Number 1 http://socialtimes.com/ Social Times

I discovered this website over the summer and it has become my all time favorite website.  It has all kinds of different information that is pertinent to our field.  It gives quality info about all things digital. It has information about new technology that is coming out, new websites, old websites, any current news going on in the world of technolgy. This website helps me to stay on top of many different areas of my  job and gives me the knowledge to competently speak on current issues in our field.

In edition to all of this useful information, it also has a very cool web video section.  Every week the editor puts together viral youtube clips on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Whenever I am stuck trying to find something to post on my library system’s teen Facebook page, I just go to this section and find a funny video to post – total lifesaver!

Number 2- www.teenreads.com Teen Reads

This is a great source for checking out new (and old) YA titles.  This site offers reviews of newly released or soon to be released YA books.  It has booklists and resources for starting a teen book club. It has author interviews- some are podcasts, some are written.  I’ve also seen video book reviews on this site.  You can sign up for their monthly newsletter so you don’t have to remember to check it all the time. There’s also fun stuff- like polls and all kinds of different giveaways ( I enter every month and haven’t won anything yet.  I still keep trying- it’s gotta be my turn sooner or later, right?).

Number 3- www.etsy.com Etsy

I’m going to assume most childrens and YA people know about Etsy.  It’s a website where people sell handmade crafts and crafting supplies.  Don’t judge it yet- there are REALLY nice things on Etsy. If you’ve heard of it and have been meaning to check it out, today is the day.  When I’m totally stuck on what to do for a teen program, I check out Etsy. There are all kinds of different craft categories and I just start browsing through for inspiration. Some of the things they sell are really cheap. ( I also just found out about www.regretsy.com  – crazy stuff found on etsy and similar sites- funny stuff:)

Number 4- http://www.the4yablog.com/ 4YA

I decided to just go ahead and keep with the craft theme and mention the 4YA blog here. One of my co-workers had this site up one day when I came to take my turn at the desk. HELLO- it’s awesome!  It has all kinds of great ideas for YA librarians to use from program ideas and crafts,plus useful information about things like new gaming systems and video game reviews.  It has a focus on outreach oppurtunities.

Number 5- http://www.webjunction.org/1 Webjunction

Do you need to brush up on your reader’s advisory?  Want some tips on how to deal with unhappy patrons?  Tyring to figure out what ereader is the best for your library system?  Have no fear, webjunction is here.  The website has fantastic FREE webinars for library workers.  I have listened to three or four different webinars  at this point and they are all put on by experienced professionals.  The information given has been very useful and applicable, not ideas that just sound great in theory but do not work in reality.  All library workers should b eusing this site so we can continue our own life long education.

Number 6- prezi.com Prezi

So, this is a relatively new site for me and I am not very experienced with it, but it is too cool not to share.  I learned about it in a session at the Virginia Library Association conference this October.  It is the new way to do powerpoint, except it is so much cooler than powerpoint.  It twists and turns, zooms in and out, makes charts, adds photos, adds websites, everything that powerpoint does, only cooler, faster and easier.  You can save all of your prezis to a flash drive, so if you are somewhere without Internet access, you are still good to go.  You can have a free account or you can pay a yearly fee to have more memory.  Rather than me try to explain the coolness to you, click the link below:

http://prezi.com/ftv9hvziwqi2/coca-cola-company/

Number 7 – http://graphicnovelreporter.com/ Graphic Novel Reporter

This website is a treasure trove for those of you who are graphic novel novices (like myself). I’m sure those of you who are pros can find it helpful as well.  I know a little about graphic novels and have read manga and am actually starting a teen anime club at my library next weekend.  For the past few years I have ordered the graphic novels for my building.  So, I guess maybe I’m somewhere between novice and pro.

This site is run by the same group as Teen Reads and has many of the same features. The feature I liked best was the reviews.  They are broken down into age and genre categories and are in alphabectical order with a search box to type in a particular title.  It has reliable resources, such as book lists and manga terms.  It has an accompanying blog.  You can also sign up to recieve the weekly newsletter.  I was so excited to find this website.

Number 8 – yahoo.com Yahoo

Okay, so I know this is a search engine, not a webpage, but still.  But the way I use Yahoo is much more like a website than a search engine. I actually perfer to use Google as a search engine.  I use Yahoo just about every day to keep up with world news.  Now, not every story they feature in their rotator is of interest to me, but I at least read the headlines.  I also like to see what’s trending and why.  This helps me to stay current with teens and adults instead of looking like a complete dolt when it comes to current events.

Number 9 – urbandictionary.com Urban Dictionary

Ever see an acroynym on Facebook and been clueless?  Ever heard a teen use an expression and had no idea what they were talking about?  This is the website for you.  I don’t have very many websites favorited on my iPhone, but this is one I do.  There are very few occassions when the term I want to find is not on this site.  There are some very strong expressions found at this website, so you might want to keep this one adults only.

Number 10 – youtube.com YouTube

Like Yahoo, I know it’s not a top secret site you have never heard of, but it is really a great place to go when you work with teens.  I have used Youtube videos in many teen programs, for many different reasons.  For instance, I have used it as a resource for digital storytelling and I have used it for pure entertainment in programs.  When you share one of your favorite videos with a teen, they will watch and want to show you one of their favorites and you can go on like this for a really long time.  And how cool do you look when they are talking about a viral video and you can join in on the conversation?  If you’re not a Youtube junkie, you’ll be surprised at how long you can stay on the site.

There you have it!  Hope you found something useful and don’t forget to list your favs in the comments.

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 February 10 – February 16 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

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 February 3 – February 9 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

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 January 27 – February 2 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

The resolve clause reads:
1. Condemns the suppression of open inquiry and free expression caused by closure of ethnic and cultural studies programs on the basis of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
2. Condemns the restriction of access to educational materials associated with ethnic and cultural studies programs.
3. Urges the Arizona legislature to pass HB 2654, “An Act Repealing Sections 15-111 and 15-112, Arizona Revised Statutes: Relating to School Curriculum.

This resolution was moved by the Intellectual Freedom Committee and supported in principle by YALSA, among other divisions, committees and round tables.

The IFC also recommended that the resolution be sent to the Tucson Unified School District, the State of Arizona Department of Education Superintendent of Public Instruction, each member of the State of Arizona Legislature, the Governor of Arizona, United States Congressman Grijalva, and the United States Secretary of Education.

We’ll get to a few of the suggestions at the end of this post.

Youth Council Caucus is made up of ALA Councilors who are also members of one of ALA’s youth divisions; AASL, ALSC, and YALSA. To be a member of the YCC, you need to be on ALA Council and a Youth Division member. To attend a meeting, being an ALA member is all that is needed. Because issues involving youth often overlap divisions, it makes sense that there is a forum to come together for these discussions.

Topics addressed during the meeting included:

Youth Division Updates

YALSA: Nick Buron, YALSA ALA Councilor shared that the division is exploring more ways to connect with members not able to attend conference in person while keeping in mind to still be supportive of the association of ALA. He also made note of the November 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis.

ALSC: Rhonda noted that the 2012 ALSC National Institute will be held in September in Indianapolis.

AASL: Sara Kelly Johns, AASL ALA Councilor shared that the 2012 Fall Forum will be held in October in Greenville, SC with Henry Jenkins as the keynote.

There was also some discussion around the Whitehouse.gov School Library petition and some of the difficulties people have had in setting up an account to be able to vote. ALA has released a press release regarding the petition. A wiki has been set up for resources on petitioning the government including a lesson plan to be used with students.

Sara also noted that the SKILLS Act has been introduced in both the House and Senate.

Sara advised to keep the accreditation issue with AASL/ALA and NCATE on our radars as it’s likely to come up again during ALA Annual in June.

Lastly, in regards to updates on AASL, an attendee reminded us that ALA President Molly Raphael has developed a 2011-2012 Special Presidential Task Force on School Libraries.

Note: During ALA Council after the YCC meeting, Council passed a resolution to add a non-voting representative from the AASL Educators of School Librarians Section to the Committee on Education.

State Youth-related News Shared by Attendees:

New York:A newly created Senate Select Committee on Libraries was formed.

Tennessee: Rules on Teacher Evaluations is creating frustration.

Alaska: Alaska Association of School Librarians working on getting the Public School Library Collection Development grant funded.

Arizona: Books removed from classes in Tuscon schools after Mexican-American studies classes were suspended.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin legislators have been contacted regarding absence of libraries mentioned in the Lead to Read Task Force report.

So, what do you say to a Librarian that might not feel empowered to advocate? That we are early learning specialists and have expertise in selecting literature and using digital media that many legislators and community members do not have. While it might be easier said than done, it’s important to keep up our advocacy efforts. Another issue we might want to keep on our radars is eBook Lending where ALA announced at this conference they will be meeting with publishers at the end of this month to discuss issues around policies regarding this medium.

Feel free to share what is going on in your state in regards to youth related news as well as any suggestions for resolutions around youth-related issues you think the YCC should consider taking on. Discussion can also be found on ALA Connect and is open to members to join.

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 January 20 – January 26 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

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 January 13 – January 19 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.

The contest is now open to all YALSA members with applications due no later than March 16, 2011. The winner will receive $250 and will be announced the week of April 23, 2011. The winning idea will address at least one of the Strategic Plan goals:

• Advocacy & Activism
• Research & Documentation of Best Practice
• Continuous Learning & Professional Development
• Member Recruitment & Engagement
• Capacity Building & Organizational Development

During the month of February, look for a blog post by a member of the Strategic Planning Committee highlighting each goal, and see http://www.ala.org/yalsa/awardsandgrants/greatideas for the contest application and guidelines.  We’re looking forward to hearing about your latest inspiration!

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 January 6 – January 12 that you think is a must for the next Tweets of the week send a direct or @ message to lbraun2000 on Twitter.