Reaching Out to Religious Youth A Guide to Services, Programs, and Collections

Subjects:

• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult School Services
• Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult Programs & Services -- General

Reviews:

• [T]he succinct and useful introductory section on the history and practice of Islam includes an excellent discussion of misconceptions and stereotypes as well as practical advice on serving Muslim teens in the library.
  —VOYA Islam Religions Resource List for Teens March 2005
• Reaching Out to Religious Youth provides an overview of potential library service to teens of the major religious groups found in the United States....The essays provide background information on the history and doctrine of the various faiths and discuss the formative experiences faced by teens, as well as common misconceptions and stereotypes. They address what teens might be looking for in their local library with regard to their own religion. They provide guidance regarding selection criteria, the types of materials available, and their publishers. Public librarians can gain much from this guide, and it is recommended for all public library professional collections. The lists of pertinent publishers and helpful booklists make this an invaluable guide.
  —Christian Library Journal April 2005
• Public young adult librarians have long needed this invaluable resource. Taking a broader stance than recent religious bibliographies, this book covers materials and services not only for Evangelical and mainline Protestant teens (and makes a useful distinction between them), but also focuses in equal depth on Roman Catholics, Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus....These fascinating comparative religion sections can be used with confidence by teens for reports or personal inquiry. Each section also gives insights into a particular religious teen population with a descpription of formative experiences, suggestions of what these young adults might want from the library, and programming ideas. Full of nifty tips such as which Christian teen not to have on the advisory council and what foods are okay for Muslim or Hindu library gatherings, this book should be on the desk of every YA librarian.
  —VOYA April/May 2005
• This volume contains a wealth of background information and collection development tools to help public and school librarians better understand and assist teens. Recent polls show that religion is an important programming and collection development area for libraries serving religiously diverse and inquisitive teens. This work gives librarians the tools they need to do just that....[l]ibrarians looking not only to build a well-balanced religious literature collection, but also to gain insight into their students, will find plenty of answers from this intersting and informative work. Recommended.
  —Library Media Connection February 2005
• This resource belongs in the office of all librarians who want to understand the religious backgrounds of their patrons and thus serve them better....the most beneficial sections are the extensive lists of resources and publishers ...This book is worth the price for this information alone.
  —School Library Journal November 2004
• [T]eenagers seeking reflections of themselves and their values in their reading materials may well feel comfort and pleasure at finding them in the library.
  —Kliatt

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• Protestantism by Jenna and Stephen Millers
• Evangelical Christianity by Michael Wessells
• Roman Catholicism by Rosanne Zajko
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by L. Kay Carman
• Orthodox Christianity by Presvytera Ruth Uhl and Reverend Luke Uhl
• Seventh-day Adventists by Sue Plaisance
• Judaism by Elaine Daniel and Linda Smith
• Islam by Linda Smith
• Buddhism by Sue Plaisance
• Hinduism by Sue Plaisance
• Other Sources Consulted
• About the Contributors
• Index