Central Massachusetts Year of the Teen

ALA Youth Media Awards webcast

Maureen — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:14:45 +0000

ALA will be webcasting the Youth Media Awards, including the Printz, live on January 26 at 7:45 am Mountain time. Space is limited, so get there early! I will be attending the press conference in Denver, and will be posting the results as they are announced to the Youth Services Notes blog.

Find out more about the webcast on the ALA website.

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Lori Drew case and cyberbullying

Maureen — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:02:01 +0000

There is a great posting by social networking expert danah boyd regarding cyberbullying as it relates to the Lori Drew case. She says, “Lori Drew abused her power as a knowledgeable adult by leveraging her adult knowledge of psychology to humiliate and torment a teen girl. Put another way, Lori Drew engaged in psychological and emotional child abuse. Child abuse includes the psychological or emotional mistreatment of a child. Unfortunately, most legal statutes focus on sexual and physical abuse and neglect because emotional abuse is very hard to substantiate and prosecute. But realistically, she should’ve been tried with child abuse, not a computer crime.” What do you think?

The article is definitely worth a look - the comments are insightful too! Find it at: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2008/11/30/reflections_on.html

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Twilight has ended — what’s next?

Maureen — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:21:24 +0000

If you have teens in your library who LOVED Twilight, and need something new to read, check out the new YALSA Popular Paperbacks list called “Dead, Dying and the Undead“. From their website: “Death can be an adventure, but not everyone lives to tell about it. Join us in exploring the often mysterious world of death and those who experience it.”

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

MA teens recognized in School Library Journal

Maureen — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:48:54 +0000

Teens who “starred” in a video about what they would miss if library funds got cut due to Question 1 this November were recognized in School Library Journal for their efforts. Check out the article from SLJ’s “Extra Helping” newsletter!

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Massachusetts teens speak out about Question 1 and libraries

Maureen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:49:22 +0000

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

YA Collection Management workshop in Brewster

Maureen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:08:23 +0000

In conjunction with their “Serving Tweens & Teens” LSTA grant (awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners), the Brewster Ladies’ Library is hosting a Collection Development workshop for librarians who work with teens and young adults on Monday, November 10 at 1:00 p.m.

Professor Amy Pattee from the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science will lead a discussion addressing the challenges of creating and maintaining Young Adult Collections. She will talk about the necessity for YA collections and the function they serve for younger and older teens, the use of adult titles in YA collections, how to deal with controversial titles in your collections, and other trends in teen books.

Some of you may have had the opportunity to hear Amy speak recently at the NELA conference. For those of you who missed her presentation, this is a wonderful chance to find out what’s new in YA Collection Management.

There is no charge for this workshop. Registration is not required, but an e-mail RSVP would be appreciated! Please contact Kathleen Mahoney at Brewster Ladies Library if you plan to attend, have any questions or need directions!

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Facebook it!

Maureen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:09:19 +0000

A teen columnist for the Dallas Morning News says about Facebook, “None of the themes from the Brat Pack movies of the ’80s has changed – only the medium. ” Read more of her editorial on their website.

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Prudential awards for middle and high school students

Maureen — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:16:20 +0000

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. Over the past 13 years, the program has honored more than 80,000 young volunteers at the local, state, and national level.

Wouldn’t it be great if a teen could be recognized for the great work he or she is doing in one of our libraries? Please share this information with your teens! You’ll find an overview and links to the online application at http://www.prudential.com/spirit. Prizes range from a certificate all the way to $5,000! Good luck!!

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

Great PR in the Boston Globe

Maureen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:17:45 +0000

There’s a really nice article in today’s Boston Globe about libraries receiving Serving Tweens and Teens grants. Eliza Langhans, YA Librarian at the Marlborough Public Library, is quoted throughout the story. Check it out! (Great job Eliza!)

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.

New award for teen reading programs

Maureen — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:46:26 +0000

CHICAGO —The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced that the Margaret A. Edwards Trust is the new sponsor of its award for outstanding young adult reading or literature programs. The award will now be known as the MAE Award for the Best Literature Program for Teens.

The award honors a YALSA member for developing an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults. Winners receive $500 and an additional $500 for their libraries. Applications for the MAE Award, along with all of YALSA’s grants and awards, are due to the YALSA office by Dec. 1.

“This award for the best literature program for teens now joins other esteemed YALSA awards supported by the trust, such as the Alex Awards and the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults project,” said Sarah Cornish Debraski, YALSA President. “It is fitting to have this award supported by the trust as Margaret Edwards was a true believer and innovator in bringing young adults and books together.”

Edwards was a well-known and innovative young adult services librarian at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Md., for more than 30 years. Her trust has supported many initiatives from YALSA, including the Alex Awards for adult books with teen appeal and all five rounds of the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults project.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390 or by e-mail at yalsa@ala.org.

Authored by Maureen. Hosted by Edublogs.