Volume 12, Issue 1 of YALSA’s Journal of Research on Libraries & Young Adults (JRLYA) is now available online at http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/. This issue features research papers relating to diversity in a source of recommended books and the perspectives of library staff serving teens during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In “Accounting for Diversity: Measuring Change in the Proportion of African American Teen Literature in the Senior High Core Collection” Megan Blakemore and Amy Pattee offer a comparative historical measurement of the diversity of resources included in and recommended by the Senior High Core Collection. Specifically looking at the collection from 2008-2018, the authors examined the lists for titles classified as “Core Collection” and “Most Highly Recommended” to determine if those titles depict or address Black African Americans and Black African American experiences.
Rebecca J. Morris and Jenna Kammer examined the discursive practices of youth library practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic in their paper, “Essential and Dedicated: Discursive Practices of Librarians Serving Teens in Fall 2020 of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” In their analysis of three blogs published by professional library organizations, the authors examined how library staff serving teens discussed their values around teen services and how librarians serving teens use language to construct beliefs on their roles in providing teens access to information and reading materials.
JRLYA is YALSA’s open-access, peer-reviewed research journal, located at: http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya. Its purpose is to enhance the development of theory, research, and practice to support young adult library services. JRLYA presents original research concerning: 1) the informational and developmental needs of teens; 2) the management, implementation, and evaluation of young adult library services; and 3) other critical issues relevant to librarians who work with teens. Writer’s guidelines are located at http://www.yalsa.ala.org/jrlya/author-guidelines/.
Posted by Robin A. Moeller, Editor, JRYLA