Capstone: Current Situation with Young Adult Services and Suggestions for Improvement

1. Capstone: Current Situation with Young Adult Services and Suggestions for Improvement By: DeShea Jones LSIS 5525-OL2 Dr. Cogdell Summer 2010

2. View of Young Adult Services Serving young adults means that librarians help them become lifelong readers and learners. Young adults should be served at school and in the community by libraries. Young adults should be shown the same effort as children and adults in the library setting.

3. Who Should YA Services Reach? YA services should try to reach all four types of readers: - Avid readers - Casual readers - Reluctant readers - Non-readers

4. Young Adult Development YA Behavior and Interests - Sexuality - Careers - Moving toward independence - Ethics

5. At this stage they should develop the skills to… • Learn how to get along with peers • Deal with changing relationships with parents and others • Develop a relationship with the opposite sex • Develop morals and values • Adapt to their new physical bodies • Define their appropriate sex roles • Find a occupation

6. What Shapes YA Reading Choices? Current Culture - Music - Fashion - Slang - Their environment (home, friends, school) - Entertainment (TV, movies, internet, radio)

7. What Reading Stages are YA at? In Middle School young adults are finding themselves in books. They are likely reading realistic fiction or problem novels. In High School young adults are reading things that transcend who they are. They might be reading materials that are more risqué or science fiction. They are exploring the world beyond their immediate surroundings.

8. Professional Librarian Interview Over the course of two visits, which consisted of 3 ½ hours, I was able to interview and observe a professional young adult librarian. Name: Linda Katzman Organization: Public Libraries of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County The following slides are taken from the interview

9. Professional Librarian Interview What strategies do you use to involve young adults in the planning of services? Look at what the teens have enjoyed in the past Looks for and tries new ideas Does not have a teen advisory board There is not a lot of direct input from teens

10. Professional Librarian Interview How does collection development work? The central office is in charge of collection development They order the new and popular materials Each branch can request additional items

11. Professional Librarian Interview What are the YA facilities like? Separate YA section is on the same floor as the adult materials There are plenty of tables and other seating areas There are many displays and posters Various sections include fiction, graphic novels, comics, magazines. YA nonfiction is with the adult nonfiction This branch has one of the largest YA collections in the PLCMC system.

12. Evaluation of this library’s YA services Big budget cut so they are struggling some Do not get much input from teens, which they should do There is not enough advertising for their events so not many teens show up The YA librarian is not putting in 100% effort because she was afraid she was being fired (got a pink slip twice) from the budget cuts Some of the events ideas are good, but not executed the way they could be The facilities for young adults is good

13. Interview with a Teen I interviewed a teen to determine their personal reading habit and their thoughts and suggestions for a library. I will use this interview to gain knowledge on what young adults are looking for in a library. I had a difficult time finding someone to interview. The teen’s mother works with my father. I contacted her and emailed her the questions. She lives about an hour and a half away so a face to face interview was not an option. Teen Info: Name: Emily Freeman Age: 18 Bio: Has a twin brother. She just graduated from high school, will be attending Appalachian State in the fall

14. Interview with a Teen How do you feel about the reference and information services that the library provides? I feel that the library can be a great place to find information that is needed but my high school library did not have all of the tools that I needed. How do you feel about the librarian helping you find books? I feel it is very helpful because I have no idea how to find the book I need sometimes.

15. Interview with a Teen How do you feel about the helpfulness, approachability, sense of humor, open-mindedness, and respect that the librarian shows? I’m sure that a college librarian will be different then my high school one but she basically acted like a babysitter and was not very helpful. But most librarians I have come in contact have shown those characteristics and I think that makes a person feel more at home in the library and even more willing to return.

16. Interview with a Teen How do you feel about the services/activities/programs that the library offers? The public library doesn’t offer many programs for teens but their programs for kids are great. It was a great thing to do with the kids I was watching. Do you feel that teens have input in the library? What type of input? I think they look at what kind of books teens read to keep up to date books in the library but anything other then that there isn’t much for teens.

17. Interview with a Teen Does the library do a good job of maintaining their webpage? I haven’t ever used the library’s webpage. How do you feel about the library’s use of technology? Our school library did not have enough computers in it. If there was a class working in there then we weren’t allowed to go in. The school library had such strict web blocks that all the social networking sites were blocked. We had laptops for our senior project, they were given to us from the library and we couldn’t even use some of the sites that we found because the web browser was blocked. Also, there are not enough electronic resources offered by the library.

18. Interview with a Teen Overall how do you feel about the services that the library provides for students? I like being able to check out books and not have to buy them.

19. Interview with a Teen How do you feel about the summer reading list? I love to read but sometimes I can think that a summer reading list can be a waste of time. Kids aren’t allowed to have a summer because they are expected to read a certain amount of books. The summer before my senior year I was expected to read 3 books. I didn’t read them because I didn’t want to waste my summer on that.

20. Interview with a Teen How do you feel about the genres/themes of the books on the summer reading list? I think teachers should pick books that teens can actually relate to and not the “classics.” I liked Pride and Prejudice, but it was kind of boring. Discuss the balance of girl or boy related titles and authors. I think teachers try hard to have a boy book and a girl book instead of trying to find books that both girls and boys would like.

21. Interview with a Teen What are your reading preference and history? I like a lot of different types of books but I think my favorite would have to be the Twilight series and then a book called 13 Reasons Why. My least favorite book is All Quite on the Western Front. If the book is good I read all the time but if I have trouble getting into the plot of the book it can take me forever to read it. What do you like to do in your spare time? I love to be outside and hang out with friends.

22. Interview with a Teen If you were reading for pleasure, what would you read? I love murder mystery books or books that make you think. Do you have a favorite author/theme/genre? Discuss this. I don’t have a favorite author. I like many different types of books as long as they can catch my attention.

23. Interview with a Teen How has your love of reading changed over time? I have grown to like reading more and have found it to be very relaxing. Finally, what would you like libraries to do and how can they improve? I think school libraries can make the internet more accessible to the students and not block so many sites.

24. Interview with a Teen Conclusion Emily enjoys reading, but does not liked to be forced into it. The school library and public library are not meeting her needs. They are not offering many programs for young adults. The library is not getting much input from teens on what they would like to see at the library. The school librarian is not friendly or approachable. The students have a hard time conducting their research because of the internet filters. Emily believes that teachers should pick more books that interest and relate to teens.

25. Interview with a Teen Conclusion- Teens in General I think teens like to read materials they are interested in, instead of the classics. Teens do not like the internet filters. They do not necessarily want to go to bad websites, but they are having trouble finding what they need. Many teens do not feel comfortable with the librarian. Teens feel that the library should provide more services that are specifically for their age group.

26. New Knowledge from this Interview Internet filters are not always a good thing Many libraries are not helping teens There are still librarians out there that are not approachable and do not treat young adults as they should be treated Teens do like to read, but usually things they are interested in Teens do not necessarily use the library’s website, so libraries need to find other ways to reach teens

27. The results are… Based on things I have learned through this class, interviewing a young adult librarian, observing a library, and interviewing a teen I have come up with a list of suggestions and needs that a librarian, including myself, should consider when trying to provide services for young adults.

28. Proposal of Needs

29. Proposal of Needs

30. Desired Outcomes • Teens will come to programs and enjoy them • Library will provide teens services that are beneficial, maybe help some of them- old teaching adage that if I reach one then I have done my job • Teachers will utilize the library more effectively, people will understand why a librarian is important and they will keep their jobs. • Library will have the materials that teens are interested in and reaches them

31. Desired Outcomes • Teens will know how to effectively use technology- shorten the digital bridge • Teens will be knowledgeable about the books the library has • Library will be more physically inviting to teens, which will mean more teens will come and feel comfortable in the library • YA will like the librarian(s), which means more teens will come and they will be more willing to ask for help.

32. Conclusion Overall libraries and librarians need to work harder to serve young adults. They need to provide more relevant services, teach young adults technology skills, and help students to have easy access to the information they need. Libraries must also have dedicated young adult staff that are caring, knowledgeable, and approachable. Young adults deserve to get the most they can get out of the libraries that are there to serve them.