Category: Building Youth Communities & Collections: Course Resources

Reader’s Advisory – Young Adult: The Booklist Reader

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The Booklist Reader blog was in our course document as a Collection Development resource, but I also thought it would be a great resource for Reader’s Advisory. It’s a great site, as it is very current for a book review blog, and it is written by two YA librarians who really know their stuff!

I think this blog would be a great way of generating recommendations for Young Adults, especially because they do a lot of posts on trends and subjects. For example, they had one in March on March Madness, which highlighted YA books about basketball (a great reluctant reader subject!).

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I also like how they do “Cover Trends” posts, which feature books with similar covers. For a reader who doesn’t know exactly what they want to read next, a cover similar to something they’ve responded to positively in the past could be a great starting off point! Chances are, the publishers know what they’re doing and it really is a similar read.

Cindy and Lynn also do their own “Best Of” lists, and annual “Book Awards” with really fun, unconventional award topics such as “The Book that Had the Most Holds at One Time (even before the author appeared on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah).”

Reader’s Advisory – Young Adult: The Booklist Reader

Youth Spaces – Thrifty Library Hacks

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This SLJ article (plus its supplement “More Thrifty Library Hacks”) is an awesome curated guide of tips on sprucing up youth library spaces. The best part is that all of the tips are budget-friendly, and most are DIY!!

I think these ideas are a great way to make colorful updates in any youth space, and also possibly incorporate staff + students who love to DIY. I also think these tips, and any variations on them, could work both in a school or public library setting.

I especially like the ideas of turning large buckets into stools, fixing torn furniture with duct tape art, and making stained glass designs on library windows with tissue paper. There are also smart budgeting tips, such as how to print poster sized images without spending the hefty printing fee that comes with large-format printing.

See also: Sprucing Up My School Library For Under $600

Youth Spaces – Thrifty Library Hacks

Library Programming for Youth With Special Needs – Welcoming Children and Families Affected by Incarceration into Public Libraries » Public Libraries Online

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I found this link on the Resource Guide for Underserved Student Populations (AASL). I was particularly interested in the toolbox section providing resources for children of incarcerated parents, as I have done volunteer work with prison support organizations.

This is a very comprehensive guide on how to welcome children and families of incarcerated people, specifically into the public library. However, I think the programming ideas could easily be used in a school library setting.

As far as programming, the resource recommends tailoring existing activities and/or programs to address the specific community. I appreciated this approach, as it doesn’t feel particularly pointed or heavy-handed but does facilitate a feeling of inclusivity. For example, the website suggests that a pen-pal or letter writing event could be adjusted so the patron feels welcome writing a letter to an incarcerated family member. This would include providing tips on addressing the letter properly, or possibly making something available that defines what can or can’t be included in a letter (or package) to an incarcerated person.

It also suggests tailoring a book club, or book discussion meeting to involve reading materials (either for children or their caregivers) that cover the topic of incarceration specifically. These are also both good tips for educating the larger community about a specific population that often remains invisible.

Library Programming for Youth With Special Needs – Welcoming Children and Families Affected by Incarceration into Public Libraries » Public Libraries Online

Weeding School Library Collections

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This is a nice, succinct overview of weeding a school library collection. It was published by the California Department of Education, and while it does not have any “unique” information from the CREW manual, it is nice to see something pared down to two pages.

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It includes a nice acronym of the MUSTY definition (although this one combines the I-E into one encompassing “Irrelevant”), a short guide to more bibliographic resources on weeding, suggested guidelines on weeding by copyright date (broken down by Dewey subject), and a few other helpful tips!

I also appreciate that it is well designed, and easy to read. This can be rare for library publications!

Weeding School Library Collections

Teen Programming – Home | Teens at SFPL

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While I was a frequent SFPL patron when living in the Bay Area, I never explored their Kids + Teen programming options. Not surprisingly, they have a wide and diverse array of offerings.

They now even have their own teen web platform they call The Mix at SFPL,which curates all of the teen programming, events, resources, and teen-created content (such as book recommendations and social media) onto a separate “The Mix” website. Finding it was easy – clicking on the “Teens” link from the San Francisco Public Library homepage takes you straight to the site.

While I’m not crazy about the design and layout (it looks pretty outdated in a clip-art/MS paint way to me), I do like the idea of creating a separate web space with a distinct feel from the rest of the SFPL site. It also creates a “for us, by us” sensation by weeding out content that most likely wouldn’t be interesting for library users ages 12+.

An umbrella name for everything teen-related (”The Mix”) also makes for fun marketing opportunities and a cohesive programming feel, such as the page “Made at the Mix” (see below).

Interesting links included on The Mix page include:

  • “Made at the Mix” : Featuring media content that was all created during teen programs and classes at SFPL
  • A Resources page specifically for research and educational resources
  • “Your Future” : With links for job and volunteer opportunities, as well as college information!

Their Events Calendar (w/aggregated teen events from all SFPL branches) is also pretty robust!

Teen Programming – Home | Teens at SFPL