Recently, two ALA projects have come to my attention that could be perfect for some YALSA blog readers.

• Do You ALA? is a project of the Young Librarians Task Force of ALA. The group is asking young librarians to create videos that answer the questions do you belong to ALA, if so why, and if not why not? If you are a member of ALA and YALSA why not produce a video that explains what you value in those memberships? If you do not belong to either, a video on your reasons for not joining would also be useful to the young librarians group.
  
  
• A couple of weeks ago, ALA President, Camila Alire asked ALA Divisions to submit names to her for possible inclusion in a new ALA member group that will focus on the impact of the Google book settlement on libraries and librarians. Division leaders need to submit names to Camila by the end of this month and YALSA would like to submit a couple of names for consideration. As teens are consumers of digital media it could be important for YALSA to participate in this discussion. While not every name nominated will be selected for the group, it would be good to put forward a couple of names for possible appointment. Google Book group members will be involved in regular telephone conference calls, as well as face to face meetings at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting and the 2010 Annual Conference. If you know someone who might be a good match for this work, please send me an email by Monday, October 26, and I will follow-up with details about information needed for the submission to Camila. You can email me at lbraun@leonline.com

During YALSA’s October echat on advocacy, there was a lot of discussion about how the economy is having an impact on the advocacy efforts of teen librarians. (Chat participants remarked on difficulties in gaining sponsorships for programs as a result of limited funds within the community.) I’d been thinking prior to the chat about another way that the economy is having an impact on teen librarians – their own finances.

I thought it could be useful to provide some resources to YALSA blog readers to help in managing finances .

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling provides many useful resources on their website including:

• A budget worksheet that helps keep track, on a monthly basis, of spending. It includes tracking everything from net income per month, to credit card payments, to spending on entertainment. Even if you aren’t concerned about the impact of the economy on your own finances, this could prove to be a useful tool for keeping track of spending.
• An article that does a very good job in providing insight into how to “survive job loss.” The article includes information on being smart about everything from managing emotions to credit card spending to getting counseling and support in finding a new job.
• An article that provides tips on how to survive a recession and covers information on making yourself invaluable at work and managing debt.

Along with the above three resources, the National Education Association’s Member Benefits web site includes an article titled Recovering in a Financial Crisis. The second page of the article, in particular, provides good information on managing credit and breaks the information down into categories based on where someone is in a career cycle – just starting out, mid-career, or pre-retirement/retirement.

Have you found any resources that have been useful in managing your finances during the economic downturn and that you think would be useful to YALSA blog readers? If so, add them in the comments section.

I was driving down the FDR into NYC listening to the Buzz Out Loud podcast and feeling frustrated about the traffic. All of a sudden the podcast hosts read an email from a listener who asked fellow Buzz Out Loud listeners to rally around the Philadelphia libraries to help guarantee that the main library and branches would not be shut down permanently. The email spurred a conversation about libraries amongst the three hosts of the podcast and all of a sudden my frustration turned from being focused on the traffic to being focused on the hosts. I started yelling, out loud, in the car – where I was all by myself – at the hosts.

The yelling took off when one host responded to the email by saying (this is a very general paraphrase) she realized it was hard for libraries to maintain funding because they had big buildings to maintain and perhaps no longer provided services that were necessary for the community. So, maybe, if libraries started focusing on being the repository for cultural heritage that might help them to survive and to make better use of their buildings.

Then another host talked about how he has a three year old child and he likes going to the local branch library because they have a great big children’s room, storyhour, and lots of books. But, he didn’t really see the library being a place that was needed beyond something to support children and families in the community.

For a couple of minutes the conversation went on like that and I was ranting at the radio while trying not to have an accident. Then, one of the hosts, Rafe Needleman changed the conversation, at least in my mind, with one very simple statement and that was, “Nostalgia is not going to save libraries.” At that point I stopped yelling and thought to myself, “OMG, that’s it exactly.”

That statement resonates because as we work with teens we have to be very aware of the fact that the library of the past – one focused on books and traditional programs – will not work for teens today. As teen librarians we can’t try to sell programs to teens based on what used to work or a focus of history and of the library’s historic place in the community. We can’t expect that the love of books that we might have had when growing up is what teens currently love and what they need, or want, from the library.

Similarly, the statement resonates because if we want to gain support for library teen services from community members we have to talk about what the library of the 21st century can do for teens. I think about the three hosts of Buzz Out Loud, who are not all that old, and think about how they really don’t have a clue. (Sorry Buzz Out Loud hosts but you didn’t really have a full sense of what the library can be about.) That’s not the hosts fault actually, to a large degree it can be seen as the fault of the libraries in the communities in which they live and grew up. If none of the hosts have seen what a library can really do for teens and a community then how can I, or anyone else, expect them to understand?

Obviously, one of the hosts has a preschooler and doesn’t think the library is of much value beyond what is provided to children. We have to change that concept, and the way for libraries to do that is by demonstrating a strong connection to the future and not the past.

Now I’m curious, what are blog readers techniques for advocating for teen services that go beyond the nostalgic feeling that a library might bring out for some community members? How do you sell what you do as relevant for today? Nostalgia is not going to save libraries! So, what are you doing that is?

Today Twitter has been abuzz with discussion of the Cushing School (MA) library going bookless. As I read the Twitter posts I find myself feeling a bit disconcerted by their lamenting nature. While yes, I understand that a school library moving to a no books model is a drastic thing to do. And, while I understand that a library needs to almost always provide a combination of print and digital resources, I wonder how can we respond on Twitter, blogs, editorials in newspapers, etc. to this topic thoughtfully without sounding like a group of whining traditionalists? (There, I said it.)

What I would love to read, and Twitter really isn’t the platform for this, but this blog is, is more of an analysis of the pros and cons of this story. Questions I have after reading the Boston Globe article include:

• What had been going on with the school library before this? Was there a history of administration undermining the library? Why this move now?
• How are librarians in the school involved in the change? A librarian quoted in the article talks about her sadness about the change, but did she get a chance to help make some of the decisions? Why? Why not?
• What about the students? The article makes it sound like they don’t read books at all, but what is the real story? Where are they getting their books, what are they reading in any format?

There are other questions I have but those are a few at the top of my head. What I would love to hear from blog readers are your questions and answers related to this story. What do you think might be a better approach for a school to take to support students and teachers through the library while integrating and acknowledging new technologies? What are the positives of going bookless? (Are there any?) How are you working proactively to guarantee that you have a say about what happens in your library? How might you respond in a way that will be heard and understood to this kind of action in your community? How can librarians respond to these situations in a positive and informative way?

It seems to me if we lament we don’t get anywhere. But, if we ask provocative questions and if we support new ideas and help to frame those ideas, then perhaps we have better opportunities to have an impact on what happens in our libraries and communities.

Go ahead, take a risk, and tell me and other readers what you think.

It’s that time of year again!
The teens are gearing up for back to school and YALSA is gearing up for a new round of committee appointments. As YALSA’s new President-Elect, one of my duties is to appoint people to YALSA committees. This is a huge process that I am just beginning to get a grasp on. Thankfully I have great predecessors who have shared much appreciated helpful advice to smooth my way as I begin by making Selection Committee appointments. These will be made by October 30, 2009.
While I continue to fit the pieces together and make my lists and check them twice there are a few steps that YOU should take if you are a member interested in serving on a committee: First, please remember that I can’t consider you for a committee appointment unless you have filled out a volunteer form. Even if you are already ON a selection committee, if you are eligible to serve another term you MUST fill out a new volunteer form. If you aren’t sure, just fill it out anyway. 

This year there are TWO volunteer forms, one form to fill out if you are interested in serving on a selection committee and one form to fill out if you are interested in serving on a process committee. If you don’t have a preference, please fill out both forms. Both volunteer forms can be found at here.

Selection committee appointments are made in October each year by the YALSA president-elect. In order to be eligible to serve on a selection committee, please complete this form by no later than Sept. 30. Please be aware that selection committees carry a high work load. If you are not sure you can commit to the time required, please visit the YALSA Get Involved site for more info. And lastly, while we are all great at multi-tasking and juggling many different duties, YALSA has a rule that a member may only serve on three committees at atime. Also, if you are serving on an award committee (Printz, Edwards, Newbery, Caldecott, etc.)  you will not be able to serve on a selection committee at the same time. Thank you to all of our hardworking volunteers! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at kimpatton@kclibrary.org

Over the past week I’ve been reading about teens and technology and about the media’s handling of major news events. A theme running through the reading I’ve been doing is that critical thinking is an important part of what adults and teens need to do in order to make good technology decisions. For example:

• I’m not sure why I didn’t start following @larrymagid (Larry Magid) on Twitter until a couple of weeks ago, but now that I am following him, I’ve discovered three recent articles by Magid that serve to highlight the important role critical thinking plays when it comes to teens and technology.

  On June 22 Magid wrote on his blog about the need to give students a chance to use technology as a critical thinking tool and not simply outlaw devices because students might use them to cheat. He quotes librarians in his post and makes a very strong case for teaching technology in order to use technology wisely.

  Then, on June 24, Magid wrote about recent research that shows teens are technology savvy and not likely to thoughtlessly get involved in dangerous situations as some regularly fear. (This most recent research follows-up on earlier data that showed the same thing and this new research also shows that sexting is not something that teens fall into mindlessly.) Teens often make informed decisions about how to use technology and even if they know certain behaviors are not the “right” way to go they still decide to go-ahead with that behavior. Of course this isn’t new that teens sometimes make bad decisions. Technology gives them another opportunity to do that and we can help mitigate those by giving teens the chance to make good choices with technology.

  Magid’s column on C|Net on June 22 highlights the importance of helping teens to think about what decisions they make but not simply expecting every teen to need the same support when it comes to decision-making. In this column Magid asks readers to realize that a one-size-fits all approach to helping young people think critically in order to make good decisions about technology use does not work. He highlights that adults have to look at risk factors in a variety of situations and provide tips and tools for teens to support the specific risks they face within their home and community.

• In today’s New York Times there is an article that discusses Brigham Young University’s (BYU) decision to no longer block YouTube. One of the reasons cited for this decision is that there is a wide-array of educational content on the site. Not only does this demonstrate that BYU spent time critically thinking about why they banned YouTube in the first place, and compared their earlier reasoning to the benefits of use of the site, it also demonstrates that it’s important to continually evaluate decisions in order to best serve a specific population. BYU’s change of heart serves as a model for institutions to continually analyze and re-think decisions and not simply assume that what once was continues to be.
• The death of Michael Jackson and the way Twitter, Wikipedia, and traditional news media handled the event provides lots of future opportunities for helping teens understand how to crtically evaluate and use information.

  Consider the fact that TMZ reported Jackson’s death before any of the more traditional news outlets. We might ask teens to think about whether or not TMZ’s report should have been trusted at the moment it appeared, or, because they are non-traditional in the news media world. was it appropriate to wait until a more traditional source reported Jackson’s death to believe that it was true?

  It would also be good to ask teens to consider that Wikipedia had to shut down editing of the Michael Jackson page for a time because of all of the information people wanted to post when they heard of his death. It was the biggest traffic day for Wikipedia in it’s eight-year history. Teens might consider whether or not they should trust what Wikipedia had to say about Jackson just because it was current? How could they know what was true on Wikipedia and what wasn’t? These are just some of the things teens might think about as they consider the event and the information explosion that followed it.

  The life and death of Michael Jackson is a real story that teens can relate to and a perfect way to have them initiate real-life investigation about accuracy of information presented in different resources. While school librarians will hate me thinking this, part of me wishes that we were still in the midst of the school year so this real-life real-world information evaluation example could be integrated into teaching and learning immediately.

What I keep thinking about is the dynamic nature of technology, of information, and of the ways we can help teens learn to think critically about how they use technology and the information they find via technology.

In one week I found a lot to think about. Imagine the questions teens might have going through their brains in just one week of virtual and face-to-face conversations with friends, family, and librarians. Think about all of the information they’ve gathered via the Internet, newspapers, books, magazines, and so on. Why not ask them to talk with you about it and see if there are ways you can promote critical thinking during the conversations you have?

A few days ago I posted about why it is important to give teens a chance to have fun while learning. In that post I mentioned that in my work I was finding that there didn’t seem to be a “next big thing” to get excited about. It’s true, I am still looking for that next big thing, but that’s not to say there aren’t some good new tools that I’ve discovered that are great for you and teens to know about. These include:

• Unigo is a five-month old web site that uses real-live students to create content about what life is really like in college. These first-hand accounts (primary source really) give teens who are considering college information that is different than what they might receive via a college tour, in a college catalog, or in a brochure. The site has a useful search feature so potential students (and their parents) can look for specific programs, types of students, interests, and so on in order to discover exactly what an institution has to offer. The CEO of Unigo was interviewed in a Net at Night podcast . It’s definitely worth listening to that audio to find out what the site is all about and how students are involved in its creation and use. (Note: Unigo is still in the development phase which means not every institution in the country is included with full content.)
• Google News Timeline just launched last week and it gives searchers the ability to search a topic and view a timeline of news stories related to that topic. The Timeline tool by default searches Time magazine and Wikipedia Events. But, searchers can add blogs, newspapers, and other web-based sites in order to expand the resources included in the search. When results are generated, a timeline is presented with excerpts from content matching the search along with links to the actual content. The image below shows results for a search on “New York mayor” for the year 2009. (You can click on the image to see a larger version.)
  
• The Library of Congress YouTube Channel isn’t a new site, but a new access point for Library of Congress (LOC) materials on the web. Just a couple of weeks ago, LOC launched this channel which provides search and browse access to videos including Pearl Harbor Oral Histories and a discussion of Langston Hughes and his poetry. Teens who are already on YouTube and comfortable with searching and browsing the YouTube interface, will be right at home using the LOC YouTube Channel.
• Just last week the UN launched the World Digital Library (WDL), a site that makes it possible to view and read about primary source materials from around the world. Teens can browse the collection by type of material, place of origin, topic, or time period. They can also perform keyword searches in order to find resources. For example, the image below displays a search for “revolution.” On the left you’ll see links to different time periods, continents, topics, and so on. On the rightthumbnails of primary source images are displayed. Teens click on an image and see the real thing. (You can click on the image to see the actual search results in WDL.)
  

Obviously innovation isn’t dead when it comes to new resources and tools that meet teen academic and personal needs and interests. Go ahead and have fun with some of what’s new to use.

Judith Fingeret Krug, longtime director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the founder of Banned Books Week, died Saturday after a long illness.  Advisor, author and public servant, she was a remarkable leader in the struggle to educate the public concerning the right to the free expression of ideas. Judy was an inspiration to all who knew her.

She was the Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation and Director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association for over forty years. She worked tirelessly to guarantee the rights of individuals to express ideas and read the ideas of others without governmental interference.  Through her unwavering support of writers, teachers, librarians, and above all, students, she has advised countless numbers of librarians and trustees in dealing with challenges to library material.  She has been involved in multiple First Amendment cases that have gone all the way to the United States Supreme Court.  In addition, she was the founder of Banned Books Week, an annual week-long event that celebrates the freedom to choose and the freedom to express one’s opinion.

Services will be held at Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster St., Evanston IL, Tuesday April 14th at 10:00a.m. followed by internment at Shalom Memorial Park.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Freedom to Read Foundation, 50 East Huron, Chicago Illinois 60611, or www.ftrf.org.

Her full obituary is online at the Chicago Tribune; information can also be found at American Libraries blog, AL Inside Scoop.

Explore the Universe of Teen Reading! YALSA’s offering a fantastic full-day preconference before ALA Annual Conference. Come to Genre Galaxy: Explore the Universe of Teen Reading and meet popular YA authors, including Holly Black, Cecil Castelucci, David Lubar, and Dom Testa! Discover new ways to reach teens with books, including literacy activities, program ideas and collection development. Tickets start at $195 for YALSA members and include lunch.  Interested? Register online (you don’t have to register for ALA Annual to attend this preconference).

Advance Your Career with YALSA! In uncertain economic times, it’s important to think about your professional goals and make sure you’re in a good position to meet them. Join YALSA for the half-day preconference Moving Up the YA Career Ladder, where we’ll discuss career options for young adult librarians, tips for transitioning into management or other careers, writing effective resumes and CVs, and finding your management style. Tickets cost $129 and include refreshments. Interested? Register online (you don’t have to register for ALA Annual to attend this preconference).

After the jump, details on other special YALSA events at ALA Annual Conference, Operation TBD and Support Teen Lit Day, the WrestleMania Reading Challenge winners, the ALA/YALSA Election, and the Great Ideas contest.

Join YALSA at ALA Annual! In addition to its outstanding preconferences, YALSA has amazing things planned for the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago this summer, July 9-15! Advanced registration, which could save you up to $50 over onsite registration, ends May 22. Join us for the first-ever YALSA Fashion Show and Happy Hour! Don’t miss hearing this year’s award-winning authors at the Printz Reception, the Edwards Luncheon, and the YA Author Coffee Klatch & Morris Presentation. Plus we have loads of great free programs, including the Alex Awards and Odyssey Award presentations.  Find out more about our programs and events at the YALSA Annual Wiki.

Operation Teen Book Drop Is On! For the second year, YALSA will participate in Operation TBD (Teen Book Drop), joining with readergirlz and Guys Lit Wire to distribute more than 8,000 books donated by 18 publishers to pediatric hospitals across the United States. Operation TBD takes place during National Library Week on April 16, the third annual Support Teen Literature Day. How can you and your teens get involved? Leave a YA book in a public place with a downloadable bookplate. Bookplates, web badges, a trailer and more can be found on the readergirlz TBD site. Check out ways to celebrate Support Teen Lit Day and to serve sick and homebound teens on the YALSA Wiki.

WrestleMania Reading Challenge News YALSA named the 15 winners in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge! Ten regional winners in grades 7-8 and 9-12 from across the United States will compete in the WrestleMania® Reading Challenge National Finals in Houston, Texas. Five regional champions from grades 5-6 will also be guests at the finals, which will be held on April 4 at the Houston Public Library. Each regional winner won a trip for two to Houston, tickets to the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania at Reliant Stadium on April 5 and $2,000 for their sponsoring library. The WrestleMania Reading Challenge is sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and World Wrestling Entertainment with support from Mattel. See who won!

Vote for YALSA! By now, all YALSA members whose membership was current as of Jan. 31, 2009, should have received email access to their ballots for the ALA Election (including candidates for president and councilor-at-large [PDF]). (If you haven’t received your ballot, contact membership@ala.org). Voting will be open until April 24, and results will be available on May 1.  See YALSA’s official slate, including the candidates for president-elect, board of directors, YALSA councillor and for awards committees. As you vote, take a look at the resources available in last week’s election post.

Have a Great Idea? Tell YALSA! Brainstorm creative ways to achieve goals in YALSA’s Strategic Plan (PDF), and you can win books and YALSA swag. Enter the Great Ideas contest! Download the guidelines and entry form (PDF) to learn more. Entries due by May 1.

That’s it for this week’s update! To stay up to date on the latest from the YALSA Office, sign up to follow YALSA on Twitter or become a fan of YALSA on Facebook!

Once again, I heard an item during the a.m. news that involves teens and a new trend.  The trend is performing a smoking ritual with the candy known as Smarties.  You take a plastic tube of Smarties, crush the candy up until it’s powdery, and pull on it with your mouth like it’s a cigarette.  You don’t light the candy, and you’re not supposed to inhale.  Users puff the candy out of their mouth and it looks like smoke.  This hit the news because a number of teens have posted videos of themselves on Youtube teaching how to “smoke Smarties.”  In Frisco, Colorado, a middle school principal has made possession of Smarties a punishable offense.

I watched a few of these videos just to see what all the fuss was about.  Here’s Titus’ video.  The teens that I watched seem to see this as a better alternative to smoking.  No health risks.  Some medical professionals aren’t sure.  In a number of videos, the teens start coughing in the middle of the tutorial.  If you accidentally inhale the candy, you are putting sugar in your lungs, which is not good apparently.  Also, there is a chance of getting maggots in your nose.  Others are worried that the physical act of smoking, whether it’s tobacco or candy, will lead to smoking addiction later on.  In the Wall Street Journal article  “Just Say No . . . to Smarties?” it says some students are snorting the candy, but only a few.

I see this as relevant to us because it involves the transfer of information using social networking sites.   I am not convinced this smoking ritual is harmful.  But it might be an interesting topic to bring up with your branches’ teens.  “Do you know people who are smoking Smarties?”  If they say yes, you can ask them if they think it’s safe.  How do they know it’s safe when there are many opinions. Or even if they don’t know about this yet, offer it as a research topic.  You can’t get more current, since it just hit the news this past week.  The teens interviewed feel one way about it, and some health researchers are skeptical.  One school’s principal is downright against it.  Ask the teens to decide what their take is, but they have to base it on facts.  What is a good source of information and how do you decide who to believe.

I wonder if the Teen Health and Wellness Database covers this yet?