LIS 548 - Library Services to Children and Young Adults
Course Outline
Course Description:
This course will examine the principles and practices of library service to children and young adults, including cultural and educational programs, summer reading programs, outreach to schools, and literature-based and other ongoing programs. Services such as reference, readers’ advisory, and homework help will also be explored.
Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will have had opportunities
- To develop an awareness of the responsibilities of librarians working with children and young adults and working with or supervising staff who also work with children and young adults.
- To examine the range of possible library services for children and young adults.
- To develop programs that relate to the library and its services to its users.
Course Content may include:
- The library and the community
- What are services for children and young adults and why are they important?
- Goals, policies, and standards for youth services
- Roles and responsibilities of youth services librarians
- Facilities
- Collections & Reader’s Advisory
- Issues and trends in library service to young people
- Types of programs for different ages
- Planning, carrying out, and evaluating programs
- Outreach: serving and working with schools, day cares, other social agencies
- Marketing and promotion of library services to children
- Relationships between school and public libraries
Methods may include:
- Online discussions
- Assignments
- Readings
- Guest speakers (via elluminate)
- Individual library visits
Assignments may include:
- Informal observation and evaluation of virtual and physical library spaces for children or young adults
- Current events assignment
- Book Trailer
- Annual program plan for a children’s or youth services department
Course Expectations:
Students will need to have access to a computer with an Internet connection throughout the course. A microphone will be necessary to participate in several online meetings that will be scheduled throughout the term using Elluminate.
To complete the course requirements, students are expected to spend a minimum of 15-18 hours per week on course readings, weekly preparation, and discussions. Assignment preparation may require additional time.
Course Relationships:
Elective course. Prerequisite: LIS 501.
Assignments and Evaluation
Basic Information for Assignments
Where appropriate, assignments should be double-spaced, 12 point font (Arial or Times New Roman) with 1 inch margins.
They should be in a Word document (.doc or .rtf) and posted to the course discussion site.
Assignments are due by midnight (Mountain time) on or before the due date, unless otherwise noted. Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if there is a death or illness that requires an extension to an assignment.
Late assignments will be accepted. The penalty for late assignments is 10% per day for the first three days. After that, assignments will not be accepted. For example, an assignment due on Monday morning at 9am will be considered late with a 10% penalty all day Monday until Tuesday morning at 9am. A 20% penalty will take taken from Tuesday at 9.00am and a 30% penalty from Wednesday at 9.00am. The assignment would not be accepted after Thursday morning at 9.00am.
Final grades will be calculated using a relative grading system. The assignments will graded out of the following points:
• Current Events in Youth Services Assignment (10 weekly posts @ 2 points each = 20 points)
• Book Trailer (25 points)
• Library Observation & Report (30 points)
• Annual Program Plan (100 points)
• Participation (25 points)
o Total: 170 points
They should be in a Word document (.doc or .rtf) and posted to the course discussion site.
Assignments are due by midnight (Mountain time) on or before the due date, unless otherwise noted. Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if there is a death or illness that requires an extension to an assignment.
Late assignments will be accepted. The penalty for late assignments is 10% per day for the first three days. After that, assignments will not be accepted. For example, an assignment due on Monday morning at 9am will be considered late with a 10% penalty all day Monday until Tuesday morning at 9am. A 20% penalty will take taken from Tuesday at 9.00am and a 30% penalty from Wednesday at 9.00am. The assignment would not be accepted after Thursday morning at 9.00am.
Final grades will be calculated using a relative grading system. The assignments will graded out of the following points:
• Current Events in Youth Services Assignment (10 weekly posts @ 2 points each = 20 points)
• Book Trailer (25 points)
• Library Observation & Report (30 points)
• Annual Program Plan (100 points)
• Participation (25 points)
o Total: 170 points
Assignment: Current Events in Youth Services
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to become more familiar with the wide variety of excellent online resources that are available to librarians. These resources will assist you with program planning, services, collections, and more. The ongoing development of your ‘professional learning network’ or PLN will make your job easier and provide you with ongoing personal and professional development.
Task: You will be expected to follow a wide variety of online sources (blogs, twitter, RSS feeds for professional and scholarly journals, websites, listservs, etc.) throughout the term. There is no maximum or minimum number of sites to follow, however, the more substantial your list, the more information and ideas you will discover. In order to manage these resources, you may need to start using a service like Google Reader.
Once a week, for 10 weeks (see the course schedule for specific dates), you will be responsible for sharing one thing you learned from your online exploration. This is one thing that really stood out for you, that you thought a lot about, that you will in some way take with you into your career. It could be a book you saw reviewed, a website that is interesting, a program plan, a blog post, a tweet, etc. Anything goes.
Each week, you will post (to the eClass discussion site) a message telling us what you found, a link to it (where appropriate) or some other way for us to access your original source, and a brief (3-5 sentence) description of why you are sharing it with us.
Assessment: Each of your 10 posts will be assessed out of 2 points. 1 point for the link to the original source and 1 point for your 3-5 sentence description. If you do the weekly assignments, meet the requirements of the assignment, and they are posted on time, you will receive full marks. Late posts will be given a mark of 0. These posts will not be marked individually. Rather, I will assign your grade for the group of 10 posts at the end of the term.
Task: You will be expected to follow a wide variety of online sources (blogs, twitter, RSS feeds for professional and scholarly journals, websites, listservs, etc.) throughout the term. There is no maximum or minimum number of sites to follow, however, the more substantial your list, the more information and ideas you will discover. In order to manage these resources, you may need to start using a service like Google Reader.
Once a week, for 10 weeks (see the course schedule for specific dates), you will be responsible for sharing one thing you learned from your online exploration. This is one thing that really stood out for you, that you thought a lot about, that you will in some way take with you into your career. It could be a book you saw reviewed, a website that is interesting, a program plan, a blog post, a tweet, etc. Anything goes.
Each week, you will post (to the eClass discussion site) a message telling us what you found, a link to it (where appropriate) or some other way for us to access your original source, and a brief (3-5 sentence) description of why you are sharing it with us.
Assessment: Each of your 10 posts will be assessed out of 2 points. 1 point for the link to the original source and 1 point for your 3-5 sentence description. If you do the weekly assignments, meet the requirements of the assignment, and they are posted on time, you will receive full marks. Late posts will be given a mark of 0. These posts will not be marked individually. Rather, I will assign your grade for the group of 10 posts at the end of the term.
Assignment: Book Trailer
Purpose: Book trailers are an increasingly popular way for authors, publishers, librarians, and readers to promote books. Librarians who want to encourage children and young adults to read are using book trailers (often instead of book talks) to do this. For this assignment, you will be responsible for creating a book trailer for any book of your choice. Sample book trailers will be shared in class.
Please Note: You can choose to work on this assignment individually or with a partner. The choice is yours. If you are working with someone else in the class, it is up to you to negotiate that partnership and let me know by the beginning of the term who your partner is.
Process: You will create a book trailer for one award winning book of your choice. The book could be fiction or non-fiction. You may use any format and medium to create and share a book trailer for the book.
Step 1:
Choose the book that you will be using for the book trailer. View some of the book trailer examples that will be shared in class.
Step 2:
Read the book and brainstorm ways of creating and presenting the book trailer. Think about tools that you already know how to use and are comfortable with—these might be your best option for creating a book trailer.
Step 3:
Create a book trailer for your chosen book that advertises or sells the book to your intended audience. Consider using Animoto.com, iMovie, Keynote (exporting into .mov format), or Windows MovieMaker. Adding sound effects or music can add drama and excitement to your trailer. Check that the music you use is listed under a Creative Commons license. Sites such as magnatune.com for music and soundsnap.com for sound effects are good places to start. Please don’t use copyrighted music without permission.
Please Note: You can choose to work on this assignment individually or with a partner. The choice is yours. If you are working with someone else in the class, it is up to you to negotiate that partnership and let me know by the beginning of the term who your partner is.
Process: You will create a book trailer for one award winning book of your choice. The book could be fiction or non-fiction. You may use any format and medium to create and share a book trailer for the book.
Step 1:
Choose the book that you will be using for the book trailer. View some of the book trailer examples that will be shared in class.
Step 2:
Read the book and brainstorm ways of creating and presenting the book trailer. Think about tools that you already know how to use and are comfortable with—these might be your best option for creating a book trailer.
Step 3:
Create a book trailer for your chosen book that advertises or sells the book to your intended audience. Consider using Animoto.com, iMovie, Keynote (exporting into .mov format), or Windows MovieMaker. Adding sound effects or music can add drama and excitement to your trailer. Check that the music you use is listed under a Creative Commons license. Sites such as magnatune.com for music and soundsnap.com for sound effects are good places to start. Please don’t use copyrighted music without permission.
Assessment (25 points):
The book trailer assignment will be assessed in the following way:
• Tone (10 points)
o Tone is persuasive and intended to ‘sell’ the book
o Presentation engages or hooks the viewer/listener
o Use of music and/or sound effects contribute to the overall tone or mood
o Provides enough information without giving anything away
• Audience (10 points)
o Youth audience is apparent
o Pacing of the trailer is appropriate for the target audience
o Appropriate length (90 seconds to 3 minutes)
• Information about the book (5 points)
o Title and author included
o Presentation is clear and well organized
o It is clear that the creators of the booktalk have read the book
Due Date:
This assignment needs to be posted (e.g. a link to your trailer) to the course site by the due date listed on the course schedule. You might also want to post a link to your trailer on the course wiki so that others can access it after the course is done.
Keep this checklist for a successful video trailer in mind: • Persuade – Think of a video trailer as a commercial for the book – your goal is to sell that book to the target audience, creating excitement for reading. Be persuasive. A trailer is not scholarly or critical.
• Think creatively – You can quote from the book, introduce the main character and his or her dilemma, ask the listener to step into the character’s shoes, be formatted like a talk show or interview, compare the book to another similar, well-known book. You can talk about the plot, but never give away the ending. You can build on the tone of the book, making it eerie, fast-paced, funny, etc. A catchy beginning, memorable ending, and giving the title and author at the conclusion will cement the book in the listener’s mind.
• Keep it brief – Trailers don’t have to be long to be powerful. Aim for 90 seconds to 3 minutes.
• Adding Ambiance – Adding sound effects or music can add drama and excitement to your trailer.
• Need examples? See naomibates.blogspot.com for video trailers. Further examples will be presented and discussed on the course discussion site.
The book trailer assignment will be assessed in the following way:
• Tone (10 points)
o Tone is persuasive and intended to ‘sell’ the book
o Presentation engages or hooks the viewer/listener
o Use of music and/or sound effects contribute to the overall tone or mood
o Provides enough information without giving anything away
• Audience (10 points)
o Youth audience is apparent
o Pacing of the trailer is appropriate for the target audience
o Appropriate length (90 seconds to 3 minutes)
• Information about the book (5 points)
o Title and author included
o Presentation is clear and well organized
o It is clear that the creators of the booktalk have read the book
Due Date:
This assignment needs to be posted (e.g. a link to your trailer) to the course site by the due date listed on the course schedule. You might also want to post a link to your trailer on the course wiki so that others can access it after the course is done.
Keep this checklist for a successful video trailer in mind: • Persuade – Think of a video trailer as a commercial for the book – your goal is to sell that book to the target audience, creating excitement for reading. Be persuasive. A trailer is not scholarly or critical.
• Think creatively – You can quote from the book, introduce the main character and his or her dilemma, ask the listener to step into the character’s shoes, be formatted like a talk show or interview, compare the book to another similar, well-known book. You can talk about the plot, but never give away the ending. You can build on the tone of the book, making it eerie, fast-paced, funny, etc. A catchy beginning, memorable ending, and giving the title and author at the conclusion will cement the book in the listener’s mind.
• Keep it brief – Trailers don’t have to be long to be powerful. Aim for 90 seconds to 3 minutes.
• Adding Ambiance – Adding sound effects or music can add drama and excitement to your trailer.
• Need examples? See naomibates.blogspot.com for video trailers. Further examples will be presented and discussed on the course discussion site.
Assignment: Library Observation & Report
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to give you a chance to visit a library, observe the various physical and virtual services available for children and young adults, and report back to the rest of the class about what you saw.
Task: Select a library (or branch) to visit. Select your library or branch wisely—you will be using this library as the basis for your final project in this course, so the information you gather in this assignment will help you complete the final project.
Plan to visit at least once, although you might need to go back more than once to complete this assignment (this might be a factor when deciding which library to visit).
While you are visiting, take note of:
• They physical space for children and young adults
o Layout, access, barriers to use, furnishings, etc.
o Use of colour and light
o Special features designed to appeal to children and/or YAs
• The collections
o General observations
o Special collections
o Reference
o Print and electronic resources available to children and YAs
• The layout of the space
o How is the space used?
o Is the space designed to appeal to a wide range of library patrons?
o Are there spaces for reading and work?
o Have accommodations been made to allow young patrons to bring their own computers/laptops and use them in the library?
o What do you notice about the furniture placement? Shelving?
• Special services specifically for children and young adults
o Readers’ advisory
o Reference
• Promotional/marketing materials used to advertise programs and services
o How are programs and special events marketed?
• Programs or special events that are going on (or are being advertised)
o What types of programs or special events are planned?
• Staffing levels in the children’s and YA areas
This list is meant to be a general guideline only. Feel free to add to it!
In addition to observing the physical library space, you should also spend some time observing the library’s virtual space(s) for children and young adults. Take note of things such as:
• Is the site appealing and easy to navigate for young patrons?
• What kinds of content are included?
• Is it well advertised and easy to find?
• Who do you think is the intended user of this virtual space?
• Is the site up-to-date?
• Would it assist children or young adults with both their recreational and informational needs?
While you are observing the physical and virtual spaces for children and young adults in the library you have selected, you will probably want to take notes so that you can refer to those notes later on. Prior to your visit, be sure to read the relevant sections of the course text(s) which will give you further insight and information about key ideas you might want to watch out for.
Although it is not a requirement for this assignment, you may also want to make arrangements to talk to the children’s or young adult librarian in the library you visit to get further insight and information into the library’s services and programs for children and young adults.
After you have visited the library and explored the library’s website, it is time to write your report. Your report should be no more than 10 pages long. You will not be able to include EVERY detail in a report of this length. Your report should include:
• Introduction
• General information about the library you visited (you will need to find out more specific information, including demographics, etc. for the final project)
• Detailed observations about the library’s programs, services, facilities, and virtual spaces for children and young adults (tell us what you saw)
• Reactions to what you saw: what surprised you? what were you particularly excited about? what was particularly well done? what might you do differently (and why)?
• Connections to course readings and text(s) and/or discussions, where appropriate
• General reflections and a conclusion
Assessment:
Your report will be assessed based on:
• Completeness of your report
• Attention to detail
• Connections to course readings and discussions
• Evidence of thinking critically and carefully about what you observed and what it means
• Attention to assignment requirements (particularly page length, etc.)
• Style (including proper citations and references, spelling, grammar, clarity of writing, etc.)
Task: Select a library (or branch) to visit. Select your library or branch wisely—you will be using this library as the basis for your final project in this course, so the information you gather in this assignment will help you complete the final project.
Plan to visit at least once, although you might need to go back more than once to complete this assignment (this might be a factor when deciding which library to visit).
While you are visiting, take note of:
• They physical space for children and young adults
o Layout, access, barriers to use, furnishings, etc.
o Use of colour and light
o Special features designed to appeal to children and/or YAs
• The collections
o General observations
o Special collections
o Reference
o Print and electronic resources available to children and YAs
• The layout of the space
o How is the space used?
o Is the space designed to appeal to a wide range of library patrons?
o Are there spaces for reading and work?
o Have accommodations been made to allow young patrons to bring their own computers/laptops and use them in the library?
o What do you notice about the furniture placement? Shelving?
• Special services specifically for children and young adults
o Readers’ advisory
o Reference
• Promotional/marketing materials used to advertise programs and services
o How are programs and special events marketed?
• Programs or special events that are going on (or are being advertised)
o What types of programs or special events are planned?
• Staffing levels in the children’s and YA areas
This list is meant to be a general guideline only. Feel free to add to it!
In addition to observing the physical library space, you should also spend some time observing the library’s virtual space(s) for children and young adults. Take note of things such as:
• Is the site appealing and easy to navigate for young patrons?
• What kinds of content are included?
• Is it well advertised and easy to find?
• Who do you think is the intended user of this virtual space?
• Is the site up-to-date?
• Would it assist children or young adults with both their recreational and informational needs?
While you are observing the physical and virtual spaces for children and young adults in the library you have selected, you will probably want to take notes so that you can refer to those notes later on. Prior to your visit, be sure to read the relevant sections of the course text(s) which will give you further insight and information about key ideas you might want to watch out for.
Although it is not a requirement for this assignment, you may also want to make arrangements to talk to the children’s or young adult librarian in the library you visit to get further insight and information into the library’s services and programs for children and young adults.
After you have visited the library and explored the library’s website, it is time to write your report. Your report should be no more than 10 pages long. You will not be able to include EVERY detail in a report of this length. Your report should include:
• Introduction
• General information about the library you visited (you will need to find out more specific information, including demographics, etc. for the final project)
• Detailed observations about the library’s programs, services, facilities, and virtual spaces for children and young adults (tell us what you saw)
• Reactions to what you saw: what surprised you? what were you particularly excited about? what was particularly well done? what might you do differently (and why)?
• Connections to course readings and text(s) and/or discussions, where appropriate
• General reflections and a conclusion
Assessment:
Your report will be assessed based on:
• Completeness of your report
• Attention to detail
• Connections to course readings and discussions
• Evidence of thinking critically and carefully about what you observed and what it means
• Attention to assignment requirements (particularly page length, etc.)
• Style (including proper citations and references, spelling, grammar, clarity of writing, etc.)
Annual Program Plan for a Youth Services Department
Task: To prepare a 12 month programming plan for a youth services department in a public library.
Process: Using the library you visited for the previous assignment, you are now responsible for carefully planning a year’s worth of library programs and special events for that library.
Your program plan should be as specific and realistic as possible. Prepare it as if it were being used by library staff members at this branch or library. Assume they would use your plans to prepare and deliver the programs you have outlined.
To help narrow the scope of the assignment, you may choose to focus your plan on programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers; school aged children; or tweens and teens. In the introductory section of your project, you will need to describe the age group you are focusing on and provide a rationale for your decision to plan programs for that particular age group.
Your program plan must include activities for all ages and abilities (within your chosen age range), as well as programming activities for parents and/or caregivers. You might want to choose an overall theme for the year and/or themes for each month, as well as displays that coordinate with these themes. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Include information on how the various activities you include for each program enhance or complement the developmental stages of the children/YAs you are planning for.
Design and present your plan with the idea that you (or someone else) could take it and be able to actually do these programs and activities. You will need to be as detailed and realistic as possible. You will also need to consult other sources (books, journals, websites, etc.) and may need to cite or refer to these additional sources throughout your project.
Your plan must include the following things (this is at a minimum…be creative and add additional information that is relevant or might be useful):
• Introduction
o Including the age range you have chosen and a rationale for that decision
• Background about the library (demographics, community, etc.)
• Developmental information about the age group you are focusing on (you will also want to include some information about this for each program you plan)
• Annual theme (if applicable)
• Services for parents and/or caregivers
• Month by month programming outline*
o Monthly theme(s)
o Including a description of each program (minimum of 2 per month), cost of each program, required supplies, volunteers and staffing needed, other support you might need, marketing and advertising plan, displays, etc.
o Collection development needs, including specific titles or other resources you might need
o Monthly budget
• Special Events Plan*
o Including a description of at least 4 special events for the year
o Cost for the special event
o Funding sources (e.g. will you seek outside sponsorship or funding? If so, from where? Identify specific companies or organizations that might fund your project and include why they might be a good fit.)
o Partners
o Volunteers and staffing requirements
o Marketing and advertising plan for each special event
o Displays to support the special event
• Summary/Conclusion
• Resources consulted (books, websites, people, etc.)
• Final Reflection
o A brief (3-5 page) paper reflecting on the process of preparing this plan. What was challenging? What was easy? What are you most pleased with? What concerns do you have? What did you learn about youth services and program planning?
*Because most public libraries offer a summer reading program during July and August, you should plan to design/outline a summer reading program plan for two of the months of your plan.
Format: You can present your project in any format that makes sense to you. You may want to include multimedia elements in your project, in which case you will need to present your project in a way that allows you to incorporate different elements. A word document, Google docs project, a wiki, or some combination of these things might all be suitable formats.
Assessment:
Your project will be assessed holistically based on:
o How well you meet the requirements of the assignment
o Attention to detail
o Completeness of the project plan
o Overall quality of the programming ideas and how well they are presented
o Organization
o How well you attend to the things we have talked/read/learned about in this class
o Style (spelling, grammar, etc.)
o Creativity
o Diversity of program ideas and plans (e.g. a wide range of programs that will appeal to different kids and that incorporate a range of services)
Process: Using the library you visited for the previous assignment, you are now responsible for carefully planning a year’s worth of library programs and special events for that library.
Your program plan should be as specific and realistic as possible. Prepare it as if it were being used by library staff members at this branch or library. Assume they would use your plans to prepare and deliver the programs you have outlined.
To help narrow the scope of the assignment, you may choose to focus your plan on programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers; school aged children; or tweens and teens. In the introductory section of your project, you will need to describe the age group you are focusing on and provide a rationale for your decision to plan programs for that particular age group.
Your program plan must include activities for all ages and abilities (within your chosen age range), as well as programming activities for parents and/or caregivers. You might want to choose an overall theme for the year and/or themes for each month, as well as displays that coordinate with these themes. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Include information on how the various activities you include for each program enhance or complement the developmental stages of the children/YAs you are planning for.
Design and present your plan with the idea that you (or someone else) could take it and be able to actually do these programs and activities. You will need to be as detailed and realistic as possible. You will also need to consult other sources (books, journals, websites, etc.) and may need to cite or refer to these additional sources throughout your project.
Your plan must include the following things (this is at a minimum…be creative and add additional information that is relevant or might be useful):
• Introduction
o Including the age range you have chosen and a rationale for that decision
• Background about the library (demographics, community, etc.)
• Developmental information about the age group you are focusing on (you will also want to include some information about this for each program you plan)
• Annual theme (if applicable)
• Services for parents and/or caregivers
• Month by month programming outline*
o Monthly theme(s)
o Including a description of each program (minimum of 2 per month), cost of each program, required supplies, volunteers and staffing needed, other support you might need, marketing and advertising plan, displays, etc.
o Collection development needs, including specific titles or other resources you might need
o Monthly budget
• Special Events Plan*
o Including a description of at least 4 special events for the year
o Cost for the special event
o Funding sources (e.g. will you seek outside sponsorship or funding? If so, from where? Identify specific companies or organizations that might fund your project and include why they might be a good fit.)
o Partners
o Volunteers and staffing requirements
o Marketing and advertising plan for each special event
o Displays to support the special event
• Summary/Conclusion
• Resources consulted (books, websites, people, etc.)
• Final Reflection
o A brief (3-5 page) paper reflecting on the process of preparing this plan. What was challenging? What was easy? What are you most pleased with? What concerns do you have? What did you learn about youth services and program planning?
*Because most public libraries offer a summer reading program during July and August, you should plan to design/outline a summer reading program plan for two of the months of your plan.
Format: You can present your project in any format that makes sense to you. You may want to include multimedia elements in your project, in which case you will need to present your project in a way that allows you to incorporate different elements. A word document, Google docs project, a wiki, or some combination of these things might all be suitable formats.
Assessment:
Your project will be assessed holistically based on:
o How well you meet the requirements of the assignment
o Attention to detail
o Completeness of the project plan
o Overall quality of the programming ideas and how well they are presented
o Organization
o How well you attend to the things we have talked/read/learned about in this class
o Style (spelling, grammar, etc.)
o Creativity
o Diversity of program ideas and plans (e.g. a wide range of programs that will appeal to different kids and that incorporate a range of services)
Participation
Your participation in this course is critical for the overall success of the course and, of course, for how much you learn. In an online course, just like in a seminar-style face-to-face course, you get out of it what you put into it. Because much of the teaching and learning will take place in the online discussions, it is expected that you will be prepared to contribute to these discussions in meaningful, interesting and relevant ways.
Your participation will be assessed based on:
• The quality of your posts
• The regularity with which you post and contribute to the weekly discussions
• Your engagement with the course discussions
• Your leadership of 2 of the weekly discussions (see below for more information)
Discussion Leadership
As part of your participation mark, you will be responsible for leading 2 of the weekly discussions (I will post a schedule early in the semester). You will be put into groups for the weekly discussions…each group will likely have between 5 and 7 people, depending on the final number of students who register for the course.
Each week, every member of the group will post a brief response to the weekly readings by Tuesday evening. The discussion leader will help move the conversation forward through until Friday evening.
Discussion leadership involves:
• Ensuring you have read the textbook and enough of the weekly readings to feel comfortable with the topic
• Posting a few general questions for discussion based on these readings
• Following the discussions, responding to others’ posts, encouraging further discussion, etc.
• Posting a brief summary of the discussion by the end of the week to your group’s discussion thread (discussions for each week run from Tuesday until Friday)
To assist with the discussions, I will post some general conversation starters/questions that can easily serve as a starting place for each group. The discussions are meant to be a place to ask questions, share ideas, respond to the readings, extend your learning, etc. They are informal and (hopefully) a productive and positive learning space.
List of Weekly Readings **
Note: All the readings below can be found through the University of Alberta Libraries’ electronic databases (unless otherwise noted). Students are responsible for locating the readings through the databases.
Week | Topics | Weekly Readings |
1 Jan. 10-14 | Introduction to the course and each other The public library as a community space | Anderson, B. L. (1994). The library as community center. Library Trends, 42(3), 395-403. Ellis, J. (2002). The importance of attending to children and place. International Journal of Educational Policy, 3(3), pp. 69-88. Rettig, J. (2008). Partners in Learning: Fulfilling Patron Needs in a Struggling Economy. American Libraries, 39(9). |
2 Jan. 17-21 | Youth services in public libraries: Setting the Stage | 200 Years of Young Adult Library Services History. Available online from:http://www.voya.com/2010/03/30/chronology/ Albright, M., Delecki, K., & Hinkle, S. (2009). The Evolution of Early Literacy: A History of Best Practices in Storytimes. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 7(1), 13-18. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. ALSC’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries (available online at:http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/edcareeers/alsccorecomps/index.cfm) CLA’s Statement on Young Adult Library Services in Public Libraries (available online at: http://bit.ly/c8EoEw) IFLA’s Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section:http://www.ifla.org/en/about-the-libraries-for-children-and-ya-section (look at the Best Practices section on this page and also the Guidelines (click on Publications and scroll down)) YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth (available online at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/profdev/yacompetencies2010.cfm) |
3 Jan. 24-28 | Management of Youth Services in Public Libraries -Strategic Planning -Managing a Youth Services Department | Hughes-Hassell, S., Agosto, D., & Xiaoning, S. (2007). Making Storytime Available to Children of Working Parents: Public Libraries and the Scheduling of Children's Literacy Programs. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 5(2), 43-48. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Kelly, P., & Joseph, M. (2010). DEVELOPING A YOUTH SERVICES STRATEGY FRAMEWORK FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES. APLIS, 23(2), 56-60. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Schultz, J. (2010). The Accidental Manager. Children & Libraries, 8(1), 48-49. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2082632251). |
4 Jan. 31-Feb. 4 | Management of Youth Services in Public Libraries -Communication -Staffing -Annual Reports | Tuccillo, D. (2009). Caring: an Essential Ingredient of Teen Library Services. Voice of Youth Advocates, 32(5), 370-3. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Select database |
5 Feb. 7-11 | Management of Youth Services in Public Libraries -Financial Management -Facilities Management and Planning | Bernier, A. (2010). Ten Years of YA Spaces of Your Dreams: What Have we Learned? Available online from: http://www.voya.com/2010/05/13/ten-years-of-ya-spaces-of-your-dreams-what-have-we-learned/ Designing Tomorrow’s Libraries with Children’s Views. Presentation slides available online at: http://www.ifla.org/files/libraries-for-children-and ya/publications/INCI%20ONAL.pdf Feinberg, S., & Keller, J.(2010, April). DESIGNING SPACE for CHILDREN and TEENS IN LIBRARIES AND PUBLIC PLACES. American Libraries, 41(4), 34-37. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. (Document ID: 1998560681). |
6 Feb. 14-18 | Youth Services -Collections -Electronic Resources & Services -Reader’s Advisory -Reading Promotion | Collier, G. (2010). The Reluctant Weeder. Children & Libraries, 8(2), 51-53. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2114686951). Delgado-Gomez, A. J. (2002). Young adults and virtual libraries: A case study. New Library World, 103(7/8), 277. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 251672961). Ferriter, W.. (2010, March). Can't Get Kids to Read? Make It Social. Educational Leadership, 67(6), 87. Gomez, S. H. (2007). Teens and Zines. VOYA, 30(1), 24-26. Larkin-Lieffers, P. A.(2002) Informational Picture Books in the Library: Do Young Children Find Them? Public Library Quarterly,20(3), pp. 3-28 DOI: 10.1300/J118v20n03_02 Nesi, O. (2010). It’s all about Text Appeal. School Library Journal. Available online:http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/885803-427/its_all_about_text_appeal.html.csp Peterson, G. & McGlinn, S. H. (2008). Building a community of readers: BookSpace. Computers in libraries, 28(4), 6-12. Saricks, J. (2008). Readers’ advisory: Flash in the pan or here to stay?Booklist, 104(21), 12. Scholastic, Inc. (2010). 2010 Kids & Family Reading Report. Available from:http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/themes/bare_bones/2010_KFRR.pdf Shoemaker, C. (2010). Teen Tech Takeover: Using Web 2.0's Experts to Create Your Content. Voice of Youth Advocates, 32(6), 471. Retrieved from OmniFile Full Text Select database Stover, K. M. (2009). Stalking the wild appeal factor: Readers’ advisory and social networking sites. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 48(3), 243-269. Tilley, C. L. (2008). Reading comics. School Library Media Activities Monthly, XXIV(9), 23-26. |
Feb. 21-25 | Reading Week! | |
7 Feb. 28-March 4 | Youth Services -Programming in Public Libraries | Celano, D., & Neuman, S. B. (2001). The role of public libraries in children’s literacy development: An evaluation report. Available online at:www.statelibrary.state.pa.us/libraries/lib/libraries/Role%2of%20Libraries.pdf Diament-Cohen, B. (2004). Mother Goose on the loose: Applying brain research to early childhood programs in the public library. Public Libraries, 43(1), p. 41-5. Available from Library Literature and Information Science database. Fiore, C. & Roman, S. (2010). Proof Positive. School Library Journal. Available online at: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/887306-312/proof_positive_a_new_study.html.csp Fletcher-Spears, K. & Kan, K. (2005). The Anime-ted Library. Available online from: http://www.voya.com/2010/09/18/the-anime-ted-library/ Hill, R. (2010). The World of Multitasking Teens: How Library Programming is Changing to Meet these Needs. Young Adult Library Services, 8(4), 33-36. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Krashen, S. & Shin, F. (2004). Summer reading and the potential contribution of the public library in improving reading for children of poverty. Public Library Quarterly, 23(3/4), 99-109. Morrison, C. (2010). Transforming a Teen Summer Reading Program. Young Adult Library Services, 8(4), 31-32. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Osborne, C. (2009). Crafting Cheap and Successful Teen Programs. Young Adult Library Services, 8(1), 15-17. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Rogers-Whitehead, C., & Fay, J.. (2010). Managing Children's Behavior in Storytimes. Children & Libraries, 8(1), 8-12. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2082632151). Rupp, R. (2009). What's the Big Idea?: Science and Math at the Library for Preschoolers and Kindergarteners. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 7(3), 27-31. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Walter, V. A. (2009). Sowing the seeds of praxis: Incorporating youth development principles in a library teen employment program. Library Trends, 58(1), 63-81. Walton-Hadlock, M. (2008). Tots to Tweens: Age-Appropriate Technology Programming for Kids.Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, 6(3), 52-55. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Wilson, H. (2005). Gaming for librarians: An introduction. VOYA, 27(6), 446-449. Winson, G., & Adams, C. (2010). Collaboration at Its Best. Children & Libraries, 8(2), 15-17. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2114686881). YALSA. Section Five: Serving Young Adults. Available online from:http://bit.ly/bDNa4Z |
8 Mar. 7-11 | Youth Services -Programming in Public Libraries | |
9 Mar. 14-18 | Youth Services -Special Events -Promotion & Marketing of Services | Bange, S., Bodiker, K., & Delman, V.. (2010). A Small Idea Grows. Children & Libraries, 8(2), 38-40. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2114686921). |
10 Mar. 21-25 | Issues in Youth Services -Safety and Security -Latch Key Children in the Library | A Safe Place for Children (published by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, U.K.). Available online at:http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-involved/special-interest-groups/youth/publications/children/pages/safeplaceforchildren.aspx |
11 Mar. 28-Apr. 1 | Issues in Youth Services -Intellectual Freedom and Censorship | Allen, C. (2007). Are we selecting? Or are we censoring?. Young Adult Library Services, 5(3), 5. McKechnie, L. & Wilkinson, M.A. (1997). Do Canadian children have the right to be intellectually free? Available online from: |
12 Apr. 4-8 | Issues in Youth Services -Outreach to Other Groups -Working with other libraries -Being part of the Profession | de Groot, J., & Branch, J. L. (2008). Public libraries supporting world class learning and literacy: A study of public library support of children’s research projects. Paper presented at the 37th Annual Conference incorporating the 12thAnnual Forum on Research in School Librarianship: World Class Learning and Literacy through School Libraries, Berkeley, CA. Available online through ProQuest Education Journals. de Groot, J. & Branch, J. (2009). Solid foundations: A primer on the crucial, critical, and key roles of school and public libraries in children’s development.Library Trends, 58(1), 51-62. Jarombek, K., & Leon, A. (2010). Leadership at its Best Library Managers Spearhead Successful Special Needs Programming. Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children,8(2), 54-57. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Pelman, A. (2009). It Takes Two: School and Public Libraries, Partnerships That Can Work!. Young Adult Library Services, 8(1), 26-28. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Weimer, E..(2010). The Power of Books in a Children's Hospital. Children & Libraries, 8(1), 20-21. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 2082632181). |
13 Apr. 11-15 | Course Wrap Up and Good byes | |
**As is noted elsewhere in the course, there are a LOT of readings listed here. Rest assured that you are not necessarily going to have to read them all. You will need to evaluate your own background, experiences, and interest and determine which readings will be most valuable to you at this time. If you are particularly interested in YA services, you might focus your readings on the articles that relate to that area. We will be discussing the articles and themes in a general way and you will be expected to be able to participate fully in these discussions, while supporting your ideas and opinions with evidence from the readings.
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