The Guy-Friendly YA Library: Serving Male Teens

by Rollie James Welch

Re-design and upgrade your collection and services to attract male teens, as well as females, to the library. With this guide, you'll learn about reading habits of young men, male-friendly collection development with fiction and nonfiction materials, teen advisory boards, teen area design and display, programs that bring male teens into the library, homework services, diversity of male teens, and how to redefine library policies, procedures, and attitudes to create an environment where male teens thrive. Filled with insights, anecdotes, practical guidelines, and tips that show how to make the library a facility where male teens feel welcome and comfortable.

Genres: Nonfiction, Librarianship

220 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2007

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant. I must have at least two dozen pieces of paper stuck in different pages. It comes with great suggestions to supplement YA collections with books guys will actually want to read. As I've been weeding non-fiction, I've realized the potential for that collection to really grab teen guys. This will tell you how much I love this book - in the past few years, it's the only adult book I've read in one night. And it's nearly midnight and I can't wait to get to work tomorrow to start implementing some of the ideas.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who was new but familiar with with YA services I was interested in finding out what this books would give me for advice. One of the more interesting things constantly listed throughout the book was teen guys read non-fiction. When I try to get teens to read no matter the gender I always go for fiction, doesn't matter if it is through chapter books or graphic novels. I personally think that non-fiction is so-so, thus I don't recommend it.
I also loved that there was a section on different genres and suggestions for books aimed at boys.

The big thing in this book that I didn't like was the way the author described teen boys. At least where I work I do not see boys that have spiked hair and piercings. I see loud and energetic boys that, yes they sometimes have saggy pants but most of the time they just are edgy and moody. I think that the stigma that boys ages 13-18 are violent and aggressive comes from the fact that the book was written over 12 years ago. In today's world most of teens are just filled with depression and anxiety, even the media is still portraying males ages 13-18 as violent people but slowly is going for a more modern image. Those violent and aggressive teens do not come in our library, because there is no benefit for them. Though we do deal with teens that are rude and show disrespect, violence is usual not a worry with them.
As far as having a welcoming staff, I think we hit it on the mark. Our staff greats everyone we can with a smile and a welcoming hello, the only time that I have seen a staff member seem unwelcoming is when the teen is arguing about something that we have done or said, such as keeping volume down in certain sections.
I was hoping to find a section about how to deal with male drama, since that seems to be a big part of our conflict both with boys and girls.

As far as I have seen when it comes to programming in this books and using it in the present world it still is relevant. Have programs not just for your teen girls but aimed for boys. Our best teen programs attendance happens when we have very active and game like programs. You have to play to your audience

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does emphasize something that I think our system needs to do (train staff to deal with teens, male and female, in a positive HONEST way-Teens can see through B.S. pretty fast or at least, suspect it.)
It also touches up on ways to do reader's advisory to teens, understanding teen attitude, establishing collection, and creating programs and displays that will get your guys in!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rollie Welch, Teen Coordinator of the Cleveland Public Library System, draws from years of experience working as a high school or public librarian with teens in rural, suburban, and ethnically-diverse urban communities. Chapters in The Guy-Friendly YA Library cover The Library Staff vs. Guys: Can’t We Just Get Along?; Understanding Teen Males; Males as Readers: Their Reading Habits; Reading and Boys: Topics of Interest; Books for Boys--Genres, Titles, and Topics; Engaging Teen Males in Library Programming and Teen Advisory Boards; School Visits and Book Talks; and Actively and Passively Creating Library Services for Teen Males. Welch’s thesis is revealed in such sections as “How Libraries Unwittingly Alienate Teen Males” and his admonition to “treat all teen males as individuals, at the same time providing a consistent welcome to the library.” Though Welch makes the unfair comment that too many librarians are female and thereby implies that libraries are not teen male friendly, the young adult librarian will appreciate Welch’s quick pick of “guy-appealing content” for reluctant male readers as well as advice that’s applicable to both genders that constitute the underserved.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welch's purpose is to help school and library people be more aware of the needs and interests of male YA readers, and he succeeds in giving a helpful outline the variety of tasks and issues we should attend to. Chapter 5 (Books for Boys: Genres, Titles & Topics) is gold even if many of the titles are now dated. I liked the chapters about programming and outreach, too; lots of good ideas there. There's no magic answer, Welch argues, for how libraries should connect to boys--the important thing is that they should.

[Trever · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I am reading this book 8 years after being published, but the books in the "Quick 5" I have no idea what those books are. Secondly if you are a librarian or a school librarian I am sure you took the job because you like people and books. So the first part of this book is how to deal with teens that are felons. I think it was a good premise of a book, but it was written really awfully.

[Becky Durbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welch offers sound advice and suggestions for building YA programming and services. Despite the "Guy" title, many of the suggestions apply to teens in general. It's unfortunate that the book has not been updated since 2007. A few ideas are out of date, but more modern substitutions can be easily constructed.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provided many interesting ideas on reaching an often overlooked and underserved demographic, along with shortlist recommendations for various genres.

[Audrey Snowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it...missed the interaction, though. If he did a blog it would be helpful; his current reviews seem to be mostly street lit.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welch has some solid ideas for YA services, and the experience to back them up. Unfotunately, this book is a little long in the tooth--an updated edition would be great.

[Rose]

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