Youth Services Symposium XIX - Teens and Libraries: That’s Rad!
Ruth Metcalf, Library ConsultantState Library of Ohio
June, 2000
Did you know that: Tweens and Teens:
- Download online video clips onto a device 7.1 times a month
- Download music videos 5.7 times a month
- Download songs 4.2 times a month
- Access online games 3.1 times a month
According to this report 84 percent of tweens and teens are gaming on a computer, video game system, portable digital music player or cell phone.Source: Kids and Digital Content, NPD Group Study
The recent Youth Services Symposium XIX, cosponsored by the four Ohio Regional Library Systems – Northeast Ohio Regional Library System (NEORLS); Northwest Regional Library System (NORWELD); Southeast Ohio Regional Library System (SERLS); and Southwest Ohio Libraries and Neighbors (SWON) – focused on the issue of Teens and Technology. The program featured several well known speakers from Ohio and beyond.
Speakers Included:
Laura Solomon, Web Developer for OPLIN
Anita Silvey, author
Todd Strasser, author
John Green, author
Rollie Welch of Cleveland Public Library, author
Mike Pauk, Teen Librarian at Cuyahoga County Public Library
Michelle Baldini & Lynn Biederman, authors
RoseMary Honnold, Teen Librarian at Coshocton Public Library
Laura Solomon, Web Developer for OPLIN and a former Children’s Librarian, shared her thoughts on Teens and Technology. In “teens n tech: where r wii?” she emphasized that now more than ever, teens are embracing the “conversational nature of interactive online media.” This behavior creates a new platform on which to serve teen customers. Laura shared the many varieties of technology accessible to teens today - cell phones, MySpace, WoW, Wii, Teen Second Life, and more.
What does this mean to librarians serving teens? Laura offered a brief retrospective on the types of technologies familiar to Baby Boomers and earlier generations and then provided data to show today’s teens have been saturated with technology from a very young age. Laura noted that local libraries need to fit into this scenario in order to serve teens in their community. Several Ohio libraries now have MySpace pages including:
Laura also compared the proliferation of cell phones to the practical idea of a Swiss army knife. She discussed the concept of using cell phones in libraries to allow teens to access the catalog, hold contests or play library games.
The Wii can be a useful tool for libraries as well. Many patrons will be very interested in coming to the library to try it out. The use of the Wii in libraries for game nights can increase circulation and create a sense of community. Cuyahoga County Public Library is buying a number of Wiis and Xboxes for use in their branches.
Anita Silvey, author of Great Books for Teens, offered a historical perspective on good literature for teens. Ms. Silvey reviewed titles from the sixties such as Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, and A Separate Peace. She characterized the titles written in the seventies and eighties as groundbreaking for their willingness to explore new subject matter important to teens. She noted that in the nineties young adult titles did not sell well until the phenomenon of Harry Potter. This series, more than any other, broke new ground, especially because it appealed to adults as well as teens. Ms. Silvey noted that today we are in a golden age of publishing for teens. The variety of styles and forms – graphic novels, adventure, mystery, fantasy, etc. allow for books that are both plot and action driven and appeal to many audiences.
Young Adult author Todd Strasser, spoke about his motivation in writing for teens. He noted that for most of his life he felt like an outsider, so writing for this audience came naturally. He described his first job as a reporter at the “Middletown Times Herald-Record” newspaper in New York. He had to write stories for the newspaper each week which helped hone his writing skills. In 1978 he sold his first teen novel, Angel Dust Blues.
Mr. Strasser gave background on a number of the books he has written for teens and his writing methods. A lot of research is done prior to writing his books such as for his title Can’t Get There From Here on homeless teens.
John Green, author of Looking For Alaska, shared his thoughts about writing for teens. This title won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult literature. He noted that he has no idea where his ideas come from, but his characters usually come from a specific person.
He shared some background on his work at Booklist Magazine where he was able to review hundreds of books of all genres. He wrote a second novel, An Abundance of Katherines which was a Michael L. Printz honor book. John’s advice to aspiring writers is to read. He said that reading is the only apprenticeship for writers.
Rollie Welch of Cleveland Public Library, author of The Guy Friendly Library, shared his contention that other than a few promotions, most libraries are not male teen friendly. He noted that there are many reasons for this – negative attitudes and unrealistic expectations toward male teens or general fear by library staff of dealing with this audience.
He noted the emphasis seems to be on children’s services programming and male teens get short shrift. He offered suggestions for attracting male teens in the library. Be aware that you must work with teens on their own terms. This may mean that you deal with different formats, mores, or styles of learning. Rollie shared a variety of tips to support local library programming for male teens.
Mike Pauk, Teen Librarian at Cuyahoga County Public Library, shared information on the wide variety of graphic novels, comic books, manga and other alternate literature available for teens. He brought with him a number of very colorful items in this genre for display. He shared the fact that manga and other graphic materials are a reflection of the culture of Japan where they began. He mentioned several web resources for librarians – Comic Books for Young Adults and No Flying No Tights. He also offered tips for building a basic collection of graphic novels, manga, and comic books for teens.
Teen Novels: Getting Published was the topic for two YA authors, Michelle Baldini and Lynn Biederman. A former lawyer and school librarian, Ms. Beiderman lives in Bedford, New York. Ms. Baldini lives in Ohio, where she works for the School of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. Unraveling, which will be published this July, is their first novel. They noted that the opening line of this book comes from a fortune cookie – “The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected”. The authors say that this made them think about their senior prom and the fact that no matter how much you try to prepare for the unexpected, sometimes you simply can’t. The authors shared their journey through the world of publishing this teen novel.
RoseMary Honnold, Teen Librarian at Coshocton Public Library, and author of Teen Programs that Work, discussed ideas for teen programming. Ms. Honnold’s website 101+ Teen Programs That Work offers a wide variety of tips for librarians on serving teens. She suggested using the 40 Developmental Assets which are the building blocks for healthy development for young people to assist in programming for teens.
next... Local Librarians’ Responses To YSS XIX