Welcome to August and the first in a series of YALSAblog posts all about getting ready for the new school year.
I don’t think there is a better way to get started thinking about going back to school then to check-in with YALSAblog readers about how you are implementing the ideas in the Future of Library Service for and with Teens: A Call to Action report published by YALSA in January of this year.
Thinking about the fall and the programs and services we’ll work on with and for teens during the school year is a great time to learn about what others are doing that connect to the ideas in YALSA’s report. At the YALSAblog we’d love to hear what you have made happen that connect to what’s outlined in the report. For example:
- Have you added or expanded or started connected learning opportunities for teens in your library? If you have questions about what connected learning is all about and what you might do with teens in that area check out the YALSAblog’s previous posts on that topic or pages 8-10 in the report.
- In what ways are you giving teens opportunities to connect with mentors and coaches in order to help them learn about the topics in which they are most interested? See pages 21-23 in the report for more on this topic.
- Are you finding new or expanded ways to integrate services that help teens to gain a variety of literacy skills from print literacy to media literacy to digital literacy? See pages 6-8 in the report for more on this topic.
- Have you found a new way to think about the way you staff your teen services in order to better support the current and future needs of teens? See page 24 in the report for more on this topic.
- Are there new ways you are thinking about the way that you provide space to teens? See pages 23-24 in the report for more on this topic.
- Have you expanded or re-thought your ideas about collaborations and partnerships in order to move into the future of service for and with teens? See pages 13-14 and 23 in the report for more on this topic.
I bet lots of YALSAblog readers are doing great things that demonstrate the ideas in the YALSA “futures report.” And, I bet that there are library staff working with teens that wonder, “how do I get started implementing the ideas in the report?” There is no better time to start talking about the successes and challenges of bringing the future of library service to teens in your libraries than as you plan for the 2014/15 school year in your library. Let’s hear what you’ve been able to try out as a result of reading the report and/or what you are struggling with in terms of the report in the comments.
The discussion of the future starts now!
And, by the way, there are some great ways for you to keep up with what’s going on in the world of libraries and education as it relates to the future of services for and with teens. Try these Twitter hashtags to get started:
- #act4teens – the tag started by YALSA for all ideas related to how libraries and others are supporting the needs of teens.
- #connectedlearning – all about what connected learning is and how we can improve the lives of youth through connected learning experiences.
