Services to Older Teens / Combat to College

Much of library services offered to older teens revolve around preparing for college. We cater these services and programs to teens and their parents, many of the students having been already perceived as "college bound" from a young age.

So how do we create these types of programs for people who maybe don't have the parental support? How do we organize them for those are a little older and overwhelmed by the process? As libraries are beginning to explore what focused services should be offered to the 18 - 25 (or even 18-30), it might be reasonable for people in teen services to alter existing programs into something that works for this unique user group.

Below is a link to an interesting and somewhat painful article about young veterans returning to war and starting college. This may highlight a more pressing information need than we are consistently responding to. However, it does make evident some of the ongoing concerning for people seeking social mobility without the foundation to pursue the training or education that will provide that.

Alvarez, Lizette. "Combat to College." New York Times. 30 October 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/education/edlife/vets.html?pagewanted=2&ref=edlife