#youthlibraries

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. 

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!

This is a really great resource for YA collection development, specifically in the environment of juvenile detention center libraries. 

The LSYC website has a whole Resources for Collection Development  link. This includes specific collection development policies for incarcerated youth from different counties, such as Alameda County’s in the Bay Area (this one is not much different from their general YA Collection Development Policy, although it does mention specifically working with the Juvenile Justice Center to select appropriate materials for incarcerated youth), and Hennepin County’s, which is specifially for juvenile detention center libraries. This one includes a list of restricted materials, considered not  "appropriate reading material" for this population. 

The “Resources” link also talks about the In the Margins book award, which I had not heard of before, but which often deals with authors and topics surrounding incarceration in the youth community. The award’s mission statement is as follows:

This is a great list of “Story Time Savers”! I found it on the Allegheny County Library Association page, which I was initially directed towards in one of our readings for this course.

The list of ‘Savers’ is basically just an aggregated list of different story time themes, and book ideas for each theme. I like that the list incorporates some standard themes (ex. zoo story time, pet story time), but my favorites are the unconventional ones like Animals Nobody Loves Story Time. 

For example this list includes the books:

A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid. Petunia is just sure she wants a skunk for a pet, until she first smells one. Illustrations are truly delightful and her ‘unfair parents’ rant is great fun to read aloud. 

Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks a delightful story about a spider that desperately wants to be a family’s pet. Another opportunity to scream loudly.

Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen is a great story about a crocodile raised by ducks who is surprised to discover crocodiles eat ducks, but then tricks big, nasty crocodiles and protects his true family.

This is a short, but helpful resource for Elementary-age collection development. While it could definitely apply to all age groups, it was produced specifically by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

There isn’t anything super different from what we’ve read in class so far (especially in the Naidoo text), but it does suggest some interest tips.

One is that the Junior Library Guild, which is a subscription service that sends a collection of books monthly to different public + school libraries, now has a specific "Multicultural Books” category.  Their website describes the collection as:

“...12 books that feature plot lines with ethnically and culturally diverse characters that may help foster an awareness and understanding of others.

Perfect for: Elementary readers seeking books about diverse characters and cultures”

Another tip the article recommends is having your library participate in a diversity reading challenge. This would ensure that your elementary school library collection is covering all the right areas! They specifically name the Diversity on the Shelf challenge, which unfortunately I don’t think is happening anymore. However, I was curious about this and found a few more, such as this one & this really cool Diversity Bingo idea (it may include topics that would be harder to find in elementary-aged reading materials, but it could definitely be adapted for younger readers!)

This is a neat resource for Middle Grade collection development. It touches on a lot of the points that our class observed during our Community Analysis Reports. Namely, that in a lot of public libraries middle graders are “falling through the cracks” in terms of programming, resources, and collections. It seems like public libraries are focusing primarily on early literacy, and then jumping straight to an emphasis on teens.

This blog entry from YALSA talks about the importance of building a strong middle school public library collection, and makes a few interesting points as to why. First, the author claims that “childrens” books are getting older as a whole. This means that middle grade novels are increasingly edging toward “teen topics” such as serious relationships, drug use, and other heavy-hitting themes. This is leaving a hole in collections for actual materials that would appeal to middle graders. The issue with this is as follows:

“ If they cannot find books that speak to them, they may determine that books in general don’t speak to them.”

“ When you can’t figure out where to find books for your age group, it’s not only frustrating but can also leave you feeling lost as to where you belong at the library.”

This is a super important topic to consider, as no public library wants to lose this base of young, yet important readers. Plus, I loved that this librarian decided to name her middle grade collection “Middle Ground” - de-emphasizing a specific age demographic but at the same time highlighting its user base.