Random Sites Talked about Today :)

AOL's beRED
http://www.bered.com/

Teen Reads
http://www.teenreads.com

YALSA Booklists
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm

ALD Teen Booklist Page
http://teens.arapahoelibraries.org/go2.cfm?pid=6187

Alternative Teen Services: Post on Teen Book Discussion Blogs
http://www.yalibrarian.com/wordpress/2006/08/teen-book-discussion-blogs/

Making Libraries the "Third Space" for Teens

From Wikipedia: "The third place is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. In his influential book The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg (1989, 1991) argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

Oldenburg calls one's "first place" the home and those that one lives with. The "second place" is the workplace — where people may actually spend most of their time. Third places, then, are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in modern times is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to current societal needs. Oldenburg suggests these hallmarks of a true "third place": free or inexpensive; food and drink, while not essential, are important; highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance); involve regulars – those who habitually congregate there; welcoming and comfortable; both new friends and old should be found there. (58)"

How do we make the public library a "third space" for our teens?

Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers

A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the use of video games and related promotional materials to get reluctant readers into the library and more engaged at school. Through "utilizing the visual medium," teachers and librarians are hoping to connect digital and print literacy. As states in the text "(P)ublishers and authors suggest that some projects may push creative boundaries, helping to extend storytelling beyond the traditional covers of a book." Below is the link to the article.

Rich, Motoko. Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers. 5 October 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/books/06games.html?ref=education

Problems, Paperbacks and the Printz

Roger Sutton is the current editor for the acclaimed children/teen book review publication Horn Book. In 2007, he offered a great lecture at UIUC on the topic of recreational and informational reading for teenagers. He outlined that maybe sometimes adults misunderstand the reading interests of teens and what actually makes one become an avid, life-long reader from this age on. Below is a link to the audio version of the lecture (much preferred, as he is a great speaker). The transcription is included in Horn Book May/June 2007.

Problems, Paperbacks and the Printz: 40 Years of YA Books (audio)
http://waterfall.lis.uiuc.edu/dl/classes/auditorium/suttonmar02_07_1.ram