Library Materials and Services for Teen Girls (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series)

192 Pages·2002·10.43 MB·English

by  Katie ODell

LIBRARY MATERIALS AND SERVICES
FOR TEEN GIRLS
Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for
Young Adult Librarians
C. Allen Nichols and Mary Anne Nichols, Series Editors
Merchandising Library Materials to Young Adults
Mary Anne Nichols
Library Materials and Services for Teen Girls
Katie O'Dell
Library Materials and
Services for Teen Girls
Katie O'Dell
2002
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED
A Division of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Greenwood Village, Colorado
Copyright © 2002 Katie O'Dell
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re
trieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.
LIBRARIES UNLIMITED
A Division of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
7730 East Belleview Avenue, Suite A200
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
1-800-225-5800
www.lu.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
O'Dell, Katie.
Library materials and services for teen girls / Katie O'Dell.
p. cm. — (Libraries Unlimited professional guides for young
adult librarians)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN0-313-31554-X
1. Libraries and teenagers—United States. 2. Young adults'
libraries—Collection development—United States. 3. Young adults'
libraries-Activity programs-United States. 4. Teenage girls-Books
and reading-United States-Bibliography. 5. Teenage
girls—Psychology. I. Title. II. Series.
Z718.5 .034 2002
027.62'6-dc21
2002007609
Contents
Series Foreword ix
Introduction xi
1—Girls in the Spotlight: A Short History 1
The Search for Nonsexist Literature 3
A Closer Look at Girls' Development 4
Commercial Success Links to Libraries 5
Bibliography 6
2—Collection Development 9
Why the Library Collection Is So Important 9
Essential Fiction for Teen Girls 11
Adventure Stories 12
Friendship 13
Graphic Novels 14
Historical Fiction 16
Horror, Thriller, and Ghost Stories 20
Humor 21
Mysteries 22
Realistic Fiction 23
Romance/Sexuality 27
Science Fiction and Fantasy 29
Serious Issues 32
Short Stories 35
World Cultures 36
Caveats: Without Category 37
Adult Books with Young Adult Appeal 37
V
vi • Contents
2—Collection Development (continued)
Essential Nonfiction for Teen Girls 40
Biographies and Memoirs 40
Body Image, Development, and Self-Esteem 44
Education/Career 46
Health and Safety 47
Science and Technology 47
Sexuality and Relationships 48
Sports 49
Teen Parents 51
Women's Studies 52
Caveats: Without Category 56
Periodicals 56
Films and Video Series Relevant to Teen Girls 60
Feature Films 60
Film/Video Sources 61
Collection Development Tools for Librarians and Educators 62
Professional Development Resources for Parents
and Professionals Who Work with Teen Girls 63
Webliography of Collection Development Tools 64
3—Programming 67
Elements of Excellent Programs 68
Budget 68
Staff 70
Space 71
Public Relations and Marketing 71
Making the Case 73
Picking the Program 73
Evaluation 77
Bibliography 98
4—Girls and Technology 101
Background Evidence 102
What Libraries Can Offer 105
E-mail and Chat Essentials 105
Library Web Sites with Girl Appeal 106
Webliography for Girls 107
Authors and Writing 108
Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Self-Injury 109
Careers/Education 110
Girl Sites Ill
Health, Safety, and Sexuality 113
Science 115
Contents • vii
Sports 116
Technology 117
Women's Studies 117
Bibliography 118
Webliography 119
5—Volunteers 121
Why Volunteerism Is Important 121
Why Teen Girl Volunteers Are a Great Asset 122
How to Start a Teen Volunteer Program 123
What Kind of Volunteer Program Should This Be? 124
How Can I Get Staff Members Excited About Having Teen
Girls Volunteer in the Library? 125
What Are Some Measurable Goals for This Program? 125
How Do I Prepare Staff Who Are Going to Be Working
Directly with the Teen Girl Volunteers? 126
What Are the Legal and Liability Issues for a Teen
Volunteer Program? 126
How Can I Recruit Teen Girls to Be Volunteers? 126
What Will the Interview Process Look Like? 127
What If the Volunteer Isn't a Good Fit? 128
What Kinds of Things Can Teen Volunteers Do for the Library?. . . 129
Do Work Site Rules Apply to Volunteers? 130
Is Keeping Records on Volunteers Important? 131
Where Are the Volunteers Going to Work? 131
How Should the Library Evaluate and Reward Teen Volunteers? . .. 131
Checklist for Starting a New Teen Volunteer Program 133
Energizing an Established Group 134
Bibliography 135
Webliography 135
6—Collaboration 137
Identifying Possible Collaborators 138
Current Services 138
Possible Collaborators 139
Schools, Public Libraries, and Home Schoolers 139
Community 141
Area Businesses and Local Chapter Organizations 143
Within Your Own Library 145
City/County/Region 146
State 147
Federal 148
VIII • Contents
6—Collaboration (continued)
Approaching Possible Collaborators 148
Identifying and Appreciating Differences Among Collaborators 151
Evaluating the Partnership Process and Outcome 152
Bibliography 156
Webliography 156
7—Outreach to Teen Girls 159
Why Outreach? 160
Getting Started: Venues for Outreach Service 161
Outreach to Schools 162
Outreach to Community Groups 163
Outreach to Unusual Locations 163
Outreach to At-Risk Teens 164
Who Can Do Outreach? 164
What Kind of Service Should You Offer? 168
Bibliography 168
Epilogue 171
Index 173
About the Author 179
Series Foreword
We firmly believe in young adult library services and advocate for teens
whenever we can. We are proud of our association with Libraries Unlimited and
grateful for their acknowledgment of the need for additional resources for teen-serving
librarians. We intend for this series to fill those needs, providing useful and practical
handbooks for library staff. Readers will find some theory and philosophical musings,
but for the most part this series will focus on real-life library issues with answers and
suggestions for front-line librarians.
Our passion for young adult librarian services continues to reach new
peaks. As we travel to present workshops on the various facets of working with teens
in public libraries, we are encouraged by the desire of librarians everywhere to learn
what they can do in their libraries to make teens welcome. This is a positive sign
since too often libraries choose to ignore this underserved group of patrons. We hope
you find this series to be a useful tool in fostering your own enthusiasm for teens.
Mary Anne Nichols
C. Allen Nichols
Series Editors
ix