Teen Series

There have always been a plethora of series in young adult fiction, but it seems as if lately the ratio of standalone books to series has doubled (or even tripled).  I wonder why?  Is this something about teen fiction that I am just now noticing as I fully enter into the realm of adulthood (albeit kicking and screaming) or is it a new phenomenon?

Series have always been a handy way to get reluctant readers to become invested in a story and WANT to read.  Book series have become more and more popular in adult fiction as well in the last decade.  I think that perhaps the correlation lies in the increased popularity of reading for fun, especially with our teens and tweens.  If more people are reading, we need more books for them to read.

Some may not like the recent upsurge in paranormal romance series, but if it gets the kids reading, can it be all that bad?

The Time Crunch

Now that your library has it's brand new teen section (we hope!) how do you make time to reach your patrons outside of your programs or advisory interviews?  Our friends from England have put together a comprehensive list of all the little things you can do to up the ante on awareness for your collection.

Spend Time in Your Teen Section
Don't hover like a creepy vulture and swoop down on visitors to your teen section, but make sure you spend some time there interacting with the clientele.  Ask them questions, figure out if there is anything that you are currently lacking.

Outreach
Spend some time visiting other institutions like schools in your area or youth clubs.  Present current programs  and use the youth population as a sounding board for ideas.  Dedicate some time to booktalks; it can be at your local middle and high schools, at a local coffee shop hangout, or even a bookstore.

Partner Up
Most local councils will have some connections to youth clubs and other services that can help with your outreach goal if you yourself do not have enough time to do so.  Make sure they know what you can offer the youth of your community.

Quality before Quantity
Rather than stretching yourself thin over many small (perhaps inferior) programs, make sure that the programs you DO put on are fun and well attended.  Again, making sure that your programs are successful by talking to teens that attend them.

These last few are pretty self-explanatory.

Support Your Teens

Apply for Money and Grants

Keep Records of Everything!

Hopefully, if you follow these guidelines you will find yourself completing more tasks with better results without having to use time that you do not have.  Keep in mind though, to save time you need to spend some time.  It doesn't only apply to money!



Source
http://yalibraryuk.org/2012/04/02/on-a-shoestring-reaching-teens-in-a-few-hours-every-week-or-how-to-use-time-effectively-when-you-dont-have-any/

Teen Spaces in Libraries

November 11-17 is Teen Appreciation week.  What better way to show that you appreciate your teen population than giving them a space of their own in the library?

The most overlooked portion of the a library's patrons are their teens.  Teens exist in a strange limbo between childhood and adulthood, and ofttimes they are allowed to fall through the cracks of the system.  Some libraries lump teens and children together (a big NO NO!) or just shuffle them off into a corner of the adult section.  While placing teens with the adults is the lesser of the two evils, teens deserve their own space.

Many libraries do not get many teen patrons and do not understand why that is.  If they have no place of their own, why bother going to the library at all?  Every library you visit will have a distinct adult and child section.  Many libraries, especially smaller branches in a larger city, do no have the space for an entire teen room, even just creating a boundary is preferable.

Make sure they have more than a shelf or two of space.  If you can set aside a whole corner of the library and block it off with shelving that is the easiest and cheapest way to create a teen space.  Put some modern, bright furniture in there for them to lounge on (Ikea has some nice affordable options) and desks to complete schoolwork or draw/craft.  If you can afford it or spare one from elsewhere, a dedicated teen computer (or more) is always a good idea.  The most important thing is to make the space look like you put some effort forth.  Teens want to feel included and wanted, and if you don't have space appropriate for their needs that message gets lost.  Most importantly, when creating the space you should ask a teen to help in the planning.  They know what they want and you might not.

Don't forget to advertise your new space! This isn't the "Field of Dreams." If they don't know it's there, they won't come.  Ask the teens that helped in creating the space to help spread the word, advertise at local hangouts, and ALWAYS collaborate with the schools.  Always remember, if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.

For more help in planning and executing your teen space, pick up a copy of Teen Spaces by Kimberly Bolan
or consult our friends from over the Pond at YA Library UK.