December 2015

YALSA Board @ Midwinter 2016: Fiscal Matters

The YALSA Board Midwinter Meeting Agenda and related documents are available. When you take a look at the agenda you’ll notice there are a couple of discussions related to fiscal matters of the association. As the YALSA Fiscal Officer I wanted to highlight these two items for members.

YALSA Dues Categories and Rates is item 20 on the YALSA Board agenda. It’s an action item which means that the Board has had initial conversations about this topic (at ALA Annual 2015 in this case) and should come to a decision at their Midwinter meetings. As this topic is associated with YALSA dues, any proposals made by the Board related to the document will go on the 2016 YALSA ballot and put to a vote of the membership.

At Annual Conference 2015 the YALSA Board discussed the pros and cons of revising the methods the association uses for determining dues. At that time the Board approved placing on the 2016 ballot a bylaws change that would ask members to vote for regular dues changes based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This would change the current practice of the YALSA Board analyzing dues about every five years and then determining if an increase was warranted. At the same time that the Board voted to move forward with the CPI ballot initiative, they also asked the Capacity Building Standing Committee to determine if YALSA should also revise the dues structure and categories in any way. The Capacity Building Standing Committee reviewed current dues rates and categories in ALA Divisions as well as in other education and/or youth development focused associations. The document the Board will discuss at Midwinter provides an overview of the information gathered by the Capacity Building Standing Committee, and a set of options for Board members to consider in order to determine if other dues related items beyond the CPI alignment should be included on the 2016 YALSA ballot for the members’ consideration.
Item 26 in the Discussion section of the Midwinter Board agenda is the Financial Update. At both Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference the YALSA Board has a discussion – facilitated by the Fiscal Officer and Executive Director – about the fiscal health of the association. As a discussion, it is not expected to lead to any specific action by the Board. This year, the Board will talk about the final figures for YALSA FY15 and the first numbers for FY16. (The YALSA fiscal year runs from September 1 through August 31.) The discussion gives Board members the chance to ask questions about the numbers as well as discuss any concerns or challenges related to the fiscal health of the association. The goal of these discussions is to ensure that YALSA has the funds it needs to support members through the programs and services it provides.

All YALSA Board meetings are open to Midwinter Meeting attendees. Feel free to drop by for a short or long period of time. The meetings are an excellent way to learn what YALSA is working on and get a sense of how the association’s governance works. If you’re not in Boston, follow @yalsa for live Tweets from the meetings.

If you have any questions about YALSA’s fiscal matters, feel free to get in touch – lbraun@leonline.com. As YALSA’s Fiscal Officer I’m happy to talk with you about the topic.

Blog Post Round-Up: Inexpensive and Easy Programming

Blog post round-up is a series of posts that pull from the great YALSAblog archive. The topics have been requested by YALSA members. Have an idea for a topic? Post it in the comments.

Inexpensive Ideas:

Back to Afterschool: Tech Resources

Pop Up Programming

30 Days of Teen Programming: Low Stress Making through Crafternoons

Easy:

30 Days of Teen Programming: Evaluate Outcomes

Developing Creative Programming for Teen Read Week

Keep These Things in Mind When Creating Programs:

30 Days of Teen Programming: How Do You Know What’s Needed

30 Days of Teen Programming: Programming for the Platform

Top 5 YA and Libraries Research in 2015 (But Mostly from Pew Research Center)

In the world of research about young adults and libraries, 2015 has been good year. This blog post will offer a recap of the Top 5 (in my opinion) young adult and library related research that you may have caught or may have overlooked throughout the year. Not surprisingly, several of these studies come from the Pew Research Center. If you aren’t familiar with Pew, it’s occasionally checking out the work that they do or signing up for daily or weekly research alerts (like research nerds, like me, do). According to Pew’s (2015) website, the research center is “a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. (¶1). ” They do some really terrific research on all sorts of topics but of interest to us is their work on young adults, the Internet, and libraries. Well, enough about Pew and more about these five studies that I would like to highlight from this past year. Included in my top five are a couple of leading researchers in young adults and libraries like Drs. Denise Agosto, June Abbas, and Marcia Mardis. Enjoy this research roundup!

Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2015). “Don’t be dumb—that’s the rule I try to live by”: A closer look at older teens’ online privacy and safety attitudes. New Media & Society, 1–19. http://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815606121

Dr. Denise Agosto is a faculty member and researcher in the School of Information at Drexel University who does amazing research on young adults and libraries. Another fun fact: she is the current editor for YALSA’s own Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults (JRLYA). Dr. June Abbas is a faculty member in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Oklahoma who also does fantastic research on libraries, young adults, and technology. In this article, the authors discuss older teens feelings and concerns about online privacy. The research reveals that while young adults are concerned about privacy they also feel the need to offer personal information online to friends. For librarians, this article closes with implications for instructing teens about online security and privacy.

Horrigan, J. B. (2015). Libraries at the crossroads (pp. 1–52). Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/15/libraries-at-the-crossroads/

When this research came out, it made quite a splash in the library community. The research reveals that citizens see libraries as critical “community institutions” and are interested in the programming and services libraries provide, but indicated that library visits by Americans are slowly decreasing (p. 3). Included in this research were older young adults who expressed a desire for public libraries to support community education, improve the local economy through assist to local businesses, employers, and job hunters. They also wanted libraries to take a lead role in emerging technologies and help the community learn how to use these gadgets. Although this research wasn’t focused strictly of 12 to 18 year olds, it does highlight the needs and desires of older young adults and emerging adults regarding the library and its services.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

Pew Research Center’s Amanda Lenhart often takes a lead role in reporting on young adults, technology, and social media. Not surprisingly, this report provides an overview of current young adult social media use. It is worth a scan of the summary of findings, which reveals that Facebook is still the most popular social media platform among teens, and 71% of young adults are using more than one social networking site on a regular basis. For librarians, this report may assist in better understanding current social media and online technology use by young adult patrons. It may answer (or at least help answer) lingering questions young adult or youth services librarians have about the technology habits of the population they serve.

Continue reading Top 5 YA and Libraries Research in 2015 (But Mostly from Pew Research Center)

Looking Forward to 2016: 4 Professional Learning Topics

learn button creative commons licensed Flickr photo by 드림포유 As 2016 gets underway you might be thinking about opportunities for professional learning. YALSA’s “Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action” highlights the importance of continuous learning as a way to inform and improve practice and as a way to help others in your institution, and community, learn about the importance of the work you do with and for teens. As you start 2016 consider the following topics as areas you might focus on in your professional learning over the next year.

Design Thinking
Using the process of design thinking to help teens develop knowledge in STEM, college and career readiness, and 21st century skills is something to add to your repertoire. Design thinking focuses on solving problems and coming up with solutions. In service for and with teens this kind of thinking should be embedded in everything you do. Continue reading Looking Forward to 2016: 4 Professional Learning Topics

Instagram of the Week – December 28

A brief look at ‘grams of interest to engage teens and librarians navigating this social media platform.

This week’s Instagram roundup serves two purposes: to showcase the fun things happening in libraries as the holiday season comes to a close and to provide some inspiration for a teen Instagram takeover. It’s hard to scroll through Instagram without seeing an account that has been temporarily taken over by an outside person as a way of collaborating, sharing content, and introducing followers to other accounts and topics of interest. Many schools are jumping on the bandwagon and allowing students to take over their Instagram account for a day or week to highlight what it’s like to be on campus. For examples, take a look at Nazareth College’s Student Instagram Takeover page or Jamestown Community College’s Instagram Takeover Application.

If you aren’t ready to take the plunge and host a teen takeover on your library’s account, you can still involve teens by having them find and create content to post. The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report explains that libraries are no longer a place for users to connect with just print resources, but also digital resources, library staff, community leaders, and peers. However, the report also notes that the likelihood of teens owning or having access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone varies across socioeconomic and racial demographics. Libraries are in a position to provide teens with opportunities to use these digital devices and gain experience with the photo/video editing software and apps that come with them.

Although the images and videos selected for this week’s column may not have been created or posted by teens, they provide examples of the types of content teens could create for the library. For instance, teens could take a video of a program in action or photograph a display they created by using the library catalog to find materials with specific themes or cover art. By experimenting with different apps, teens can learn how to use effects, combine music with images or video, and have fun creating content for upload on the library’s account. Seeing their work uploaded may not only make them proud of their efforts and be inspired to continue to try new things, but can also encourage them to follow the library’s social media accounts. Getting teens to follow (and continue following) the library on social media is tricky, but gaining followers allows us to maintain connections with our teens once they’ve left the physical library space.

Have you hosted a teen takeover on your library’s Instagram account or asked teens to help create content? If so, we want to hear from you! What type of content did they create? If you hosted a takeover, how did you recruit teens who were up for the task?

Continue reading Instagram of the Week – December 28

“What’s reference? And other library related questions”

My current job in graduate school is a library supervisor for a residence hall library. Our residence hall library system is unique here at the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign which gives us the opportunity to interact with undergraduates in their residence halls. Our collection consists of the latest fiction, nonfiction, movies, TV shows, CDs, and magazines. Essentially a public library-like collection in an academic setting. It’s awesome, to be so close and helpful, and students don’t even have to leave their residence hall!

My co-workers and I have tried to provide reference support in the libraries. This past semester I spent eight hours a week doing “Office Hours.” Essentially, come visit me, ask your reference questions. Then, during finals, one of my co-workers did a “Roving Reference” table throughout several residence halls. At a recent staff meeting he shared that when he was roving many undergraduates asked him, “What’s reference?”

This may hurt us as library staff. We hope (and perhaps sometimes assume) that what we take as implicit knowledge (e.g., what reference is) is also implicit to the people we work with.

Continue reading “What’s reference? And other library related questions”

YALSAblog Tweets of the Week – December 25, 2015

A short list of tweets from the past week of interest to teens and the library staff that work with them.

Do you have a favorite Tweet from the past week? If so add it in the comments for this post. Or, if you read a Twitter post between December 25 and January 30 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the Week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.
Continue reading YALSAblog Tweets of the Week – December 25, 2015

YALSA joins with ISLMA and ILA to call for reinstating school librarians in Chicago Public Schools

The Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) has issued a statement along with the Illinois Library Association and YALSA commending the students at DuSable High School for staging a successful read-in to protest the lay-off of their school librarian, and calls on Chicago Public Schools to reinstate school libraries in all schools across the city. The Chicago Teachers’ Union issued a recent report indicating that only 32% of CPS high schools have a school librarian on staff. In addition, the report reveals that schools whose student population is a majority African-American are disproportionately impacted by the cuts. To read the full press release from ISLMA.

Sign this Petition to Protect Libraries & Patron Rights

Last week, the Michigan House and Senate passed legislation that is onerous to libraries and sent it to Governor Snyder to sign. The library community is calling on the governor to do the right thing for libraries, schools, and parks by Vetoing SB 571. If SB 571 becomes law, library staff could be sent to jail for sharing factual information about elections with their communities. Library boards could be fined thousands of dollars of sending out a newsletter if it shares information about what is on your local ballot. If this bill is signed into law, it will affect every Michigan library campaign 2016 (in 2014 there were at least 51 Michigan libraries on the ballot). This law, if it is not vetoed, would place a gag order on the library staff and boards’ ability to tell the truth about what the plans are to put tax money to work, and what the impact would be on community outcomes if it doesn’t pass. Continue reading Sign this Petition to Protect Libraries & Patron Rights

My 10 Favorite YALSAblog Posts of the Year

I’m excited to compile my favorite YALSAblog posts of the year because I referenced these posts in my classes. I’m a library science student in an online program, so I often cite these articles in relevant discussions to hear my classmates’ feedback. I only have two semesters left, so I’m stuck in that middle ground of being immersed in classwork while already fretting about what REAL library work will be like. These posts have helped me with a lot of that, so I send major thanks to the authors!

Empowering Teens

Teens, Help Yourself by Jami Schwarzwalder

How to help teens find information they need without staff assistance.

30 Days of Teen Programming: Preparing Teens for Life Through Creative Programming by Deborah Takahashi

Using programming to enable teens to help others, cook, defend themselves, and more!

Programming: How Tos, and Overcoming Challenges

Back to School: Afterschool DIY by Donna Block

Provide supplies for teens, but let them craft at their own pace, doing what they’d like, instead of having a set structure.

Pop-Up Programming by Becky Fyolek

Plan everything for your program except a date, and pull out the supplies when teens are around and want something to do.

30 Days of Teen Programming: Organic Teen-Led Programming by Jen Scott Wills

Let teens use the library for whatever they’re interested in, and create programming around them.

Continue reading My 10 Favorite YALSAblog Posts of the Year