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Teen Spaces

For one of my classes I wanted to feature teen online spaces.
In the 2000 census, it was reported that 80,473,265 or 28.6% of the population was 19 or under.

According to Pew Internet and American Life Report in 2005, 87% of 12 to 17 year olds use the Internet. If you read the Perceptions of Libraries OCLC released last December, you know that teens do not visit our websites, even though 50% are aware that we do have a site.

With the large number of teens online, and the number of teens visiting our sites I feel like we may want to examine whether our websites truly are meeting the needs of our teen patrons

I was listening to Stephen Abram at ALA, and I realized that librarians might not understand the preferences of teens who use their web pages. If you aren’t familiar with Stephen Abrams check out his article in Library Journal Born with a Chip

Compare your teen page (or library website if you don’t have a teen page) with these examples of well-designed teen pages, and commercial cites popular with teens.

Library Pages

Minuteman Library Network

Watertown Public library Teen Page

Springfield Public Library teen Page

North State Cooperative Library System Teen Page

New York Public Library Teen Page

Ann Arbor Public Library

My Own Cafe

Denver Public Library’s Myspace Page

Library Loft

Seattle Public Library’s Teen Page

Haverhill Public Library’s Teen Page

Teen Spaces

How does your library compare?

posted by Jami Schwarzwalder

Up and Coming

Posted by Linda W. Braun

More and more I’m hearing about ways for ordinay people (like me) to create and edit video easily. The other day I learned about a new online tool that is YouTube plus. EyeSpot is a site that allows users to upload and edit videos. That’s right, you can edit online the video content you create online and it doesn’t cost a thing. Lots of people have the ability to create video – via a cell phone, webcam, or some such thing – but no way to edit the video. Now they do.

Eyespot is really easy to use, and what’s really cool is that if someone uploads a video on the site that person, through that upload, gives other users permission to use that video in some way. So, teens can take a bunch of videos from other users and mash them together to make a movie. Music and narration can be added and voila – a film is born.

Perhaps a teen doesn’t have the exact right shot he/she wants or needs in order to finish a video project. Maybe there’s a clip on Eyespot. Or, maybe you want to do a program or class on visual literacy. Why not have teens search Eyespot for videos on a certain theme and then mash them together to make something new?

The site is fairly new so the collection is still small. But think Flickr and YouTube for what the future will bring.

Volunteer for a YALSA Committee

Posted by Paula Brehm-Heeger:

Hopefully some of you had a chance to attend YALSA 101 at conference and hear all about how YALSA members are appointed to committees, but if not (or if you just need a little reminder), now is the time to fill out your committee volunteer form. As YALSA Vice-President/President-Elect, I’m the person who will be making the appointments this year.

This is especially important for anyone interested in serving on a “selection” committee (BBYA, PPYA or Quick Picks to name a few), as these appointments will be made this fall. If you’re looking to serve on a “process” committee (examples include Youth Participation and Division and Membership Promotion) fill out your volunteer form now, even though those appointments won’t happen until the spring.

If you filled a form out in 2005 it is still vital that you fill one out again this year in order to be considered for the new round of appointments. If you turned in a form in 2006, that works for the upcoming round of appointments. Please be sure your contact information is correct. If anything has changed, please submit a new form!

Not sure what your options are for committees? Check the Committee, Task Force and Discussion Group Description page – you’ll find all the information you need!

Don’t hesitate – get involved!

Still Things to Do

Even if you do not serve on a committee, did you know there are ways to become involved in their work? Nominating books for Quick Picks, BBYA, and other lists is one way you can contribute to the work of these committees. Instead of bemoaning the fact that your favorite book was overlooked (something I admit readily to doing in the past), fill out an online form and nominate it for the committee’s consideration. Field nominations are welcome because committee members do not always see the latest books.

It is not too late to volunteer for service down the road, either. Be active and make YALSA even stronger by your participation.

Posted by Teri Lesesne

a look back

If you have been reading the posts to YALSA, you know that NOLA treated us like visiting royalty. Even the few glitches turned out ot be blessings (ask anyone staying at the Marriott on Canal about the new elevator system). The meetings went smoothly; there was WAY too much food, and things ran like clockwork.

Make plans now to become active in YALSA and come to conference. I have been so pleased to have had the chance to meet colleagues, to talk to the leadership of this group, and to participate in the important discussions about our future.

Posted by Teri Lesesne

Thoughts on Facebook (applies to much of social software)

Posted by: Meg Canada

This is a concise, well-written essay and should apply to most social software applications. Found via a colleague with whom I share an office cube:

Five things to think about when using Facebook
From Tracy Mitrano, Director of IT Policy and Computer Policy & Law Program, Cornell University, April, 2006

“This essay offers some things to contemplate when using Facebook, all of which can be summed up easily in a “Golden Rule.” Don’t say anything about someone else that you would not want said about yourself. And be gentle with yourself too! What might seem fun or spontaneous at 18, given caching technologies, might prove to be a liability to an on-going sense of your identity over the longer course of history. Have fun and make productive use of these new, exciting technologies, but remember that technology does not absolve one of responsibility. Behind every device, behind every new program, behind every technology is a law, a social norm, a business practice that warrants thoughtful consideration.”

Technology of Gaming

Posted by Jami Schwarzwalder

Teens and Technology

Eli Neiberger

Why games are a good fit
84% of kids 12-17 are Internet users
Of these users:
75% are using IM
81% are playing games

Its not just about gamers. It’s common cultural currencies.
From 2000 to 2004 the number of teens playing games jumped from 66% to 81%

Its an $11 billion business worldwide

Fundamental part of media appetite

Video games are older than video cassettes

Try to have something for everyone

It reaches boys, 95% of teenage boys play video games

Only 12% of games sold in 2005 were rated M
There are a lot of adult books (of dubious value) on public library shelves as well

ESRB ratings are a great standard

Sometime in Mesopotamia a librarian said “this is a library not a place for paper”

Look at the garbage on our shelves
Libraries are in the content business
Games are content too.

We need to meet the recreational needs.

If we stake our business on recreational reading we may miss generations of users

Games are literacy activities.

Its important to not think of video games a mentally castling activity.

Having a video game event at your library, it takes something someone does alone at home, and turns it into a social event.

This is not outside of a core services. Do we consider story time as a loss leader?

Parents do not complain. Resistance is internal.

Outstanding way to become a focus of the teens enthusiasm.

A great way to promote library materials, but don’t hand out bibliographies. Just have the books on the table and displays.

A way to say we are about social events. Offer a non commercial space.

Seen sportsmanship like he has never seen before.

Audience: Do you have behavior issues?
It’s a library it should be loud. With a tournament you have a build in equality so there isn’t as many issues. When you have these events you develop a relationship with the teens, so when you have issues you can just go talk to the person, and say “You need to calm down or I’ll have to ask you to leave” which works.

You don’t have to buy anything. A tradition is that at gaming events gamers bring their own equipment. You just need a projector.

If you buy the equipment you can have partnerships, but this will be used by more people than the Books in Print catalog. You can use old TVs , if you have 8 it allows the teens to each have them on their own TV, so that they are completely immersed.

AADL-GT run a tournament with Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers.

Email Eli if you want a copy of the DVD he made about the first drama, that captures the excitement, the drama, interviews with the kids, and color commentary. eli@aadl.org

AADL Teen Blog

Presentation

ulo.tricho.us/
justlikestorytime.com

Entire prize budget came from friends.

Matt Gullett

This generation are producers. For more information read RenGen

We can be more than just a collection.
Place people can develop social interactions and people can create things

Beth Gallaway

The Search Institute came up with 40 developmental needs of young adults (gaming builds developmental assets)

Teen Developmental Needs include the need to be physically active, they need to be social.

Teach ethical issues via gaming.

There are elements of story in games. If you can get kids talking about the movies, tv shows, or video games, you can get them to tell you about what they enjoy about the media.

Let them play with tools and see how to use it. Then ask how it went, and give them hints and tips. Meet them in their space.

Gamers are technology enthusiastic.
Keep up with the gaming industry.

Try some games.

Treat it like story time, and make it an event for all ages.

Beth’s Handouts:
http://home.comcast.net/~egallaway/ala

Reading with your ears.

Posted by Jami Schwarzwalder

Producers

Bruce Colville was turned on to audio books when he too a two month trip with his teen.

He learned:
1 Audio books are a great way to share a story
2 Pride and Prejudice is engaging when traveling through Kansas

How they handle adult content
“Try to reflect the real world”
Would a parent and teen be comfortable listening to the content together?
Would an intelligent adult and mature teen consider it family friendly?

To signal parents about adult issues they will put Adult fiction on the description of the material that may contain situations that are adult.

Not going to but ratings on audio books until they put ratings on books. That is a strength of the library, because parents can go up and ask is something is appropriate for their child’s age.

Still asking themselves How do you handle that 12-14 age range?

Casting
First thing is can we cast the book
Longer books are impossible to release an audio book with the book with a full cast
Biggest challenge is to find the perfect voice for that first person narrative

Sometimes they trade off easy production with a trained actor, to have a believable narration with a narrator that brings the story to life.

Each company has a unique sound.

Format
Cassette in of a life support system
They will still have cassettes for libraries
People don’t buy cassettes in the store

Whatever the technology the production is important

No matter what format it is in the story has to be narrated well, because the sound generally will be the same.

A new format is on a chip you can put in a phone or a Palm pilot. That plays like an I-pod
Playaway is another new format.

Tamora Pierce

We come from long history of story tellers

Talent
Its fun recording books

The key is to shape the book
It fills out a story and makes it broader.

Multicultural Books

Hear the rhythm, follow the sentence, hear a story the words could not convey

An audiobook that is well done can transport us to a different world

Spending time somewhere helps you know their culture. Even if it’s a week long vacation

Don’t be intimidated by foreign words

It’s important to be authentic (so it rings true with a broad range of listeners) but quality comes first.

A good audio book allows you to close your eyes and imagine someone for the specific culture telling the story.

Audio books Reviews

It is hard to fit the review in just a few hundred words.

Have to listen to the entire audio book to get a fell

Review the audio book experience

They don’t cover the plot, which is hard as a reviewer to write.

Already reviewed the plot when reviewing the book.

Covering the audio book experience is unique for each reviewer and that is what makes it interesting.

Since snippets of reviews make it on the back covers reviewers have to think about writing for both librarians and

Is a teenager going to enjoy this?

New review they are doing is podcast reviews. Some librarians have put these on websites, and are getting positive results.

Listen to many different audio books on commute, but it helps with reader’s advisory.
Listen to a book while cleaning the house.

No galleys for audio books, because the recorders use ARCs to make recordings.

Will look at book to compare visualizations, but generally just review the audio.

Bartemous trilogy did an excellent job with making text and footnotes seamless.

Look for a book that listens well.

MARKETING

When you do book talking play an audio books/include audio book. The beginning makes you want to keep going.

Hungry Minds Listening Club. Half our before school feed donought and have them listen to the audio books.

Allow students to check out cd and cassette players

Do displays with cassette tape holders.

Encourage audio books to count for summer reading.

Download audio books onto ipod shuffles and circulate, as well as allow downloading to personal ipods.

Audible books integrated with iTunes.

Overdrive has a list of YALSA’s recommend audio books.

Burger’s Blogger Bash

Posted by Beth Gallaway

Burger Blogger Bash, ALA2006

Photo: Leslie Burger welcomes guests to her Blogger Bash – folks from the biblioblogosphere mingled with heroes whose libraries and lives have been devasted by Katrina.

I showed up at ALA President-Elect Leslie Burger’s hospitality suite Saturday night expecting to rub elbows with fellow bloggers and thank Burger for her open acceptance of the biblioblogosphere. There was lots of elbow rubbing going on that night and Burger greeted each visitor as s/he walked in the door.

Invitations to the reception were extended to Gulf Coast libraries, and it was Burger’s hope, since she is a shrewd and savvy woman who recognizes that blogging is an important communications tool, that bringing these two groups together might help extend the message that the devestating effects of Hurricane Katrina have not diminished much.

We heard heartwrenching stories from public, academic and school libraries about loss of staff, defected to other parts of the country; losses of millions of dollars worth of books and computers; the struggle to maintain some basic library services to citizens still living in tents; the plea for “NO MORE BOOKS!!! We need MONEY!”

We also heard heartwarming stories, some told to the crowd, others exchanged one on one, about children who raised a few hundred dollars with lemonade stands, of libraries in other parts of the country who did local fundraising to send to specifically designated sister libraries in New Orleans; an academic library that saw an opportunity to promote remote and electronic services; a school than managed to graduate its class in December. The evening was a much deserved tribute to and celebration of the workers who returned and are every day heroes for simply doing their jobs in such terrible conditions. I’m not convinced I would have done the same.

I asked where the donation bucket was – how could you not want to give something after watching the emotion play out on someone’s face as such losses are described? – but I can’t help feeling that although I agree libraries are essential – ESSENTIAL! – perhaps permanent shelter, clean drinking water, and public health & safety are higher priorities than new books and computers. What do the rest of you think?

Donate to the New Orleans Rebuild Project at http://www.nutrias.org/~nopl/foundation/katrinafoundationdonation.htm.

Serving Teens Behind Bars

Posted by Kelly Czarnecki

I’ve recently started providing outreach to the teen male population at a local Jail facility in NC. The speakers at this presentation had well developed, successful and award winning programs for incarcerated teens with lots of great ideas. Jack Gantos, author of Hole in My Life, spoke after the panel and recounted his own experiences in jail and as a writer. Michele Gorman moderated through her involvement on YALSAs Criminal Elements booklist.

What the panel seemed to have in common was a genuine desire to work with and not judge these readers, to meet them where they were at in their reading levels and interests, and not take no for an answer.

In the programs represented by the panel, incarcerated teens have participated in author visits (started off with just cold calling authors to see if they’d speak at the jail), storytellers, and musician visits,
Great Stories Book CLUB recipients, visual art on display at city hall, created partnerships with the judge, probation officer, teen and librarian to read and discuss books, produced a literary magazine and provided readers advisory.

While a mutual goal was to increase awareness of the library as an important community resource and to use literature as a vehicle for discussion, outreach to a jail is not without its obstacles. Funding (grants, scholarships, and donations sought), security (we are part of the library’s security program by being there), and staff (one jail staff member was teasing a teen that they should read the picture book b/c they weren’t smart enough to read. This interaction turned into the teen joking with the staff and choosing the book anyway. While we might not understand or respond in the same way the jail staff does, we need to understand, most have the heart to work there with the teens and connect with them too) can be challenging.

Outcomes:
Reduction in recidivism
Teens read a book for the first time and keep on reading
Reading helps with social and personal issues (Flinn’s Breathing Underwater was a catalyst to for a teen to talk with his girlfriend about her manipulative behavior toward him)
quote directly from a teen:

”Keeps my imagination moving”
(there were more but that’s all I have for now)

Check them out when you can:

Austin Public Library: Second Chance Books created by Youth Specialist, Devo Carpenter.

Hennepin County Library: Home School and Juvenile Detention Center created by Outreach Manager, Patrick Jones.

Johnson County Library System: Read to Succeed created by Teen Services Librarian, Tricia Suellentrop.

Alameda County Library: Write to Read created by one of this years Movers and Shakers, Librarian Amy Cheney.

There are many other libraries serving teens in jails. What kind of tips do you have to share? What has worked well? How many are not quite sure they are comfortable in offering library services to this teen population?