Packed, with games, themes, & other ideas for attracting teens to the library. Well reviewed.

ALA's popular and respected Whole Library Handbook series continues with a volume specifically geared towards those who serve young adults, gathering stellar articles and commentary from some of the country's most innovative and successful teen services librarians.

The library programs featured in this unique collection are those that have been suggested, created, and led by youth with the help and guidance of the supportive adults at their library. Many times, librarians bring ideas to teens in hopes of getting them to buy in and perhaps help them to run programs. In this book, you’ll primarily find a role reversal! Tweens and teens lead the way with whatever adult information, support, and supervision they need to see their proposals through. To accomplish this, the youth are encouraged to create new ideas, are empowered to make decisions, and are given control. Plus, the ideas they bring to life are not just peer-focused. The programs, activities, and events they create and lead can be for children, adults, or even for all ages or mixed audiences, as well as for fellow tweens and teens. In addition to finding a wide array of proven ideas, recommendations, and testimonials from real tweens and teenagers, you will discover helpful advice on using the philosophies behind allowing youth to not only have a say but to take action; testimonials from adults who have worked directly with youth having this level of empowerment; suggestions on getting approval and providing funding and other support for youth ideas; ways to evaluate such youth-led programs; and sample forms, flyers, and other materials that can be adapted.

Presents ideas on how to create websites for teenagers, from the basics such as links and catalogs to technical skills relating to elements like blogs, feeds, and podcasting.

In this practical guidebook, experienced librarians—a public librarian and a school librarian—share advice and ideas for extending resources, containing costs, and leveraging capabilities between school and public libraries, offering insights and strategies to overcome today's economic challenges. The current economic crisis has had a drastic impact on both public and school libraries. As budgets shrink, resources become scarcer, and the job of the librarian becomes harder. The conundrum of doing more with less challenges even the most seasoned professionals whose institutions face service cutbacks, disappointed patrons, and possible job eliminations or closures. This book asserts that a collaboration between school and public libraries can effectively serve the needs of two populations—teens and the community at large—while minimizing the cost to do so. Better Serving Teens through School Library–Public Library Collaborations offers thought-provoking advice and ideas for practical use in real-world libraries. The authors provide step-by-step guidance for those who wish to start, strengthen, or extend a partnership with colleagues at a sister library, covering topics ranging from teen advisory boards and collaborative programs to homework help and professional development. Veterans in the field, as well as beginners, can utilize the wealth of tools within—including worksheets, timelines, and checklists—to leverage the capabilities of other agencies tp fortify both their own and their institutions' value.

The author presents one hundred programs and activities for teens organized by theme including food, crafts, parties and games, books, writing, school and life skills, and much more.

A comprehensive guide to working with teen parents and their children that provides practical program ideas for successful school and public library program development, implementation, and evaluation. Teen parents and their children represent an underserved, high-need population in many communities. Libraries have the potential to significantly influence the quality of life for teen parent families by providing free access to information and resources, developing specific programs, and serving as a safe, public learning environment. Serving Teen Parents: From Literacy to Life Skills helps library staff support teen parents as their children's first teachers, positively affecting two generations at once. The authors explain how to successfully communicate with this group and build upon their competencies and strengths. They offer best practices, professional anecdotes, and step-by-step direction on connecting with teen parents, collaborating with community partners, locating funding options, and implementing successful programs. This invaluable guide is the most comprehensive resource currently available that directly addresses the needs of librarians serving the teen-parent demographic.

Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for engaging teens and 'tweens with ecofriendly, low-cost art programs that are appropriate for the library or classroom. Being "green" is a hot topic today, not only for businesses and adults interested in being socially responsible, but also for 'tweens, teens, and young adults. Today's young adults are keenly aware of environmental issues, locally and globally. They are also in need of art programs that provide a hands-on, creative outlet. Teens Go Green!: Tips, Technique, Tools and Themes for YA Programming is an approachable reference book for librarians or high school teachers looking for low-cost, environmentally themed art projects and programs that teens will relate to and find fun. In Part 1, the author explains the needs for these programs, offers tips for teaching them, and suggests ways to expand teen involvement in the library. Part 2 provides dozens of practical, easy-to-follow art project ideas that demonstrate how simple teaching green teen art projects can be.

Connecting Teens with Technology at the Library presents a balanced view of the often complex relationship between teenagers and their technology. This book will help support fellow teen-serving staff nationwide in program creation and collection development on this relevant topic. Throughout the chapters, the authors take a lens of inclusivity to address the needs of many teens-not just those that are avid users. While programming is central to most books about teens and technology in the library, this read goes beyond a mere listing of program ideas or reviews but offers practical advice for linking these technology programs with real-world applications such as future careers and community partnerships. The authors provide options of low-tech and high-tech as well as how to engage youth during the pandemic and beyond. The book also explores areas of connecting teens with technology beyond programming and into areas of mentoring and community building; the foundational blocks of the library. Whether readers are just starting out in libraries or are a seasoned library worker, this book has tips to engage every reader in welcoming teens to the technology resources of the library. With Connecting Teens with Technology at the Library, Czarnecki and Harris have created an essential manual for working with teens through and with technology. From matching your program with the library’s mission, to developing your professional and teen collections with technology centered materials, to sample programs that your teens will love, this book has everything you need to create an impactful technology program that works in and out of the library.

Offers over fifty ideas to promote young adult reading, including such theme programs as crime scene investigation, poetry workshops, readings combined with field trips, and cross-cultural events featuring henna tattooing and food.