Subramaniam selected to present paper for YALSA’s Trends Impacting YA Event at ALA Midwinter

CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has chosen Dr. Mega Subramaniam, assistant professor at the College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, to present a paper at YALSA’s Trends Impacting YA Services session at the 2015 ALA Midwinter Meeting. Subramaniam’s paper is entitled “Designing the Library Of The Future For And With Teens: Librarians as the 'Connector' in Connected Learning.” The Midwinter event, which is hosted by YALSA Past Presidents, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015.

Friends of YALSA funds one individual each year to attend the ALA Midwinter Meeting to present a paper that addresses a topic from YALSA’s Research Agenda. Subramaniam will receive up to $1,500 to help defray travel, registration and hotel costs. In addition to presenting the paper at the Trends Impacting YA Services event, Subramaniam’s paper will also be published in a future issue of YALSA’s peer-reviewed, open source journal, The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults.

Of her paper, Subramaniam says, “The Future of Library Services for and with Teens report acknowledges the prominent shift in teen demographics, learning styles, technology landscape, literacy topography, access to technology, and social and community issues that involve young adults. Surveys, interviews, and forming a youth advisory council are no longer sufficient when designing programs for young adults. This paper calls for a substantial paradigm shift in how librarians are trained and how libraries can be used to serve diverse youth. It is time to involve the young adults themselves as co-designers. This paper examines two decades of literature—in areas such as learning sciences, human-computer interaction, and public health—where designers actively co-design learning technologies with youth using participatory design approaches and argues that the approach can be adopted to design library programs, space, and services to promote the three spheres of learning as described in the connected learning model.”

Sandra Hughes-Hassell, chair of the Jury, hailed Subramaniam’s selection. “We are excited that Mega’s presentation will focus on the paradigm shift called for in the report, The Future of Library Services for and with Teens. Mega’s focus on cultivating voice and agency cannot be underestimated as a powerful motivator and tool of empowerment for all teens, but especially those from diverse, and often underserved, communities.”

To learn more about YALSA programs and events at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting, visit http://tinyurl.com/midwinter15.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or email, yalsa@ala.org.