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Young Adults Deserve the Best
Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth

Read the competencies press release

According to a recent Department of Education report, public high school enrollment is expected to increase by 13% between 1997 and 2007. This increase will have a great impact on all types of libraries that serve young adults, ages 12 through 18. The need for more librarians to serve young adults is obvious. It makes no difference if they are generalists or specialists, or the type of library where they work. All will feel the impact of the greater numbers in this client group in the years to come.

The young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has developed a set of competencies for librarians serving young adults. Individuals who demonstrate the knowledge and skills required by the competencies will be able to provide quality service to teenagers during this next crucial decade.

Although these competencies were originally developed in 1981 to guide library educators who were involved in training librarians at the pre-service level, they have been found to be useful in a variety of other ways. Directors and trainers use them as a basis for staff development opportunities. They can also be used by school administrators and human resources directors to create evaluation instruments, determine staffing needs, and develop job descriptions.

The audiences for the competencies

• :
• Library Educators
• Graduate Students
• Young Adult Specialists
• School Library Media Specialists
• Generalists in Public Libraries
• School Administrators
• Library Directors
• State and Regional Library Directors
• Human Resources Directors

Area I - Leadership and Professionalism

The librarian will be able to:

1. Develop and demonstrate leadership skills in articulating a program of excellence for young adults.
2. Exhibit planning and evaluating skills in the development of a comprehensive program for young adults.
3. Develop and demonstrate a commitment to professionalism.

   a. Adhere to the American Library Association Code of Ethics.

   b. Demonstrate a non-judgmental attitude toward young adults.

   c. Preserve confidentiality in interactions with young adults.

4. Plan for personal and professional growth and career development through active participation in professional associations and continuing education.
5. Develop and demonstrate a strong commitment to the right of young adults to have physical and intellectual access to information that is consistent with the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of and a respect for diversity in cultural and ethnic values.
7. Encourage young adults to become lifelong library users by helping them to discover what libraries have to offer and how to use libraries.

Area II - Knowledge of Client Group

The librarian will be able to:

1. Apply factual and interpretative information on adolescent psychology, growth and development, sociology, and popular culture in planning for materials, services and programs for young adults.
2. Apply knowledge of the reading process and of types of reading problems in the development of collections and programs for young adults.
3. Identify the special needs of discrete groups of young adults and design and implement programs and build collections appropriate to their needs.

Area III - Communication

The librarian will be able to:

1. Demonstrate effective interpersonal relations with young adults, administrators, other professionals who work with young adults, and the community at large by:

   a. Using principles of group dynamics and group process.

   b. Establishing regular channels of communication (both written and oral) with each group.

2. Apply principles of effective communication which reinforces positive behaviors in young adults.

Area IV - Administration

A. PLANNING

The librarian will be able to:

1. Develop a strategic plan for library service to young adults.

   a. Formulate goals, objectives, and methods of evaluation for a young adult program based on determined needs.

   b. Design and conduct a community analysis and needs assessment.

   c. Apply research findings for the development and improvement of the young adult program.

   d. Design, conduct, and evaluate local action research for program improvement.

2. Design, implement, and evaluate an ongoing public relations and report program directed toward young adults, administrators, boards, staff, other agencies serving young adults, and the community at large.
3. Identify and cooperate with other information agencies in networking arrangements to expand access to information for young adults.
4. Develop, justify, administer, and evaluate a budget for the young adult program.
5. Develop physical facilities which contribute to the achievement of young adult program goals.

B. MANAGING

The librarian will be able to:

1. Supervise and evaluate other staff members who work with young adults.
2. Design, implement and evaluate an ongoing program of professional development.
3. Develop policies and procedures for the efficient operation of all technical functions, including acquisition, processing, circulation, collection maintenance, equipment supervision, and scheduling of young adult programs.
4. Identify external sources of funding and other support and apply for those suitable for the young adult program.
5. Monitor legislation and judicial decisions pertinent to young adults, especially those that affect youth rights, and disseminate this information.

Area V - Knowledge of Materials

The librarian will be able to:

1. Formulate collection development and selection policies for young adult materials, consistent with the parent institutions' policies.
2. Using a broad range of selection sources, develop a collection of materials for young adults that includes all appropriate formats.
3. Demonstrate a knowledge and appreciation of literature for young adults.
4. Identify current reading, viewing, and listening interests of young adults and incorporate these findings into collection development and programs.
5. Design and locally produce materials in a variety of formats to expand the collections.
6. Incorporate new and improved technology (e.g., computers and software, digitized information, video, the Internet and the World Wide Web) into young adult collections and programs.
7. Maintain awareness of ongoing technological advances and a minimum level of expertise with electronic resources.

Area VI - Access to Information

The librarian will be able to:

1. Organize collections to guarantee easy and equitable access to information for young adults.
2. Use current standard methods of cataloging and classification, as well as incorporate the newest means of electronic access to information.
3. Create an environment which attracts and invites young adults to use the collection.
4. Develop special tools which provide access to information not readily available, (e.g., community resources, special collections, and links to appropriate and useful websites).
5. Create and disseminate promotional materials that will ease access to collections and motivate their use.

Area VII - Services

The librarian will be able to:

1. Utilize a variety of techniques (e.g., booktalking, discussion groups) to encourage use of materials.
2. Provide a variety of information services (e.g., career information, homework help, web sites) to meet the diverse needs of young adults.
3. Instruct young adults in the basic information gathering and research skills. These should include the skills necessary to use and evaluate electronic information sources, and to insure current and future information literacy.
4. Encourage young adults in the use of all types of materials for their personal growth and enjoyment.
5. Design, implement, and evaluate specific programs and activities (both in the library and in the community) for young adults, based on their needs and interests.
6. Involve young adults in planning and implementing services and programs for their age group.

Approved by the Young Adult Library Services Association Board of Directors, June, 1981. Revised January, 1998.

For further information contact:
YALSA/ALA
50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Phone, 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390