in the new building.

There’s a lot to think about (hello, understatement). I’ve got my budget, so now I have to figure out how to spend it. The teen collection here is pretty good — but there are a lot of aging titles that need to be evaluated (some of them are still circulating like crazy), and there are some worn copies that need to be replaced. We also have a sizeable graphic novel collection (mostly manga) that I am totally unfamiliar with. The kids at my last library weren’t asking graphic novels and I never got around to educating myself.

And then there’s the non-book stuff. (more…)

This AM when I opened my email I found a message from a student who wondered how I keep up with the world of books and the world of technology.  This is a question I get asked a lot, but today as I prepare to spend a week in Anaheim for ALA Annual, I realized how much the connections I’ve made through YALSA help me with that keeping up.  As I’ve served on committees and task forces, I’ve had the chance to get to know a variety of people who I know I can turn to if I have a question or want to brainstorm an idea.

To be honest, when I went to library school I thought I would never want to get involved in local or national organizations. It seemed to me that all I really wanted, and needed, was to serve the community in which I worked. Taking part in outside activities didn’t fit my plans. But, then I started to see that if I participated in local organizations I was even more a part of the community, and I found out things that other people didn’t know. I was in the know.  I had information that helped me to do my job better. I had information that I could exchange with other people. (more…)

YALSA just launched two more ways for you to connect with the Division and its members:

• YALSA’s new fan site on Facebook (FB) gives you the chance to become a fan of YALSA and connect with YALSA and teen librarians.  If you don’t yet have a Facebook account, this might be a good time to set one up.
• YALSA’s new FriendFeed (FF) space is a one stop shop for finding out whenever there’s an update on YALSA’s twitter account, blog, additions to YouTube and Flickr that are YALSA related, and so on.  If you haven’t heard of FF yet, it’s an aggregator of social networks. Setup your account, add YALSA as a friend, and you’ll be able to see what’s new on a variety of YALSA social networking sites all in one place.

If you won’t be at ALA Annual FB and FF are good resources to keep up with so that you’ll be up to date on what’s up with YALSA during the Conference.  And, if you are at Conference, you’ll hear more about these tools at YALSA 101 and other programs and meetings.

Even if you won’t be at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, starting next week, YALSA has you covered. This year you can follow the YALSA and teen related events via the YALSA blog, podcasts, and Twitter.  Bloggers will be blogging, podcasters will be podcasting, and twiter users will be tweeting.  Here’s how you can keep in the loop using YALSA’s various technology outlets:

• Throughout the Conference YALSA bloggers will post information about the events and meetings they attend.  If you want to be notified about updates to the YALSA blog subscribe to the RSS feed.
• YALSA’s podcasters will be recording interviews and events throughout the Conference. Most of these audio files will be uploaded once Annual is over.  Subscribe to YALSA’s podcast feed to receive notification whenever a podcast is published.
• Anyone at Conference can post a Twitter message about YALSA/teen related events by using #yalsa within the body of the Twitter message.  Anyone who wants to keep up on YALSA/teen related Conference happenings can view all messages with the #yalsa info by going to YALSA’s page on Twemes.

A lot will go on during conference but if you can’t be there don’t despair, YALSA will make sure you know what’s happening.

Library Journal has posted a webcast of their June 10 panel discussion on Best Practices in Teen Library services. This was very informative!  Michele Gorman discussed Developmental Assets and Teen Spaces, Jen Maneyand Christine Pearson showed model webpages that are library extensions (think online outreach!),  many of which incorporate web 2.0 tools, and Scott Nicholson spoke about creating gaming experiences, and shared data from two research studies on gaming in libraries. Together, the panel provided an excellent overview to teen trends and how to relates to space, services & programs that is of use to new librarians, experienced librarians, and most especially, libraries seeking grant funding. Much of the information provided makes a strong case for serving underserved users in ways that appeal to them, best.

Check out the archived presentation. You do need to register, but it’s free! And, this may be a recurring event – watch http://www.libraryjournal.com

Welcome to the return of the weekly YALSA Update, in which you’ll find the latest news from the YALSA Office.

Coming to Anaheim? YALSA will keep you busy! For a complete schedule and full descriptions, visit the YALSA Annual Wiki; a complete schedule of YALSA’s programs with times and room numbers is available as a PDF.

See YALSA in the Exhibits! Stop by the exhibits booth in the ALA Pavilion (#1839-#1940) and pick up your YALSA ribbons, your free 25-pack of Books with Bite pamphlets, and a YALSA Passport to Teen Read Week™. Then, take your passport to TRW Corporate Sponsor Mirrorstone Books (#2660) and the Promotional Partners listed in the packet and ask for a stamp. Bring your completed passport to the booth, and you’ll be entered in a drawing for one of two Flip Video cameras or a second prize of a Teen Read Week Products Pack from ALA Graphics, a TRW Promotional Partner. Everyone who completes a passport will receive a FREE Teen Read Week Manual. (more…)

One of my favorite things about ALA conferences is that I get to hear dozens of things people are doing in the libraries. It’s always energizing to hear about the cool programs, exciting new services, and even listen to stories about teens using the library.

However, this can be discouraging for people who are having difficulties establishing teen services in their branches. These stories can turn into a long list of things you wish you could do if only my boss would let me.

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So, you’re working hard to connect teens with poetry. You’ve tried the Dickens and the Frost and the Angelou and the entire 811 section. The teens are sitting there looking at you bored out of their mind.

Well, have you tried the Beat poets? They’re all about rebellion and individualism, two themes towards which teens will feel a natural affinity. Working with Urban Word NYC and the Precision Poetry Drill Team, The New York Public Library sponsored “Bring the Beat back” at the Bronx Library Center. Performing works from such an influential movement in literature, the members of the Precision Poetry Drill Team inspired several teens to get up and present their own creations at the end of the session. One of the most memorable moments was their adaptation of Alan Ginsberg’s famous “Howl,” which the group decided to perform on top of one of the tables in the Teen Center. If you check out the video link, you can see the opening lines from “Howl” on the scrolling marquee as well. Check out that video (and more):

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In this podcast, Kelly Czarnecki interviews Amy Alessio about the compilation of the 5th edition, Excellence in Library Services to Young Adults.

• Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

There will be a session at ALA on Monday, June 30 from 10:30am-12:30pm at the Marriott Anaheim Hotel, Salon A-D where “Winners from the Excellence in Library Services to Young Adults program will speak and highlight their initiatives in an interactive round table format.” For more of YALSA’s annual programs check out the wiki.