2008 Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), today announced its 2008 Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults list. The list recognizes productions for technical merit, content, and use with, and interest to young adults ages 12-18 and is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

The 2008 Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults Committee chose eight films, including such profound and diverse true stories as The Grace Lee Project, which explores the concepts of identity and belonging, and Juvies, an unflinching look at juveniles behind bars, as well as the creatively composed short film The Guarantee, which offers a humorous look at the impact our physical features can have on our opportunities.

“It’s a film-fabulous list! The films selected address the diverse needs of the teens served in our libraries as they come of age in this rapidly changing world.” said Michael T. Wallace, committee chair.

Members of the Selected DVDs and Videos for Young Adults Committee are: Michael T. Wallace, chair, ReadingHelp4Teens, Rockville, Md.; Jeana Actkinson, Bridgeport (Texas) High School; Rachel Aronowitz, San Francisco (Calif.) Public Library; Zahra M. Baird, Chappaqua (N.Y.) Library; Krista Britton, Old Bridge Elementary School, Woodbridge, Va.; Lynn Carpenter, Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library; Jacquelyn Caverly, Eden Prairie (Minn.) Resource Library; Danielle Dreger, Boston (Mass.) Public Library; Melanie Metzger, Cy-Fair College Branch Library, Cypress, Texas; Angela Semifero, Marshall (Mich.) District Library; Kerry Sutherland, Akron (Ohio) Summit County Public Library; Brooke Young, Salt Lake City, Utah; Sue-Ellen Beauregard, consultant, Booklist, Chicago, Ill.; and Katie Boyes, administrative assistant, Maple Valley (Wash.) Library.

Fiction

Fishbowl. 28 minutes. Center for Asian American Media, College/Institution, purchase DVD $175, rental DVD $50; K-12/Public Library/Community Group, purchase DVD $75, rental DVD $35. http://distribution.asianamericanmedia.org

Nightmare at School. 8 min. 43 sec. National Film Board of Canada. DVD $99. www.nfb.ca

Nonfiction

The Grace Lee Project. 68 min. Women Make Movies. Purchase DVD $295, rental $90. www.wmm.com

The Guarantee. 11 min. New Day Films. Institutions (Colleges/Universities), purchase DVD $229; Community Groups/Public Libraries/High Schools, purchase DVD $99, DVD rental $65. www.newday.com

In Debt We Trust: America Before the Bubble Bursts. 52 min. Media Education Foundation. High School and Non-Profits, DVD $125; Public Libraries, $34.95. www.mediaed.org

It’s Not About Sex. 23 min. Educational Video Center. List price DVD, $150; Schools, $75. www.evc.org

Juvies. 66 min. Chance Films Incorporated. DVD $19.95; VHS $12.95. www.juvies.net

Unintended Consequences: Eminent Domain. 15 min. izzit.org. DVD $9.99. www.izzit.org