YALSA to offer four online courses
Contact: Stephanie Kuenn
Communications Specialist
312-280-2128
skuenn@ala.org
For Immediate Release
August 28, 2007
YALSA to offer four online courses
CHICAGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), is offering four online courses this fall: “Booktalks Quick and Simple,” “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens,” “Reaching Teens with Gaming” and “YALSA Competencies Live.” “Booktalks Quick and Simple” and “Reaching Teens with Gaming” will run October 1 to October 31; “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens” and “YALSA Competencies Live” will run October 1 to November 9. Registration opened on August 27, 2007.
“Booktalks Quick and Simple” participants will learn what a booktalk is and how to booktalk with teens. Sessions will focus on how to create hooks for books, share the talks with teens and experiment with a variety of booktalking techniques. Nancy Keane will teach this course.
Participants in “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens” will have the opportunity to talk with others about teen use of technology and how that use improves literacy skills. They will also have the chance to create a framework for a program or service at their library that supports teen technology-based print literacy. Linda Braun will teach this course.
The main focus of “Reaching Teens with Gaming” is to educate non-gamers about what video games are, to eliminate stereotypes and fears about video games and to introduce librarians to a medium that engages the free time of more than 80 percent of their teen clientele. Beth Gallaway will teach this course.
“YALSA Competencies Live,” an introduction to YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth, program will show participants how all of the aspects of good service to young adults work together, as well as how to plan for growing teen services in school or public libraries. Amy Alessio will teach this course.
Course registration is available online from August 27 to September 17 at
www.ala.org/yalsa. The cost for each four-week course, the equivalent of a one day face-to-face workshop, is $135 for YALSA members, $175 for ALA members and $195 for non-members. The cost for each six-week course, the equivalent of a one-and-one-half-day face-to-face workshop, is $149 for YALSA members, $195 for ALA members and $215 for non-members. More tips on taking online courses can be found on the YALSA Web site at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/onlinecourses/info.htm.
For 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audiobooks for teens. For more information about these awards or for additional lists of recommended reading, go to
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists. For more information about YALSA, please contact us via e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org; or by phone at 1-800-545-2433 ext. 4390.
