Teen Literature Recommendations and Trends by Michael Cart

Summer vacation allows for time to catch up on all sorts of things you've put aside until later.  For example, over the school year many great-sounding webinars are announced and promoted.  Several are added to lists and calendars "not to be missed!" yet the date passes.  Luckily, webcasts are often archived and are ideal for later viewing.  

Infopeople offered a free webcast on April 26, 2012 by young adult literature expert Michael Cart, "Teen Literature Update 2012." My original goal was to listen and make a list of books to buy and read this summer, before sharing. Michael's 1-hour presentation is wonderful for his intended audience, Teacher/Young Adult/Teen librarians. However, the webcast should be of interest to middle and high school literature classes, book clubs, and serious readers. Too bad most school class periods are less than one hour. Teachers and librarians could add this link to their library or book club website and encourage comments on the webcast.


How else would you use Michael's YA book recommendations?  Would you recommend the webcast to parent groups or company employees and suggest adopting a local library or libraries in a school district? That would be a visible way to support students in the face of endless library budget and staffing cuts.

Starbooks -- Book Club Fund Raiser

Livingston (CA) High School Teacher Librarian Tony Doyle and his school library book club kids held a "Starbooks" fund raiser.  Here is Tony's report on the successful first-time event:

"Our Book Club held it's first Library Cafe ("Starbooks") fund raiser this week.  We have been on finals schedule the last two days so we sold coffee, hot chocolate, instant cappuccino, and muffins before school.  We had a 1/2 price sale after school today.  We set up near the back door and sold inside and outside to the skater crowd that hangs out behind the library.  We took in over $200 in less than 3 hours total.  Profits worked out to around $125.  A lot of kids were asking when we were going to do it again.  We didn't have a single spilled drink in the library and only one cup left on a table (the faculty made a much bigger mess during our Toys for Tots luncheon yesterday).  It was a lot of work but also lots of fun.  The Book Clubbers really enjoyed it."

Wonder if local Starbucks stores would want to promote the idea at other times throughout the year? Tony is also a book reviewer for School Library Journal, so maybe that publication will put a spotlight on the idea of book club fund raisers for libraries.

Where Do Good Ideas Come From? -- Conversations and Reading?

Listen to author Steven Johnson's compelling presentation on "Where good ideas come from", then think about how libraries provide 1) the space for conversations and good ideas to percolate and 2) books and other content for individuals to feed good ideas.  How can this presentation or message be used to promote libraries and their programs (book clubs, lecture series, author visits, community gatherings) as incubators for good ideas and innovation?




If you didn't catch Steven Johnson's last statement, here it is: "Chance favors the connected mind"

Read. Know. Grow. - Graphic Design

Years ago, when I was a part of a Mother-Daughter Book Club, I bought a set of dark green coffee mugs with a girl reading. The style of the art was white on dark green, but it could have been on any dark color. Loved the style. So, it is no surprise that I experimented with the design for my "wildcard" assignment during my Adobe Illustrator course. Check it out -- I added technology, a boy, and more books for them to read. Next, maybe I'll try a design to promote Athletes as Readers and Leaders.

Book Clubs for Philanthropy

An article in Philanthropy Today was about the charity Mercy Corp, which is organizing book clubs that read, discuss, and donate to womens causes in developing countries. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's column on Prospecting:

A project by Mercy Corps centered on a new book Half the Sky by journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. Kristof and Wudunn argue that many of society’s problems can be alleviated by improving the status of women. Mercy Corps' focus is primarily on alleviating hunger in developing countries.

Best Book Bloggers - 2009

American Libraries Direct carried an item on "Best Book Bloggers". Tons of book lovers blog about their books, so it makes sense that some rise to the top of the list. This is the second year of the annual award. This is worth checking out!

"The votes are in for the best book blogs of 2009, and the winners include J. Kaye’s Book Blog (best commentator and most prolific blogger), The Book Smugglers (best collaborative blog), Books on the Nightstand (best general review blog and most eclectic taste), Hey Lady! Whatcha’ Readin’? (best literary fiction blog), Bermudaonion (most concise), and The Story Siren (most extravagant giveaways)...."
Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Sept. 15

In the the "About" section of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, it "was started by Amy Riley of My Friend Amy in an effort to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading.

The first Book Blogger Appreciation was observed in the fall of 2008 and occurs every September. The week spotlights and celebrates the work of active book bloggers through guest posts, awards, giveaways, and community activities. Book Bloggers are encouraged to register their participation for inclusion in a database of book bloggers."

Author Tea and Treats

Palo Alto Teacher Librarian Patricia O. alerted me to an author tea at her elementary school. The Tea was an open house, with a focus on writing and celebration of student-made books. A parent created clever mini-cupcakes, topped with mini-newtons, enscribed with book titles.

Mini-newtons look a lot like mini-books, don't they?! Some of the book titles read: "GO DOG GO!", "Tao of Pooh", "White Fang", and "East of Eden". Remember this idea for your next book club meeting, and volunteer to provide refreshments. Or, consider this if you want to make an impression on your school site council, board, or legislators.

Early Childhood Reading Grants - Target

Library listservs are spreading the news about an early childhood reading grant announced by Target. Read details below or on the Target Store Grants website.

Reading is an essential element in a child’s educational process. Reading grants are awarded to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations, supporting programs such as weekend book clubs and after-school reading programs that foster a love of reading and encourage children, from birth through age 9, to read together with their families.

Guidelines

Target will accept grant applications online between March 1 and May 31, 2009, for programs taking place between October 1, 2009, and September 30, 2010. You will receive notification about your request by September 30, 2009. Most grants average between $1,000 and $3,000.

Apply Online

You may apply for grants from March 1 through May 31:

• Apply as a 501(c)(3) organization
• Apply as a school, library or public agency

Top Choice for Online Public Library Descriptors: Internet Access

Over the past week/weekend, I had a mini-poll on my blog. This is NOT in any way statistically significant or elaborate, but... when librarians considered the list of key descriptors I used for my blog poll, all agreed with "Internet Access" as a top descriptor. I agree, and in fact when I point that out to non-library-going workers in the business world it is an "ah, ha! -- makes sense -- hadn't thought of libraries as a place to go for Internet access."

• Internet Access or Wifi (90%)


• Books and More to Borrow (75%)


• Literacy Programs (35%)


• Business Research (30%)


• Childrens Books (20%)


• Library Cards (20%)


• Book Clubs (15%)


• Geneology Research (10%)

Of course, many librarians let me know that there were words that they would have used that were missing from the list. Other descriptors that were recommened included "teens" or "jobs" or "resume writing" or "online databases" -- the list goes on. Regular library users know or should know that these many things are available at the library, but the point of adding these descriptors to online directories is to help people "stumple upon" their own local library as a solution to their information needs.

Top 10 Public Library Descriptors

When members of your community are looking for local services -- like plumbers, doctors, specialty stores -- the phone book is the #1 choice for Baby Boomers, but the Internet is where our younger generation looks.

How are public libraries defining and marketing their services? And, how are they reaching out to the community online? I've started asking public librarians for their key word descriptors. Do descriptors vary by state or region? I wonder. My goal is to identify a "Top 10" list of descriptors. This weekend is the annual California Library Association Conference, so I should get some new words to add to my starter list:

• Book Clubs
• Internet access
• Business Research Services
• Childrens Books and Storytimes
• Genealogy
• Project Read
• Assistive Technology
• Wireless Internet
• OTHER?

Once a library identifies its key word descriptors -- for each of its branch libraries -- then it is time to add them to local online directories. Here is how to add to the YellowPages.COM. Share the "how to" with other public libraries and help build a common set of search terms for public library services.

Adding key descriptors for permanent programs is also a good strategy for your local businesses, so this is a good tip to promote in your Business Reference section.