I’ve been waiting a few days to write about the Teen Third Space because I’ve been allowing it to sink in.

I work in one of the oldest branches of my system. The teen space has one long table dominated by laptop users. Luckily we have a significant chunk of shelving, but the books aren’t new and shiny. In fact, everything is old, uncomfortable, and stained. The only thing that makes the teen area a teen area is the fact that it says “Teen” on the wall. Cuz there aren’t any teens sitting there. They’ll go anywhere else in the library to hang out, but do not want to be in the teen space at all. As the incoming teen librarian at this branch it is *the* major thing I need to fix.

So the President’s Program got me at just the right time. Titled “The Teen Third Space,” the session covered physical space, seating selection, and the electronic third space. (more…)

This year’s Membership Meeting and President’s Program left me feeling really energized. Now I have all of these great ideas percolating…

For those who were unable to attend the conference or this particular session, there was a ton of information about what we’ve accomplished as a division. Here is my attempt to give you the highlights. (Any mistakes here are my own as I just tried to type all of this in and keep up!)

President Paula Brehm-Heeger gave a great overview of all the work done by YALSA during the 2007-2008 year. Some accomplishments she mentioned include: (more…)