Start the School Year with YALSA's Online Courses
Registration open through Oct. 2!

YALSA’s fall e-course sessions begin Oct. 5. Register through Oct. 2! Our fall session focuses on serving tweens and younger teens, learning more about graphic novels, and using gaming to reach teens in libraries.

Group discounts are available! Contact Beth Yoke YALSA’s executive director, at byoke@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390 for details.

Our fall courses:

AIMing at Tweens | Graphic Novels and Teen Readers | Reaching Teens with Gaming

AIMing at Tweens: Advising, Involving, Motivating
Oct. 5 - Oct. 30

Tweens are often the ones who slip between the cracks: not children and not quite young adults. This online course will focus on the developmental needs and interests of tweens and how we can best meet those needs and interests in terms of books, activities, and programming.

The cost is $135 for YALSA members and Students, $175 for ALA members, and $195 for nonmembers. Instructor: Teri Lesesne. Register today!

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Graphic Novels and Teen Readers: The Basics and Beyond
Oct. 5 - Oct. 30

This four-module online course will introduce those who work with teens and graphic novels to best practices.  Each module consists of a weekly reading, an online discussion with instructor and classmates, and supplementary material.  There will also be one live chat session – voice or real time text chat. Gene Luen Yang has agreed to make himself available for a discussion of his new book, The Eternal Smile (First Second, 2009), at one point during the course.

• Week 1: Overview of graphic novel descriptors and assorted examples, including some for students to choose among to read and discuss during course.
• Week 2: for Graphic literacy and text literacy
• Week 3: for Manga, nonfiction, and other special areas of graphic novel availability and interest. Students to pursue one in depth for discussion presentation.
• Week 4: Bibliographic issues such as selection, access, marketing

The cost is $135 for YALSA members and Students, $175 for ALA members, and $195 for nonmembers. Instructor: Francisca Goldsmith. Register today!

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Reaching Teens with Gaming

Gaming at the library refers to board, card, role-playing, and big games, not just digital video games. Thinking about hosting board game nights or starting a circulating video game collection? Already offering Rock band and Mario Kart and looking for a next step program? Would you like to engage Runescape players, RPGers, or use a big game to promote the library? These topics, and more, will be covered in this session. The main focus is to educate non-gamers about what games are and introducing librarians to the many formats of hobby that engages the free time of their teen clientele. The session concludes with creating a plan of service to engage gamers at the library.  

By the end of the session, participants will:

1. Understand the connection between gaming & literacy.
2. Learn how to advocate for all types of games in your school, public or academic library.
3. Try a variety of games to gain first-hand knowledge of what they are and how they function.
4. Discover best practices in services to gamers, including collections and programs that involve and support gaming.
5. Create a plan of service for gamers at your library.

The cost is $149 for YALSA members, $195 for ALA members, and $215 for nonmembers. Instructor: Beth Gallaway. Register today!

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