YALSA offers institute on serving diverse teens

Contact: Stephanie Kuenn


Communications Specialist


312-280-2128

skuenn@ala.org

For Immediate Release


November 18, 2008

CHICAGO —Learn how to best serve today’s teens, the most diverse generation in American history, by attending Reaching Today’s Diverse Teens, a pre-Midwinter Meeting Institute offered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

This full-day institute will take place 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, and includes lunch. Registration costs $210 for YALSA members, students and retirees; $250 for ALA members; and $300 for nonmembers. Registration is available at
www.ala.org/midwinter.

Those who attend will learn how to identify all of the teens in their service area, as well as discover exciting, interactive and innovative ways to reach this diverse generation. Serving recent teen immigrants will also be explored, as will how to maximize a library’s impact by collaborating with youth-serving organizations in its community.

“Learning to serve diverse teens better fits our goal of supporting diversity within the profession,” said YALSA President Sarah Cornish Debraski. “Good relationships in the community and with the teens you serve can attract those very customers to our profession, which will ultimately improve our own workforce.”

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, or e-mail,
yalsa@ala.org.