The ALA midwinter meeting passed by like a whirlwind and now we are only five weeks away from celebrating Teen Tech Week! Many of us are collaborating with teens on the final planning stages for our Teen Tech Week programs, while some of us haven’t exactly started yet. Regardless of what position you are in, here are some points to remember when preparing for Tune in @ Your Library:
- Don’t forget to register your library for Teen Tech Week before February 4th. Registration is free and only takes a minute. By registering, you are telling YALSA that you support technology initiatives for teens and that TTW is a valuable program.
- Just started planning? Don’t fret! The Teen Tech Week wiki is loaded with quick and easy program ideas, in addition to the more involved but rewarding activities.
- Get your teens involved with YALSA’s Promotional Song Contest. The contest challenges teens to create a song promoting the library and its technology resources. Entries are due by midnight on Saturday March 8th.
- If you haven’t already, be sure to order your official Teen Tech Week posters, bookmarks, and giveaways from ALA Graphics. Orders placed by February 18th with standard shipping will arrive in time for Teen Tech Week.
- Take advantage of the Teen Tech Guides, intended to briefly familiarize librarians with emerging technologies. The Making Music with Teens Guide explains how to setup a recording studio for teens at little to no cost and can aide you in supporting the promotional song contest.
- Remember to point your teens to the official TTW web site during the week of celebration, March 2-8, 2008. On the web site, teens will be able to vote for next year’s theme and participate in an online survey about technology.
- Look for the winter 2008 issue of YALS journal to cover technology articles such as Teen Tech Week partnerships.
- Breathe, smile, and have fun! Remember that Teen Tech Week is supposed to fun and exciting, and it’s important you share some of that excitement with the teens.
