Teen Read Week FAQ

read beyond reality @ your library

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About Teen Read Week

What is Teen Read Week?

Does it cost anything to participate in Teen Read Week?

I am interested in Teen Read Week , but how do I participate?

I am not a librarian, can I still participate?

I am a teen, what can I do?

Why should I register?

My community doesn't know about Teen Read Week. Why doesn't YALSA more widely publicize the event?

Questions about Participating in Teen Read Week

I registered for Teen Read Week but haven't received my prizes. Why?

I do not like the theme; it isn't popular with my teens. What can I do?

Can I tell you what my library is doing for Teen Read Week? 

I like to plan ahead, what are the dates for future Teen Read Week?

My library wants to celebrate Teen Read Week at another time or expand it to Teen Read Month. Can I do that?

I have an idea for a Teen Read Week  theme, what should I do?

I contacted a Teen Read Week sponsor and they would not donate anything to my organization. What role does a sponsor play?

Questions about the Website or Logo

Can I use the Teen Read Week artwork that is on the web site or posters to create my own displays?

  I can't download the logo. Is there something wrong with the file?

   

What is Teen Read Week ?

Teen Read Week is held each year during the third week of October. In 2009, it will be celebrated Oct. 18-24.

Teen Read Week is an national literacy initiative of the  Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association. It's aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers and other concerned adults. Teen Read Week 2009 Promotional Partners include ALA Graphics, Evanced Solutions, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Galaxy Press, Henry Holt, Listening Library/Random House, and Walden Media. Nonprofit Supporters include Adlit.org, American Association of School Administrators, American Booksellers Association, Cable in the Classroom, Kidsnet, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Council of Teachers of English, readergirlz, SmartGirl.org, National Education Association, National School Boards Association, Speak Up Press, International Reading Association, TeenInk and The N/Noggin.

Teen Read Week's theme is Read For The Fun Of It. Each year, YALSA offers a new sub-theme to serve as a basis for developing programs in schools, public libraries, and bookstores. The 2009 sub-theme is Read Beyond Reality @ your library, which encourages teens to read something out of this world for the fun of it. If you have a recommendation for a theme for 2010, please send it to yalsa@ala.org.

Teen Read Week 2009 will be celebrated at thousands of public and school libraries, classrooms, and bookstores across the country. Although teens realize the importance of reading, they have a huge menu of activities to choose from when deciding how to spend their free time, and reading gets lost in the shuffle. Reading skills get rusty when they are not used. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports that over the last 20 years there have been only modest gains in reading achievement. And although there are many active literacy campaigns, very few efforts focus on teenagers.

    Does it cost anything to participate in Teen Read Week ?
No, it does not cost anything to register or participate. Products are available for purchase through the ALA Store to help you promote Teen Read Week and your activities, but you are not required to purchase anything to participate.

    I am interested in Teen Read Week, but how do I participate?
There are many ways that you can participate in Teen Read Week. You can offer special programs or activities or simply encourage teens to read. You can also find ideas for displays and activities on the Teen Read Week Wiki. Over the summer, encourage teens to read nominations from the Teens' Top Ten and then vote for their favorite books between Aug. 25 and Sept. 18. Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week in a webcast featuring WWE Superstars and Divas.

    I am not a librarian, can I still participate?
YES! Teen Read Week is a national literacy initiative aimed at teens, their parents, librarians, educators, booksellers and other concerned adults. If you would like to participate, just register!

    I am a teen, what can I do?
The best thing to do is to talk to a teacher or your public or school librarian. Ask them if they have anything planned for Teen Read Week and let them know you are interested in helping out. If your teacher or librarian does not have anything planned or has never heard of Teen Read Week, show them this web site and help them get started! Also, don't forget to vote for the Teens' Top Ten between Aug. 25 and Sept. 18 and for next year's Teen Read Week  theme!

    Why should I register?
YALSA is a nonprofit organization that depends on its members for support. By registering, you are letting us know that teen literacy is a concern and you are willing to do something about it! By registering, you are telling YALSA that this program is worthwhile, and we will continue to sponsor the week.

    My community doesn't know about Teen Read Week. Why doesn't YALSA more widely publicize the event?
Although YALSA conducts media outreach with many major media outlets, it isn't possible for us to get the word out to every TV station, radio station, magazine, or newspaper in the United States and abroad. So we encourage each participating library, school, or bookstore to advertise their events in their local media. Please use our publicity tools, including press releases, letters to the editor, and public service announcements, to help you spread the word about Teen Read Week. Help spread the word!

    I registered for Teen Read Week but haven't received my prizes. Why?
Your registration helps YALSA know how many people participate in Teen Read Week  and ensures that it will be an ongoing event! You should receive an email telling you've registered and a link to this year's logo to use for promotion. Registrants can opt-in to receive freebies from our promotional partners, which are typically sent so they arrive before Teen Read Week. We respect your privacy and do not share your name or contact information with anyone without your permission, which you give in the registration form.

    I do not like the theme; it isn't popular with my teens. What can I do?
The general theme of Teen Read Week is Read for the Fun of It, and this theme can always be used in place of the more specific theme for the year. In this case, Read Beyond Reality @ your library encourages teens to read a variety of books, magazines, graphic novels and other materials for the fun of it. The most important thing is that teens are encouraged to read, no matter what the theme. So feel free to adapt concepts or activities to fit with your teens' specific needs during Teen Read Week! Be sure to  contact YALSA with any theme ideas for future Teen Read Weeks and encourage your teens to vote for the 2010 theme during Teen Read Week.

    Can I tell you what I am doing for Teen Read Week?
Absolutely! Not only does YALSA love to hear about your events (and see photos!) but other libraries across the nation do as well!  Please take a moment to tell us about your events on the  Teen Read Week Wiki. You can also work with YALSA to post information about your celebration on the YALSA Blog or write about your experiences for YAttitudes, YALSA's e-newsletter, or Young Adult Library Services, our quarterly journal. Just contact us at yalsa@ala.org.

    I like to plan ahead. What are the future dates for Teen Read Week?
Teen Read Week is held each year the third week in October. Future dates are:

  • October 17-23. 2010
  • October 16-22, 2011
  • October 14-20, 2012
  • October 13-19, 2013

    My library wants to celebrate Teen Read Week at another time or expand it to Teen Read Month. Can I do that?

Certainly! The reason we celebrate Teen Read Week is to encourage teen reading, and we want you to celebrate at the best time for your library! The only thing we can think of that's better than Teen Read Week is Teen Read Month. Many libraries (and even some states, like Oklahoma) celebrate teen reading throughout the entire month of October. Read an article in American Libraries from August 2008 about Oklahoma's Teen Read Month as an example.

The theme-specific logo doesn't have the dates for Teen Read Week on it, nor does the Teen Read Week miniposter, which you can buy and customize with your own information from the ALA Store.

    I have an idea for a Teen Read Week  theme, what should I do?
We love new ideas! Please send all your ideas for a Teen Read Week theme to the  YALSA office.

    I contacted a Teen Read Week partner, but they would not donate anything to my organization. What role does a sponsor play?
YALSA is a nonprofit association that relies on sponsorships and partnerships to help fund our efforts to plan and promote Teen Read Weekat a national level. A corporate sponsorship for Teen Read Week means that the corporation provides support directly to YALSA so it can fund Teen Read Week. Unfortunately, it does not mean that they will financially support each organization that plans to celebrate Teen Read Week. We encourage you to approach local businesses in your community and ask if they are willing to donate money, goods, or time towards your local events. Be sure to remind them that their donation is tax deductible!

    Can I use the Teen Read Week artwork that is on the web site or posters to create my own displays?
There are two different logos YALSA has created that you may use for free to help promote Teen Read Week. One of them is the generic Teen Read Week logo, which you can download on our Get Publicity page. The other one is the theme-specific logo. To have access to the theme-specific logo, you must register for Teen Read Week. If these images are not the quality you were looking for, there are downloadable images you can purchase in the ALA Store. If you registered and did not download the logo, please contact Stephanie Kuenn.

I can't download the logo. Is there something wrong with the file?
The fist thing you should do is check to make sure that you have photo viewing software installed on your computer. If you do not, you will need to download the Word documents with the logos from the Get Publicity page.