The Nuts & Bolts and More

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Are you a new to working with teens? Are you struggling to find easy but effective programs? Do you feel that you are not meeting the need of teens in your library? Would you like to meet others who work with teens? If so, come to the YALSA preconference “The Nuts & Bolts of Serving Teens: Practical Tips for the Library Generalist or New YA Librarian” on Friday, June 24, from 12:30 to 4:30 P.M. in New Orleans.

Simple strategies for providing programs and services for teens will be discussed as well as collection development, YALSA competencies, incorporating technology into library services and teen programming, and why teens and libraries need each other. Tips for dealing with teen behavior (good and bad) during programs and in the general library setting will also be covered. Featured speakers include Angelina Manfredi (Los Alamos County Library System), Erin Helmrich (Ann Arbor District Library), Mari Hardacre (Allen County Public Library) and Jesse Vieau (Madison Public Library).

This program has all the tools that you need to fill your library toolbox and more! The half-day preconference covers the all the essentials for exemplary teen services. Tickets for the event cost $129 and include light refreshments. Registration for 2011 ALA Annual Conference is not necessary to participate in the preconference.

If you wish to register for this event without registering for Annual, you can download the form to mail or fax in (go to page 12 and ignore part I). If you haven’t registered for Annual, you can do so at www.alaannual.org and add this special event onto your registration.

If you have already registered and would like to add this special event to your registration, you have two options: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1 (800) 974-3084 and ask to add a workshop to your existing registration; (2) Online: To add an event to your existing registration use your log in and password to access your existing Annual registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you have added.

We hope to see you there!

Posted on behalf of Carrie Wuensch-Harden.

Learn more about Walter Dean Myers, YA author, Printz winner & YALSA precon speaker!

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Last week, Hillel Italie of the Associated Press profiled Walter Dean Myers, one of a few authors to win both the Printz and Edwards awards from YALSA, on his enduring popularity with teen readers. Read on to see why YALSA chose Myers to be a featured speaker at Give Them What They Want: Reaching Reluctant Readers, YALSA’s half-day Annual preconference in New Orleans on June 24, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Among the kids at the Promise Academy and around the country, Walter Dean Myers is a must-read whose books have sold millions of copies and have a special appeal for the toughest of people to reach, boys. He is able, like few writers, to relate to his readers as they live today.

And he is old enough to be their grandfather.

Myers, 73, has written dozens of novels, plays and biographies. He has received three National Book Award nominations and won many prizes, including a lifetime achievement honor from the American Library Association and five Coretta Scott King awards for African-American fiction. He is also the most engaged of writers, spending hours with young people at schools, libraries and prisons, giving talks and advice on life and work, his own rise from high-school dropout to best-selling author, a story that translates across generations.

Read More →

Serving Teens with Disabilities

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On Saturday, June 25, I will be hosting a YALSA-sponsored program during the ALA Annual Conference about serving teens with disabilities. I am looking for a few good presenters who are interested in joining me and sharing their stories with the greater, teen-serving library community about how they are currently serving young people with disabilities in their public or school libraries with special programs, adapted services, or initiatives developed specifically to help foster a community of inclusion. If you are already planning to attend ALA Annual in New Orleans and are interested in possibly being a part of this workshop (see description below), please email me as soon as possible. In addition to including your name, title, and contact information in the email, please send me a brief description about how you are working with teens with disabilities. Read More →

Call For Presenters

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YALSA is trying something new at the ALA Annual Convention in New Orleans this year…a Table Talk Presentation.’  Instead of one topic dominating an entire presentation session, the Teen Services Mashup Table Talks will have multiple sessions running simultaneously, allowing attendees to get a broad sampling of ideas in a short amount of time.’  Think science fair for librarians, but more fun. While we have some great presenters already lined up, we’d like a few more to provide a richer variety of topics.

Maybe you’ve thought about presenting at ALA but never thought you’d have an idea big enough to fill an entire session.’  Or maybe you’ve never thought about presenting but’  you have a great program or concept you’d like to share. If you fit either of these situations, this is a great opportunity for you to step up and share some of those great ideas with the YA librarian community.’  More details and applications are available on the YALSA website and are due on’  Jan. 31, 2011. We look forward to seeing your ideas.