For immediate release | April 16, 2013
YALSA instructional kits available now to help public and school library staff connect with teens
CHICAGO – The Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is making Young Adults Deserve the Best instructional kits available for purchase through the ALA Store.
Young Adults Deserve the Best is a training initiative to help library staff successfully connect and work with teens in their public or school library. Created by trainers for trainers, directors or librarians to use in their libraries, these instructional kits provide guided training with customizable PowerPoints, a complete script and optional group activities.
“Young Adults Deserve the Best instructional kits can be customized for a variety of audiences, including library support staff, librarian generalists, teen services specialists and even parents and educators,” said YALSA President Jack H. Martin. “This is a great investment for libraries looking to increase their value to the community by amping up their teen services.”
Kits are organized into modules, and trainers can either teach them individually in one hour segments, or combine them for a full day of training. Each kit includes a literature review and each PowerPoint presentation is accompanied by an introductory paper and list of additional resources. The curriculum is based on YALSA's national guidelines: Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth.
Dynamic and full of energy, teens can be a challenging patron population to serve, even for the most experienced library worker. From the circulation desk, to the reference desk to the security desk, everyone is involved with addressing behavioral issues in the library. The Understanding Teen Behavior for a Positive Library Experience curriculum is designed to provide tips and resources to make addressing teen behavior easy for staff. Contributing authors include: Amy Alessio, Erin Downey Howerton, and Sarah Flowers.
Keeping up with the latest tech trends can be challenging for even the most determined library worker. The Strengthening Teen Services through Technology kit provides libraries with 1) resources to help library workers gain confidence in using tech resources with teens and 2) with specific tech tools that can easily be incorporated into library services for teens. Teens are an integral part of the community the library serves and key future supporters of the library. It is critical for libraries to stay relevant in teens’ lives, especially in technology. Contributing authors include: Linda Braun, Shauntee Burns, Laura Pearle, Brenna Shanks and Chris Shoemaker.
Each kit costs $175 for a digital download or $199 for a paper edition with a CD containing PowerPoint presentations (binder-ready, three-hole punched and tabbed). Bulk pricing is available at 20 percent off orders of 25 or more.
YALSA has also created a Facebook page especially for trainers to use to share tips, resources and successes relating to providing training around teen services. Questions? Contact Nicole Gibby Munguia, YALSA program officer for continuing education at nmunguia@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, ext. 5293.
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.
Contact:
Jaclyn Finneke
Communications Manager
Young Adult Library Services Association
jfinneke@ala.org1-800-545-2433 ext.2128
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