Serving Urban Teens

Subjects:

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

Awards:

• VOYA 2008 Five Foot Bookshelf

Reviews:

• This book is an excellent guide to setting up a teen program. The author provides plenty of program suggestions, who to contact, how to accomplish staffing with a smile, and making a setting attractive and inviting to teens....Although the book is written for the young adult, teenage population, elementary and other professional librarians can get a ton of ideas....Recommended.
  —Library Media Connection November/December 2008
• This guide discusses numerous staffing and training issues, as well as how to handle the constraints of physical space, collection development, programming, and outreach, all from an urban perspective.
  —American Libraries October 2008
• This helpful guide encourages librarians to establish and promote service to teens in densely populated areas where the public library is often their only place to hang out. The book focuses on training staff to provide excellent service, the physical space and collection, and offering programming and volunteer opportunities. Suggestions for planning, budgeting, and promoting programs are given, along with step-by-step guides to eight different programs, including an author visit, anime club, and college- and career-planning seminars....The bibliographies and lists for further reading at the end of each chapter are great references. Equally helpful are the book lists in the chapter on collection development....Combining conventional wisdom and current hot topics in the field, this volume will appeal to librarians new to serving teens and/or those unfamiliar with working in an urban area.
  —School Library Journal October 2008
• Brehm-Heeger brings her expertise to this topic as a fifteen year provider of library youth services and YALSA president for 2007-2008. She provides a historical context for library youth services, and then launches into a reasonably comprehensive overview of all aspects of teen services, addressing the need for specialized youth services, staff training, collection development, programs, and facilities....While other books provide information geared towards youth specialists, Brehm-Heeger emphasizes that all staff in a public library will likely intereact with teen users and should be given training in teen development and positive approaches to interactions. She also places a significant emphasis on teen involvment and in planning and running teen programs and spaces. Although specifically geared toward urban settings, this book has applications for any public or school libraries serving teens.
  —Oklahoma Librarian July/August 2008
• This book is a must-have for any librarian who works with youth. Written by an experienced practitioner and past-president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), this thirteenth title in the Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians series begins with definitions and a brief history of library services to urban teens, followed by a description of issues concerning this special group....Youth librarians can take this book and run with it. Despite their sometimes erratic behavior, teens are important to the survival of libraries. It is not only the mission of libraries but also in the self-interest to capture the minds and hearts of youth while they can. This book provides the tools to accomplish the job.
  —VOYA August 2008
• This book is definitely a helpful guide for the young librarian or library volunteer seeking answers for how to better deal with running a library in an urban setting. It provides endless helpful tips and ideas that will make your library a great place for the community to relax and learn.
  —Feminist Review June 18, 2008

Table of Contents:

• Series Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Highlights in the History of Serving Urban Teens
• Chapter 2: Staff and Volunteers
• Chapter 3: Teen Services Training
• Chapter 4: Making Space for Teens
• Chapter 5: Collection Development
• Chapter 6: Programming
• Chapter 7: Partnerships and Outreach
• Conclusion
• Index

PDF Catalogs:
LU School Library Spring 2008.pdf	LU Public Library Spring 2008.pdf