#bycc

Readers’ Advisory

Readers’ Advisory for Children: It’s All About Attitude - NoveList, EBSCO (2014)

Readers’ Advisory to Teens - NoveList, EBSCO (2014)

Readers’ Advisory Services for Young Adults Bibliography - Georgia Public Library Service (2014)

The 8 Best Reader’s Advisory Websites - I Need A Library Job (2015)

Providing LGBT Reader’s Advisory Services - What Are You Reading?, BCLA (2014)

Reference Services

Facilities Planning and Design - Youth Services Librarianship, Wikispaces (2012)

What Do Tweens Want? - School Library Journal (2015)

Innovations in Teen Spaces webinar - Demco (2013)

How to Connect with Teens and Make Them Feel Welcome - Demco (2013)

Teen Space Guidelines - YALSA

Learning from Librarians and Teens about YA Library Spaces - Public Libraries Online

Is Your Library Doing Enough for LGBT Patrons? - EBSCO (2016)

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!).

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. 

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. 

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. 

Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly of Awful Library Books talk weeding policy and collections management with PLA Editor Kathleen Hughes in this 18-minute podcast. The podcast episode originally aired in August of 2016, when Hibner and Kelly released a Weeding Manual as part of PLA’s Quick Reads for Busy Librarians series.

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.

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!

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!