The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services

by Heather Booth, Karen Jensen (Editor)

ALA's popular and respected Whole Library Handbook series continues with a volume specifically geared towards those who serve young adults, gathering stellar articles and commentary from some of the country's most innovative and successful teen services librarians. Sections focusing on practice, theory, and the philosophical underpinnings of the profession are supported by current research and historical perspectives. Both instructive and reflective in scope, this essential handbook

Provides a comprehensive introduction to the background and day-to-day realities of teen librarianship for LIS students and those new to the field
Offers expert tips and wisdom invaluable to those already working with teens
Highlights trends, challenges, and opportunities in the changing world of how teens interact with libraries, and what they expect
Emphasizes advocacy across all spectrums, including in local communities and among fellow staff who may be anxious about teens in the library
Guides staff in providing readers' advisory to teens
Includes ready-to-use marketing resources, templates, and sample teen services and teen volunteer plans
Anyone who works with young adults will benefit from the thorough coverage provided by this volume's expert contributors.

Genres: Nonfiction, Professional Development, Library Science, Librarianship

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as books about career development goes I really enjoyed reading this book. Unlike many of the books I have read this one gives you real concrete ideas with examples that you can use in your library. For example, instead of just telling the reader they should have a TAB, the book actually tells you how to go about setting one up, and how you may need to adjust it as it is put into action. I would definitely recommend this to someone who is working with teens in a library.

[Shecki B]

Lots to contemplate here.

My absolute favorite, laugh out loud, sentence was found on p. 129. They’re talking about Young Adult Lit. “It’s not hard to find more gentle mysteries, though unlike mysteries for grown-ups, YA mysteries are a lot less likely to include recipes for desserts.”

[createitlibrarian (Amanda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough overview for teen services. This book is especially useful for those starting out in teen services or those needing to learn the current trends. The tips are varied and detailed with some overlap. Unfortunately the font was not easy to read.

Overall, I am more knowledgeable about teens and teen trends. Topics include makerspaces, teen development, programming, marketing, collection development, and more. I hope to apply all of this knowledge in a library setting very soon.

This is a great resource for any teen librarian to own. I checked out my copy from a library, but I could see referring to this book again and again. I took a lot of notes, especially on internet resources.

I would definitely recommend this book for use in library school and on the job. Just make sure to invest in reading glasses (depending on your visual acuity I may or may not be joking).

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best professional resources I've read. It was interesting and filled with great ideas and advice for those new to teen services. I ended up bookmarking for later reference several entries that I found interesting and informative. If all professional resources were more like this one I'd probably read them more often, but most times they are dry and boring.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I've read -- programming (I've read mainly the passive programming section) and tips for teen librarian's own YA reading, by Allison Tran and others -- has been excellent and very thoughtfully written! Practical tips grounded in a philosophy of promotion of teen well-being

[Lee Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredibly helpful guide for someone like me, who’s finally got her foot in the door after receiving her MLIS almost 2 years ago, and is ready and rearing to go in the library field. There were tons of great program ideas and issues explored. I’m very excited to start applying these topics to my own programs!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this book, which gave me a chance to take notes and really think about every aspect of the content. It is an awesome book for anyone new to teen services and a good refresher for anyone who is has been doing it for a while and needs a newer perspective on more innovative and current trends. While I didn't find anything mind blowing in here, it did help reaffirm some of the things I'm already doing in my teen services and it gave me a lot of new resources to consider when looking at collection development and teen issues. I realized a lot of my weaknesses and strengths while I was reading and it's nice to be able to point out the things I've done a good job on and the things I need to take a closer look at in the future. It also felt nice to read about the experiences of other teen librarians and see that they have faced similar challenges and obstacles in marketing, program attendance, and defining goals and objectives of teen services. While I didn't get any new ideas directly from the book, it did spark some new ideas that I hadn't had before that I need to try out. This is a great book I will keep on hand to refer to when I need to feel inspired.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this for my Planning and Delivering Young Adult Services in the Public Library class. I'm marking it as read even though I've only looked at a few chapters for the course. But I did purchase this book so I'll be using it as a reference tool at my current librarian trainee jobs as well as once I've graduated from the library science program and have a librarian job.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a handy, idea-packed little title! Even though it is geared toward public teen librarians, I learned a lot about all aspects of librarianship for young people. I especially appreciated the section on Collection Development.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book on serving teens in public libraries. I was looking for a book to help refresh the skills I'd learned in school and this did just that. It also presented a few new ideas that I must have missed in my classes.

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably good for librarians who have little or no prior experience working with teens. Otherwise teenlibrariantoolbox.com and YALSA's online resources are the way to go.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so, so good. The first truly useful and insightful book about teen services that I've read. Highly recommend. I've asked my library to purchase a copy to have on hand.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great professional development book. I especially appreciated the chapter on library marketing and the coordinating appendix. Great read for public and school librarians alike.