John Lortie
LIS 60608
Reasoning
The area of service that this assignment will explore is teen librarianship, largely
due to the authors desire to become a teen librarian upon his completion of Kent State
Universitys MLIS program. The four topics related to this career that will be further
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). While there are many more topics related to
teen librarianship that could be presented within this assignment, these four were chosen
due to the authors interest in both discovering more about them and finding resources
that will allow him to build his knowledge of the them over time.
There has been a significant amount written on these topics and how they relate to
teenagers. Firstly, and as noted within the third assignment submitted for this course,
teens hold a vested interest in modern technology and use it to enrich their lives. In fact,
the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (2016d) recently commented on
this and states very plainly that teens needs are more effectively met within a library if
the library provides technology to them. From this, one can extrapolate the knowledge of
marginalized community, public libraries can offer not only resources of self-affirmation
for LGBTQ patrons, but also resources that impart to all the concept of tolerance and why
it is important (Hughes-Hassell, Overberg, & Harris, 2013). Due to the positive role
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public libraries, especially teen librarians, can play in helping LGBTQ teens better
understand themselves and become more accepted by their society, this author feels this
is a topic worthy of further exploration via the resources offered within this assignment.
section, Farrelly (2010) discussed the importance of offering readers advisory services to
teensspecifically that, if done correctly, the act of readers advisory can expose teens to
new ideas that can open new horizons for them. More recently, Graves (2016) wrote an
article detailing how the social media Snapchat can be used to offer readers advisory
services to teens who may be hesitant to approach library employees for direct help in
finding a book to read. Graves work not only showcased a way in which modern
technology can be utilized by teen librarians (which reinforces the first topic choice), it
also echoed the importance of readers advisory to teens discussed by Farrelly. As such,
this author feels that the inclusion of a readers advisory topic is a logical decision.
atmosphere. A recent article published in Young Adult Library Services discussed the
reasoning for this assertion. Not only are many of the fastest growing career options are
tied to STEM, STEM educations teach teens concepts such as problem solving,
adaptability, and creative thinking. Furthermore, libraries that supply resources to further
teens STEM educations empower these teens by providing them with a way to tailor
their learning process to themselves (Make, do, share: Sustainable STEM leadership in a
box an interview with Shannon Peterson, 2016). In light the importance of supporting
STEM educations to better equip teens for their careers, the author of this assignment
Taking all four of these topics into consideration, one will be able to see why this
assignments author feels they are apt for inclusion here. The following resources that
allow users to explore them will help him expand his views upon them. Furthermore, the
resources presented within this assignment will doubtlessly assist him in his career as a
teen librarian by providing him with knowledge that is relevant to that career.
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Toolkit
Current Technology
utilized in different fields) and popular culture information. For the purposes of his career
as a teen librarian, the author will use certainly use this resource to keep abreast in the
news related to the technology being used by his patrons. However, he believes its
buyers guides will be useful in the event that he is ever tasked with selecting new
CNET is another technology resource that the author believes will assist him in
his future career as a teen librarian. Like many of the resources that will be listed within
this section, it features technology reviews and information about newly-released (or
pieces of technology can accomplish. The author feels this would be useful to teen
technology as well as information about new devices that are being developed.
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/
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Field Guide, a technology blog within the Gizmondo family, is a resource the
author foresees himself using frequently as a teen librarian. This blog features posts about
how to use familiar technology in inventive, new ways. It would help him to not only
better understand the devices and applications his patrons may be adapt at using, but it
would also provide him with insights for maximizing the potential of all out dated
technological offerings featured by his library. He could also foresee himself using what
he has learned on the website to create a teen program to introduce teens to these
concepts so that they can discover alternate ways of using the technology with which they
applications and social media to developers and recent news of technological gadgets,
this blog will doubtlessly serve the author well as a teen librarian. With this resource, he
would be able to keep up to date with issues regarding current technology and how those
issues may affect the patrons with whom he works daily. The blog posts relating to social
media may serve to open he eyes to new ways of using these technologies and could
inspire him to utilize them in inventive ways to help his patrons and promote the library.
Popular Science is another technology news blog that this assignments author
will frequent as a teen librarian. While it features articles on larger scientific discoveries
than would be useful in his day-to-day librarianship, it reports on interesting smart device
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article on the homepage at the time of this writing, which explores the pros and cons of
exchanging a laptop for a tablet. This would be a go-to resource for any questions he may
have about current technology and he believes that its posts about larger scientific
LGBTQ Issues
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/lgbtq-issues-home
Advocates for Youths LGBTQ Issues section is a reference the author foresees
himself using regularly as a teen librarian seeking information on the issues faced by
LGBTQ youth. The website features facts on LGBTQ youth, issues they face both in the
United States and abroad, legislation that affects their lives, and links to numerous
resources that provide further information. While it does not appear that the site has been
updated recently, the data it provides is informative and the links to other resources and
websites will doubtlessly be helpful to him as he performs his duties as a teen librarian.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. (2016). GLAD legal advocates and defenders for
providing information about LGBTQ issues and legality to the community it serves. In
doing so it provides news about LGBTQ issues and users are able to seek information
about such issues based upon their state or topic of interest. Apart from providing
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LGBTQ youth that provides similar information and ways for youth with questions to
communicate confidentially with GLAD members. This is a great resource for teen
librarians to learn about the legal issues concerning the LGBTQ community. The author
understanding them.
GSA Network. (n.d.). GSA Network: Trans and queer youth uniting for racial and gender
schools. It features ways for students to get involved in current or create new GSA
organizations in their schools, news about GSA organizations, and blog posts about
librarians for the following reasons: it can allow them to empower their patrons to join or
create a GSA club while keeping them abreast in current LGBTQ issues and providing
insight as to how LGBTQ community members feel about them. In light of this, the
author of this assignment feels GSA Network is a resource worthy of inclusion here.
Scarleteen is not only a website that features sex education resources for
teenagers it also provides resources about sexual orientation and gender. Beyond
providing resources for teens looking for ways to better understand themselves, it also
provides the ability for teens to talk to site representatives about issues they encounter in
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their lives regarding the topics covered by the resource. While Scarleteen does not
provide information to keep him abreast in all the current issues facing the LGBTQ
community at large, it is a wonderful resource that offers much more intimate attention
http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
The Trevor Project is a website that is first and foremost a suicide prevention
resource for LGBTQ youth. However, apart from its primary purpose, it also features a
plethora of resources relevant to its audience, including: advice on coming out, a glossary
of terms related to LGBTQ people and issues, information on and how to get tested for
HIV and AIDS, and counselors that can be reached via chat, text, and phone call. Due to
its abundance of resources and the immediate help it offers to its audience, the author is
sure The Trevor Project is a website that he will readily recommend and frequent as a
Readers Advisory
Dawn Abrons blog hosts written reviews about recent and soon-to-be-published
Young Adult (YA) books. Her reviews cover the plot of the works and points of
contention she takes with them, the characters, and the writing. The blog also features
podcasts on some of the books reviewed and links to YALSAs Diversify YA Life, a
monthly blog also written Abron, which covers different issues of diversity in YA
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literature. This assignments author will turn to this blog for information on upcoming
works (both their highlights and their shortcomings) and details on the diversification of
YA literature. Doing so will empower him to more readily suggest books to his patrons.
Hickey, K. (2016). Hickey picks young adult readers advisory. Retrieved from
https://hickeypicks.wordpress.com/
Hickey Picks is a blog run by a Kent State University alumna and is a wonderful
resource for a teen librarian. Not only does the blogs author provide a review of each
book about which she posts (these are all akin to mini booktalks), she also shares talking
points that allow librarians to discuss each book with teens. The books she highlights are
all recent works of teen fiction that span a wide range of topicsfrom sci-fi to
LGBTQthat will have broad appeal to teens. This blog will provide this author with
examples of excellent works in teen literature to recommend to his patrons and talking
points that will allow him to further engage the teens with whom he will work.
Rita & Truett Smith Public Library. (2016). The teen machine. Retrieved from
https://splteenmachine.com/
The Smith Public Librarys Teen Machine features reviews of current teen books
by staff at the library who assist YA patrons. Each reviewer presents her reviews
differently and some books have thoughts provided by different reviewers, which
provides different opinions on the books. Furthermore, the website also links to further
readers advisory resources. The author will use the blog to hone his readers advisory
skills for teens by better understanding differing opinions on books, and he will use its
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provided readers advisory resources to provide more possible reading material to the
teens he assists.
/category/young-adult-literature/.
The Young Adult section of The Booklist Readers website features many
resources that are excellent for a teen librarian looking to provide better readers advisory
to his or her patrons. Among these resources, one can find interviews with authors, a
and reviews of YA books. By frequenting this blog, a teen librarian would be able to keep
abreast on the latest news in YA literature and learn more about books and authors he
The New York Public Library. (2016). Stuff for the teen age. Retrieved from
https://www.nypl.org/voices/blogs/blog-channels/sta
Stuff for the Teen Age is The New York Public Librarys teen services blog. It
features lists and reviews for a variety of teen media, including books and films. Teen
librarians can use this in order to provide teenage patrons with a variety of ideas of where
to turn after finishing a book or other work of media that they thoroughly enjoyed.
Perhaps the best part about this blog is that it serves a variety of interests: from teen
http://www.engineeryourlife.org/
Engineer Your Life is a website that strives to obtain and keep high school girls
interest in STEM careers, specifically engineering. The website provides stories about
women in engineering, details about STEM careers, and how readers can prepare
themselves for an engineering career. The website also links to the Engineer Your Life
Blogupdated multiple times a monththat features news in STEM fields and the
become more and more prevalent, the author believes this is a resource that he can supply
to his patrons, girls in particular, who are seeking information on STEM careers and
obtaining them.
using frequently as a teen librarian. The webpage features projects teens and other
students can create to broaden their exposure to STEM concepts. The projects showcased
on the website span a wide array of topics, including: audio, cooking, engineering,
chemistry, sports, and time. Not only will this resource help him plan STEM related
programs for his librarys teen patrons, it will also be a resource he recommend his
patrons to utilize on their own due to the interesting and STEM articles it features.
http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com/
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Joe Hansons blog, Its Okay to Be Smart, is not only a great resource for a teen
librarian to explore regularly as he prepares to discuss STEM news with his patrons and
host STEM related programs, its embedded YouTube videos, Tumblr posts, and .gifs
appeal to teens. Therefore, it is something that the author will recommend to his patrons
it also showcases how STEM concepts can apply to the everyday world, which may
careers and information regarding who is responsible for them. The author will use the
not only to keep abreast of STEM news, he will also use it as a resource for patrons
seeking information about STEM and what it offers in terms of careers and ways in
which they can be obtained (through such means as scholarships for STEM education, for
instance).
http://www.stemjobs.com/stem-student-portal/
This appears to be a useful resource for children and teens interested in STEM
careers. It features current articles about STEM developments and a quiz that users can
take to determine their STEM type, which indicates the right kind of STEM career for
them. As a teen librarian, this author would use this resource in two ways: he would read
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it regularly to keep up to date on STEM developments and he would point patrons in its
direction if they are struggling to find the career track that is best for them.
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The follow job description was obtained via the City of Madison, Wisconsins
Human Resources Job Openings page. It appears that the position has been filled since
http://www.cityofmadison.com/HR/employment/JobOpenings.cfm
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Skills Assessment
An examination of the above job posting leads this assignments author to believe
that he currently posses, or has started on the path to acquiring via his recently-begun
internship in The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Countys TeenSpot, the
skills required for the position. He interacts with teens regularly in a professional manner;
display to do this for his internship); and he is flexible, friendly, and an excellent
communicator with a passion for working with teens. Furthermore, the resources he has
listed above will serve to keep him current on developing technology, STEM, teen
However, there is room for him to improve in all of these skills. Furthermore,
there are some skills required of the position that he believes he needs to build before he
is ready for a teen librarian career. These are working with entities outside of the library
and planning programs. The author has had exposure to both of these conceptsthis
two of his other LIS courses have culminated in teen programming proposals. However,
he does not believe that he has enough experience in either of these areas to preform in
the position at the level desired by the library. While he knows that at some point soon
his internship will provide him with opportunities to improve these skills, this papers
In all, the above job posting is an excellent tool. It illuminates the skills the author
currently posses that will lead him to a career in teen librarianship. It also validates the
doubtlessly areas of great interest to teen librarians. Lastly, the job description indicates
areas of teen librarianship upon which he must focus to ensure that, as a teen librarian, he
will perform to the best of his ability. The next portion of this assignment will provide
development opportunities that will allow him to improve these required skills.
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opportunity that would allow the author to improve his handle on the skills necessary to
be a teen librarian. The most recent Symposium took place in early November 2016 and
had a registration fee of 59 dollars (Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016c).
Many of the events that came included in registration would have been beneficial to him
as he prepares for a career in teen librarianship. These included topics relating to: teen
librarian services focused on LGBTQ communities, connecting teens inside of the library
outreach efforts, among others (Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016b).
There is also one event that cost extra to attend that piqued the authors interest.
The event, which was an added 79 dollars, was a three-hour session designed to provide
librarians will skills needed to market the library, its collection, and its programming in
person and via social media. Furthermore, this session provided attendees with the tools
needed to evaluate the success of library marketing campaigns (Young Adult Library
While this years Young Adult Services Symposium has passed, YALSA has
announced the dates for 2017s and 2018s Symposiums (Young Adult Library Services
Association, 2016e). There are currently no scheduled panels for either of these events.
However, based upon the panels offered at this years Symposium, the author believes
that these events will be worthwhile professional development opportunities and would
honing his teen librarian skills is the upcoming American Library Association (ALA)
Midwinter conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference runs from January 20th to
January 24th, 2017 (American Library Association, 2016a). Since he is not an ALA
member the rate available for him to attend the conference is 340 dollars, providing he
registers before January 13th. If he registers after that date, he will need to pay 370 dollars
However, the author thinks that going to the event is in his best interest. By
looking at the schedule, it is clear that many of the offered presentations will help prepare
him for a career in teen librarianship. The follow discussion topics can be found within
the events offered presentations: award winners for children and YA literature, outreach
ideas, tips for engaging reluctant YA readers, meetings discussing LGBTQ books and
teen graphic novels, discussions about providing library services to homeless patrons, and
many more (American Library Association, 2016b). Although the author is not an ALA
member and will need to pay more to attend the conference, he believes it is in his best
interest and will help him grow the skills necessary to become an excellent teen librarian.
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Other Resources
Having explored helpful online resources for aspects of teen librarianship as well
as in-person events that will help bolster a teen librarians skills, there are still resources
that are useful to the would-be teen librarian. Although there are many of these resources
that are worthy of consideration, the following three will be discussed within this section
of this assignment: ALA, YALSA, and Teen Services Underground (TSU). Reasons for
beneficial. Not only would this decrease entry fees to ALA conferences like the
Association, 2016d), it would make many more benefits available. Among these benefits
are: interacting with other librarians/library supporters, lobbying for library funding,
better advocating for libraries, fostering leadership abilities, and receiving ALA member
discounts at various events (American Library Association, 2016e). For the price of 68
dollars for the first year of membership, ALA is an excellent organization that offers
support services and learning opportunities to all of its members (American Library
Association, 2016c).
YALSA is another excellent organization with which budding teen librarians can
become involved. As an extension of ALA, there is an extra 60 dollar fee per year to
receive membership benefits from YALSA. However, this extra fee ensures access to
resources that benefit teen librarians, including: skill building through monthly and
(Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016a). While a YALSA membership does
not explicitly enhance the necessary skills listed for teen librarians in the job posting
included within this assignment, it does provide members the ability to interact with other
teen librarians and obtain training related to various aspects of teen librarianship and, as
One final resource that will be discussed here is TSU. This free resource is a blog
where teen librarians come together to share ideas and information. It features everything
from news about current developments in teen librarianship to ideas about programming
and booktalks. Its material is presented in numerous ways, including text-based posts,
podcasts, and videos. Furthermore, users are able to submit their own content to the
website to be featured (Teen Services Underground, 2016). TSU is a great free resource
that definitely warrants further examination due to its frequent updates and wealth of
All resources presented within this assignment are tailored suited to help the
author become the best teen librarian he can be. They will be amended and updated as he
embarks and progresses through his career, but they all perform the same function: to
inform him of news and ideas that will enhance the service he provides to his teenage
patrons.
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References:
American Library Association. (2016a). ALA Atlanta midwinter meetings & exhibits.
https://www.eventscribe.com/2017/ALA-
Midwinter/agenda.asp?h=Full%20Schedule
http://www.ala.org/membership/ala-personal-membership
http://2017.alamidwinter.org/rates
American Library Association. (2016e). The value of ALA membership. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/membership/become-ala-member
Farrelly, M. G. (2010). Readers' advisory and teen readers. Public Libraries, 49(1), 23-
Graves, A. (2016). Snapchat readers advisory. School Library Journal, 62(6), 12-13.
Hughes-Hassell, S., Overberg, E., & Harris, S. (2013). Lesbian, gay, bisexual,
Make, do, share: Sustainable STEM leadership in a box an interview with Shannon
Peterson. (2016). Young Adult Library Services, 14(3), 13-16. Retrieved from
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/yals/
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http://www.teenservicesunderground.com/
The City of Madison. (2016, November 28). Job openings. Retrieved from
http://www.cityofmadison.com/HR/employment/JobOpenings.cfm
Young Adult Library Services Association. (2016a). Join YALSA. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/join
Young Adult Library Services Association. (2016b). Programs & special events.
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/registration
Young Adult Library Services Association. (2016d). Teen space and public libraries: A
YALSA position paper. Young Adult Library Services, 14(4), 13-15. Retrieved
from http://www.yalsa.ala.org/yals/
Young Adult Library Services Association. (2016e). YALSA events. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/events