YALSA's Teen Advisory Group Site helping teens
Contact: Nichole Gilbert
312-280-4387
For Immediate Release
November 14, 2003
YALSA's Teen Advisory Group Site helping teens make their mark on libraries
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has launched a new online resource for libraries and teen advisory groups. Whether in the planning stages of forming a teen advisory group for the first time or working with a group that has been active for decades, the Teen Advisory Group Site, (TAGS) (
http://www.ala.org/tags/) has something for both librarians and the teens with whom they work.
The TAGS Web site has a Spotlights section that highlights individual advisory groups, their activities, challenges and successes. The Spotlights content change monthly, so that every four-weeks visitors will read something new about what teen advisory groups are doing around the country.
The site also includes a Resources section that supports the varied informational needs of Teen Advisory Group (TAG) advisors. This section is divided into four categories: books, Web sites, articles on topics such as startup and recruitment and TAG activities. You'll also find links to organizations with which librarians can work on TAG projects. A form on the site gives visitors the chance to suggest additional materials for the Resources section.
The TAGS Committee will continue to work on developing content to meet the needs of TAG advisors and teens. In the coming months a database will be added. TAG advisors will have the chance to add information about their group to the online database via an online form. The database will assist in connecting visitors to TAGs that have worked on a particular project, librarians that have expertise in setting up TAGs, or with a TAG in a particular area of the country.
Each of the current and future features of the TAGS Web site is designed to give librarians the expertise and information they need in order to successfully integrate youth participation in their libraries.
For more information on YALSA , please visit
www.ala.org/yalsa, contact the YALSA office by phone: 800-545-2433 x 4390 or by e-mail:
yalsa@ala.org.
