Win a copy of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services

See it at the ALA Store

Heather Booth and I put together a book about being a YA/Teen Services Librarian. The title may sound vaguely familiar because it is part of the ALA Editions Whole Library Handbook series. We invited a lot of cool people to participate. In fact, TLT’s own Christie Gibrich, formerly the chair of the Rainbow Committee, wrote a chapter on GLBTQ issues. The Library as Incubator Project’s own Erinn Batykefer wrote a chapter on making art with teens. Author Eric Devine read a chapter about boys and books. Stacy Vandever Wells, Kristine Trevino and Allison Jenkins, Justin Hoenke, Naomi Bates, Erin Bush, Jodi Richards Bodart, Francisca Goldsmith, Gretchen Kolderup, Amy Alessio, Debbie Reese and more experienced and passionate people contributed articles on their specific areas of expertise, which we think (hope) will help us all be awesome YA librarians. A portion of the proceeds are being donated to YALSA because we believe that teens need and deserve qualified and passionate YA librarians. And because 3 of us here at TLT contributed to this book and it’s our 3 year anniversary of this blog I started 3 years ago, well – we’re giving a copy away.

But first, let me tell you a funny story about this book. As many of you know, I took my Tween to ALA Annual with me this year. We stopped into the ALA store where they had copies of this book on display. Now, imagine as I tell you this conversation the man that is standing very close beside the Tween and I, I can see his shoulders shaking as he tries to hold his laughter in while overhearing this conversation.

Me: Look! There’s my book.
Tween: You didn’t really write it, you edited it.
Me: I wrote parts of it!
Tween: Yeah, but not the whole thing. It’s not like you’re Natalie Lloyd or Raina Telgemeier or anything.
Me: Don’t you think it’s cool?
Tween: I guess. I mean, I’ve already seen it. You got one in the mail.
Me: You want to hold it and I’ll take a picture of you with it?
Tween: No, not really. I mean, we have one at home. Can’t we go back in to the conference and look at all the cool books?

See, kids keep you humble. So while I may not be Natalie Lloyd or Raina Telgemeier, I am pretty proud of this book that we put together. I learned new things while putting this book together. If you would like to win one, just leave a comment with either an email or a Twitter followback and we’ll send it to you. For this one, I’ll even ship internationally so it’s open to all. Just a leave a comment by Midnight on July 15th, the 3 year anniversary of my first post here at TLT, and you’re entered. I’ll have the Tween randomly draw names out of a hat. Of course if there aren’t very many entries, I’ll hear about that as well. LOL

We got our first review and The Midwest Book Review says, “Informed and informative, “The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services” is a ‘must read’ for any library staff member charged with the responsibility of providing services to their adolescent patrons.”

Heather’s note:
Whether you’re brand new on the job or have been at it for years, I encourage you to take a look at our book. None of us knows it all when it comes to every aspect of teen librarianship, which is what makes this compilation of voices so helpful. While talking with our contributors, editing articles, and reading through the final drafts, I was still learning about the rich and varied jobs we do and all of the many ways we can adapt our service to improve the lives and library experiences of our teens. This is not the last book on teen services you’ll ever need, because at our best, we’re always learning and growing. But it is a very good start, a solid check-in, and a wonderful window into what teen librarianship is in 2014. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it starts some good conversations about who we are, what we do, and how we can improve and adapt and serve teens in the best possible ways.

Here is a look at the complete table of contents . . .

1: Who are Teens?

Defining the Local Teen Community
Heather Booth
Lolcats, Bieber Fever, and Rainbow Bracelets: What’s Hot, What’s So Yesterday, and How to Keep Up
Heather Booth
Fast Facts for Librarians about the Teenage Brain
Heather Booth
Teen Development: The 40 Developmental Assets
Karen Jensen and Heather Booth
Reading in the Dark: Boys, Their Books, and the Search for Answers
Eric Devine

2: Who Are We?

What Does It Mean to be a Teen Services Librarian?
Karen Jensen
Same Pattern; Different Cloth: School and Public Librarians and their Partnerships
Naomi Bates
What Does Customer Service to Teens Look Like?
Karen Jensen
Friend, Advisor, Enforcer, Professional: Relating to Teens as a Young Adult Librarian
Maggie Hommel Thomann
Where’s the Handbook for That?
Karen Jensen
The Importance of Networking in the Life of a Teen Librarian
Heather Booth and Karen Jensen
What’s in Your Files? What to Ditch, What to Keep, and for How Long
Heather Booth
Get Your Reading Habits Organized
Allison Tran
Growing a Young Adult Librarian: Recruitment, Selection, and Retention of an Important Asset for Your Community
Margaret Redrup-May

3: Creation, Maintenance and Evaluation of Teen Services

An Introduction to the Teen Services Plan
Karen Jensen
Teens on the Platform: YALSA’s National Teen Space Guidelines
Katherine Trouern-Trend
Evaluation: Is Where You Begin Where You End?
Karen Jensen and Heather Booth
Teen Librarian Advocacy 101
Karen Jensen

4: Programming

An Introduction to Teen Programming
Karen Jensen
Technology Programming and Teens
Stacy Vandever Wells
MAKING | ART: A Flexible Model for Teen Services
Erinn Batykefer
Author Visits
Kristin Treviño and Allison Jenkins
Gaming in Libraries
Justin Hoenke
Self-Directed and Free-Range Programming
Karen Jensen

5: Collections

Collection Development: Making the Case for Teen Collections
Karen Jensen
Teen Collection Development Outline
Karen Jensen
Are All Lists Created Equal? Diversity in Award-Winning and Best-Selling Young Adult Fiction
Casey Rawson
Weeding
Heather Booth
YA Book Blogs and How They Can Help You Develop Your Collection
Abby Johnson and Melissa Wheelock-Diedrichs
The Next Big Thing in E-books
Erin Bush
Booktalking in 1,000 Words—or Maybe a Few More!
Joni Richards Bodart
Readers’ Advisory: Listening Is an Act of Love
Heather Booth
What Is Readers’ Advisory, and Why Is Readers’ Advisory for Teens Different?
Heather Booth
Awards, Lists, Reviews, and Readers’ Advisory Possibilities: It’s Not Just One Big Chocolate Shop Francisca Goldsmith
Are You Reading YA Lit? You Should Be
Gretchen Kolderup

6: Marketing

Marketing: An Introduction from a Fellow Librarian
Karen Jensen
Crafting Your Marketing Plan
Karen Jensen
Graphic Design Basics for Non–Graphic Designers
Karen Jensen
Merchandising 101: Marketing to Teens in the Library
Karen Jensen
Booktalking in Your Local Schools as a Marketing Opportunity
Karen Jensen
Make the Most of Your Teen Services Social Media
Karen Jensen

7: Teen Involvement

Putting the Teen in Your Teen Services
Karen Jensen
Keeping the Teen Advisory Board Relevant—and Real: New Clubs, Themes, and Attitudes
Amy Alessio

8: Issues

Intellectual Freedom and the Teen Librarian
Heather Booth and Karen Jensen
Evaluating Materials for a Diverse Collection
Christie Ross Gibrich and Heather Booth
GLBTQ Materials in Your Teen Collection: The Teens Are There Already; Why Aren’t the Books?
Christie Ross Gibrich
The Rubber-Band Ball of Guys and Reading: Considering Boys in Collection Development and Library Service
Torrey Maldonado
Authors, Characters, and Experiences: Collection Development Mindful of People of Color in Young Adult Literature
Debbie Reese
Reaching Reluctant Readers, like Me
Kelly Milner Halls
Critical Issues in Juvenile Detention Center Libraries
Jeanie Austin
Social Media and the Relational Reading Revolution
Karen Jensen

Appendixes

A. A Sample Teen Services Plan
Karen Jensen
B. Your Teen Volunteer Plan
Karen Jensen
C. Your Teen-Driven Program Plan
Karen Jensen
D. Marketing Resources: A Guide with Annotations
Heather Booth and Karen Jensen

Filed under: ALA, Professional Collection, Professional Development, Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services