Registration opens for YALSA’s Teen Tech Week™

Stephanie Kuenn


YALSA Communications Specialist


312-280-2128


skuenn@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


November 4, 2008

2009 theme is Press Play @ your library®

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), today launched its Teen Tech Week 2009 Web site, opening registration and offering resources for the annual celebration of nonprint resources . More information can be found at
www.ala.org/teentechweek. Teen Tech Week is March 8-14, with a theme of Press Play @ your library, encouraging teens to take advantage of the many technologies available to them, free of charge, at their libraries.

“Technology is an integral part of teens' lives, and libraries support that by offering programs that are technologically attractive to teens and by using technology to connect with teens. Libraries recognize that technological literacy is as important to teens' success and well being as traditional literacy is,’” said YALSA President Sarah Cornish Debraski. “Teen Tech Week draws attention to the fact that the relationship teens have with libraries and literacy is different today than it was 20 or even 10 years ago.”

Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. It’s purpose is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' nonprint resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology. Teen Tech Week began in 2007 and has a general theme of Get Connected @ your library.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, by or e-mail:
yalsa@ala.org