Recently on a discussion board I follow there have been numerous requests (and responses) for free, unique, or new programming ideas for teens. I have been following these threads quite closely because I, too, am always looking for fresh ideas. Plenty of us find craft ideas on Pinterest (and collaborate on this board), discover great titles on blogs, and hear from experts on webinars. But there are so many more ways to discover programming. In fact, you need look no further than your personal life. (more…)

With the Hunger Games movie premier right around the corner (11 days, folks!), everyone is talking about Katniss and Peeta and their fight for survival. While no one in this country is fighting to the death to feed themselves, their families, and their communities, hunger – and the desperation that goes with it – is a real thing. Some libraries are using the movie’s popularity to bring light to this difficult and often overlooked social problem.

- Some branches of the DC Public Library system are sponsoring “Hunger Action Stations” throughout the month of March. The branches are official drop-off locations for non-perishable food items (to be delivered to the Capital Area Food Bank). They are also handing out information on child hunger in the DC area, with ways to help/volunteer as well as ways to acquire food for hungry children (more…)

I was first introduced to listservs as a circ associate back in 2007. I have since spent at least 2 hours a week posting, responding, and reading posts. I value them so much that registering for Listservs is always my first piece of advice to new librarians. I would like to share with you some discussions I have followed on my various listservs, in hops that you might join the ranks of young adult librarians who can’t seem to stop talking about their job.

1. Hunger Games. Twilight. Are you hosting a party? Need trivia questions or read-alikes? Look no further than a quick search of the YALSA Book Discussions listserv. Browse through the archives or do a quick search and viola! Instant party ideas. I have hosted at least 6 HG, HP and Twilight parties over the past few years, and each time I use this listserv for ideas. (more…)

Tuesday, Nov. 1st (ahem, tomorrow) is the deadline to submit your nomination for Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers list. That doesn’t leave you much time to nominate that person you met at ALA Annual whose efforts caught your attention. Or your co-worker who seems to be ahead of every trend. Or yourself! It may be that you don’t know anyone who fits the strict criteria. Oh, what are the criteria, you ask?

A M&S is a “leader in the library world” who is “innovative, creative, and making a difference”. Previous teen services-related winners have kick-started teen services in their branch, library system, and community. (One winner got gaming systems in all 20 branches in her library system!!) Others began a project on a small scale only to have it adopted by their surrounding community. Let me highlight a few previous winners so that you might be inspired to nominate someone or strive to be a contender for next year’s award.

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You have the support of your library management, but you have no time, money, or space. How can you finally creating that teen space/center/area/room that you have been dreaming about?

Well it won’t be easy. As a matter of fact, it will be dusty and heavy and time-consuming. But all good things are worth the effort! Once you have secured approval from your boss the planning process can begin. Review the following ideas and mix-and-match to your heart’s content!

Idea #1: Ask the folks in Circulation for more shelf space for YA books. With their approval, shift adult books (or whatever is keeping you from expanding) away from the YA collection, giving yourself space to work with. Even if you don’t need the shelf space, you can use the more spread-out shelves to hold program flyers, set up book displays, hold bookmarks, display teen art work, and more. (Or perhaps the Director will walk through one day, notice the empty-ish shelves, and want to fill them? Or better yet, build you a Teen Center!)

If the idea of empty shelves scares you, ask a maintenance worker to help you take (some or all of) the actual shelves out of the shelving unit. Use that space to publicize events and put up larger displays.

Short on time?: Use volunteers! Teen volunteers are probably (hopefully?) the same teens that will be utilizing the Teen Space. Therefore, use them to help you shift. Offer volunteer/service hours or library card fine amnesty in return for their time.

Idea #2: Have a Teen Center that pops up wherever you have space. If you can’t have permanent space in your building, plan a weekly pop-up in your library’s meeting room or children’s storytime room. Bring TVs and gaming systems, laptop computers, a cart of new YA books, craft supplies, etc. Move the day and time around as it suites the needs of your teens, but try to do this on a regular basis.

Idea #3: Take that pop-up Teen Center to a local community center or school. Load up your car with all of the necessary equipment and set up shop in the non-library space. Plan this alongside a school’s afterschool tutoring program (maybe to begin immediately after tutoring sessions) and watch your attendance sky-rocket. While the teens play games, tell them about the library and invite them to visit and say hello to you next time they visit. *Have a special treat to give to the teens that do visit the library and seek you out. If possible, give them a teen-friendly tour of the branch and maybe even introduce them to a couple co-workers. Prove to them that they are welcome.

Idea #4: You know all those computers and comfy chairs in the adult area? Teens like those, too. Move a couple of each closer to the teen shelves. This encourages the teens to be comfortable in their own space, even if it’s a mere 20 feet from the adult area. Put a sign over the computers and chairs informing customers that they are for teens only (during non-school hours). *This will likely result in angry adult users once in a while. The “my tax dollars” fight will begin, but if you and the entire staff stand your ground this won’t continue forever.

Idea #5: If you have a bit of spare money (or receive a grant? Or win the lottery? Or acquire a millionaire benefactor?) purchase teen-friendly furniture and computers (Macs?) instead of just taking away from the adult area (a la idea #4). Put a plaque on the wall near all of this new stuff describing the area as a teen space and thanking those who supported it (Board, director, etc.). That way the teens and the adults who scope out the area know who it is for and why it is there. *Using private funds such as a donation or grant for these items will allow you to say, “These were not purchased with tax dollars,” which is a great way to put the kibosh on the ol’ “my tax dollars!” argument.

Idea #6: Display YA books and program flyers in the places where the teens are (i.e computer banks, study carrels, etc.). Maybe the teens don’t know you own entire shelves of YA books, magazines, and audio books. A sign pointing them in the right direction will not only inform them, it will inform your community that your library cares for teens and wants to provide services specifically for them. Be creative with your displays (tape arrows to the floor to literally guide them to the materials).

Idea #7: Even if you cannot shift books, set up a teen-only computer station, or buy comfy furniture to put near the teen stacks, you can make the teen stacks stand out. Cover the shelving units in bright colored paper. Have the teens make posters to tape to the shelves or hang from the ceiling over the shelves. The possibilities go on and on. Paint the walls nearest to the stacks, even! Delineate the teen center from the rest of the library.

Whatever you choose to do, try to do it with a few teen volunteers. Making them a part of the library gives what you do that much more meaning.
Previous YALSA bloggers have posted great articles on teen centers/spaces. For more inspiration, read these:

Whose Space is it? By Linda Braun

Trading Spaces: visiting each other’s libraries by Erin Daly and Gretchen Kolderup

For those of you who couldn’t make it to NOLA for ALA’s Annual Conference (which, by the way, rocked!), here is a wrap-up of the Membership Meeting and President’s Program held Monday afternoon.

2010-2011 YALSA president Kim Patton hosted an inspiring program. Her first order of business was to ask members to speak briefly about recent success in YA librarianism. The speakers included: (more…)

Maybe it’s not warm enough where you are to be thinking about New Orleans in June.  Maybe you have yet to register.  Regardless…ALA Annual Conference is only 42 days away.

The first issue of pre-conference Cognotes was sent out via e-mail yesterday morning, reminding us that we are one step closer to presenting, exhibiting, learning, observing, networking, shopping, and experiencing everything that Annual and New Orleans have to offer.  Using Cognotes as my guide, let me point out a few YALSA-related things that may be of interest to you.  Start working on your schedule now.

- Is there an LGBTQ community in your library?  Do you want to make your library a safe space?  Attend Friday night’s Opening General Session with guest speaker Dan Savage.  He and his husband started the It Gets Better Project that encourages young people to look towards the future, instead of letting the anger and hate from today’s bullies get the best of them.  This could be the inspiration to start your own LGBTQ program at your library.

- Is your library overrun with tweens?  Attend the Jeff Kinney talk on Saturday morning and make all your tween patrons jealous!  The creator of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has used graphic artistry and hilarious storylines to turn reluctant readers into kids who fight over who gets to read it first (and again and again and again).

- Visit the Graphic Novel Pavilion in the exhibit hall through the weekend.  From guest speakers to panels, you will definitely hear some interesting stuff!  Near the stage are graphic novel and comic book exhibitors, so be sure to ask them what is the hot new thing on the market.  This will be especially enlightening to those of us who don’t know too much about graphic novels and comic books.  Start here where you have enthusiasts ready to teach you!  Side note: go see the documentary Comic Book Literacy on Monday in Auditorium C of the Convention Center.

- Head on over to the Gaming Pavilion to learn about new games that fit into library programming as well as class curriculums (here’s looking at you, school library media specialists!).

- Attend a YALSA-sponsored pre-conference and get pumped before the festivities officially begin Friday night.  The Nuts & Bolts for Serving Teens Preconference is four straight hours, jam-packed with guest speakers giving you tips on “providing basic but effective programs and services for teens”.  This could be especially useful for those newbies (n00bs) who want to work with teens, but haven’t a clue where to begin!

There is a lot to think about when it comes to planning for ALA.  What exhibits/vendors do I make sure I see?  Which guest speakers should I hear?  What preconference is best for me?  Before putting any ink to your planner, consider what you want to get out of the entire weekend.  Is there a problem at your library that you would like to fix?  Has your director given you a task?  What is most important to you professionally?  Answer these questions before you get to New Orleans, and you will find yourself in exactly the right places.

Countdown to ALA Annual 2011: 65 days. Are you ready??

With only two months left to prepare for Annual, do you know what programs you will be attending?  Who you are rooming with?  What Twitter hash tag to follow?  What time Café du Monde closes?*

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I am an unemployed librarian.  This is not surprising considering the country’s 9% unemployment rate, coupled with the recent chopping of local and state budgets across the country.  But being unemployed doesn’t just mean that I am out of work; it means that I am out of touch with libraries, young adults, and the daily goings-on of public libraries.  I am not interacting with my peers or choice customer base each work day, so I am losing my grip on the contemporary issues involving libraries and most importantly, teens in libraries.  How can unemployed (or, non-library employed) librarians ensure that they are staying relevant?

Aside from volunteering and going to the library as often as you can possibly can (without looking like you stashed something in the non-fiction section), the Internet is where it’s at.  Start a Bookmark folder, Delicious account, Google Bookmarks account (whichever tickles your fancy) and start saving useful links to professional websites and blogs that you can check anytime you have a free moment.  I have collected for you a few of my personal favorites that have been very useful to me (and my sanity) during the past six weeks of unemployment. (more…)

Self-proclaimed music buff and Teen Librarian April Pavis has taken over as convener for YALSA’s Teen Music Interest Group (henceforth known as T-MIG).   Music-related issues will be covered in ALA Connect and in listserv discussions ya-music@ala.org.

A few of the issues:

- Illegal downloading continues to be a big issue for the recording industry and library computers are likely used in those illegal efforts.  T-MIG members and guests will discuss illegal music downloading in libraries, and the repercussions and ethics of allowing it to go on.

- Music programming for teens: what works, what doesn’t, ideas, suggestions, discussions.

- Teen use of music in the news.

- Emerging technologies for use in the libraries, or for our patrons.

I look forward to the discussions and positive influence this group will have on teens and librarians-serving-teens across the country.  Please do not hesitate to post on the listerv, member or not.  All contributions are welcome.