Interacting in Virtual Worlds

One of the topics for discussion at the ALA Annual meeting for the YALSA Board of Directors was if the organization should devote resources to creating a presence on Second Life. In the end we decided it wasn't a reasonable investment at this time, but it did get me thinking about the future of online services to teens.

Are any of you active on Second Life? What benefits might there be for librarians?

Google is dipping its toe into the pond, but in smaller way:

Google Introduces a Cartoonlike Method for Talking in Chat Rooms

Facebook is working on something similar. In your dream world, what would libraries have?

Arg! Looking for a September program idea?

September 19 is Talk Like a Pirate Day! What fun programs could you have in your library? Here are some ideas for a pirate party.

And don't forget our pirate booklist! Make a great display.

D&D in the Library

Dungeons and Dragons groups and libraries can make great partners! Recently two Sno-Isle Libraries were approached by teen D&D groups about having regular meetings in their libraries. This is a fabulous opportunity and we are glad to be able to accommodate. And just in time, here is a blog post from librarian and gamer Ian McKinney about getting started:

Dungeons and Dragons in Libraries

Looks like he will have more on running the programs, so be sure to set up a feed to his blog if you are thinking about having one of these groups!

OMG FEED IS HAPPENING!!!

(You've read MT Anderson's FEED, right?)

This article poses the idea that because so many people's primary source of reading material is web-based that the source is beginning to affect not only how we READ, but how we THINK.

Add in the fact that more and more profit is ad based...

And then the fact that there's practically a whole language used just online (oh, and in txt)...

Pretty soon we'll all have the interwebs plugged into our brains...

It's a ridiculously long (do I think that b/c my brain has changed? Ugh.) article, but interesting.

A Little Late

But I'm just now reading SLJ's may issue. If any of you've missed it, I've found useful:

Jordan Sonnenblick's article about NCLB (I met him at Ballard library a week-ish ago. He's lovely).

Anastasia Goodstein's article about attracting teens through marketing tactics.

Highlights include:

• Ypulse,
• Muxtape,
• Mixwit,
• Crunchyroll (a site a couple of MY teens are always telling me about),
• Teenhut and
• some philosophy (clearly the most important part, ESPECIALLY if you aren't quite sure how to approach teens - or a good reminder).

Katrine Watkins' article about The Google Game taught me a few new ways to search and reminded me of ones I forgot.

Heard of MMPG? Christopher Harris' article is about PMOG - and how it might just be a harbinger of Web 3.0... I'm a little scared.

An Expansive New Linguistic Renaissance

New study reassures adults that teen communications are not dumbed down, but actually more sophisticated than once thought.

Instant messaging 'a linguistic renaissance' for teens
15 May 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Mark Peters

In a paper to be published in the spring 2008 issue of American Speech, the researchers argue that far from ruining teenagers' ability to communicate, IM lets teenagers show off what they can do with language.

So, there! LOLFOMA at disbelievers, yo.

Teen Retreat

Check out the cool program my friend Sara did with her teens in Multnomah County:

Q. What’s Better Than a Teen Council?

I would love to do something like this with our Teen Advisory Groups someday. Maybe next year?

tweens explore identity on web

A mom gets her tween to give her a tour of some social networking sites aimed at teens. Nothing groundbreaking here, but nice for perspective and to hear about what tweens are into right now. I was most amused that her daughter likes to pretend she is a French single mom with twins.

FASHION & STYLE | May 8, 2008
Cyberfamilias: Today, I Think I'll Be Hippohead
By MICHELLE SLATALLA
For the under-18 crowd, there are new ways to reinvent yourself online.

An assortment of articles

First up is an article from the Washington Post, reprinted in the Seattle Times. Now I like these newspapers. But this article is awful, IMHO. The problem I think I have with it is that I don't really trust the study. I look at the list, especially for the older grades (Besides just lumping 9-12th grades. Please. Like 9th graders are reading what 12th graders are. Whatever.), and I see well, gee, I wonder if some of those books are required reading at 80% of schools out there? I want to know what the top books for pleasure reading are. It's not that I don't think that there'd be duplications, I'm just not terribly surprised that Of Mice and Men shows up when everyone I know had to read it in high school. Did the survey at all cover whether the students enjoyed these titles? Furthermore, I question whether the survey was even balanced when you get what I consider a biased quote from guy who's company did the survey:

'"I find it reassuring ... that students are still reading the classics I read as a child," said Roy Truby, a senior vice president for Wisconsin-based Renaissance Learning. But Truby said he would have preferred to see more meaty and varied fare, such as "historical novels and biographical works so integral to understanding our past and contemporary books that help us understand our world."'

Furthermore, there wasn't any real kind of reporting on the survey itself. What were some of the questions? Did that guy write any of them? Was there another goal? And why does every. single. article concerning youth and reading have to compare whatever to Harry Potter?

I'm probably just cranky 'cause I had such a great weekend and didn't want to come back to work today.

In happier articles...

Containing this quote which I'm going to plaster somewhere: “Teen books are like adult books, without all the bull****” H. Jack Martin, assistant coordinator of young adult services at New York Public Library. That's awesome, right? I think so. And it epitomizes why I dig teen lit. The article is all about what makes YA lit not adult lit. Sherman Alexie was on the panel and there are some great quotes from him, as usual.

We've all read and loved Madeline L'Engle, right? New book, published posthumously (obviously) but written in the 1940's. It's said to be the most autobiographical of her work. Don't know about you, but that intrigues me. Although I hope that cover isn't the one they are using...

Further cannibalizing from PW: Twilight Zone is gonna be a series of graphic novels!

Living Library of PEOPLE

Last week the London Times ran an article about a man's experience being a "Book" in a library program called Living Library. Maybe this isn't the exactly right forum for sharing, but I can't help but find the whole thing entirely fascinating, and because of that, I have to share. Excerpt:

"The idea, which comes from Scandinavia, is simple: instead of books, readers can come to the library and borrow a person for a 30-minute chat. The human “books” on offer vary from event to event but always include a healthy cross-section of stereotypes. Last weekend, the small but richly diverse list included Police Officer, Vegan, Male Nanny and Lifelong Activist as well as Person with Mental Health Difficulties and Young Person Excluded from School. I was there as Gay Man.

In the catalogue we had been tagged with the kind of negative attributes that readers might expect to encounter. Male Nanny was down as “twee” and “child molester”. Police Officer was filed under “corrupt”. Mine included “very well dressed” and “has some sexually transmitted disease”, though thankfully there was no mention of Barbra Streisand."

It rather seems like an awesome idea. And maybe fits into the whole Seeds of Compassion thing. I'm noting it for future overly ambitious uses.

Email anne.kilroy [at] living-library.org for more info, if you are interested.

Electronic Mosquitos

Ok, I heard about this device about a year ago. And I know it's wrong. I know it violates teen rights. It's something I object to. But, I just, I just can't help it - it really makes me laugh. Some dark, evil bit inside of me finds the whole concept hilarious.

"The town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, banned the device last year after a movie theater owner installed one. 'There was an outcry, and people didn't like the idea of torturing kids' ears like that," said Ronald Dlugosz, a town official. "People here don't tolerate that kind of stuff."'

It's an interesting article.

I'm also very curious as to whether I can still hear it.

I just need to counter the last article.

"A new study released Thursday from the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the National Commission on Writing showed that the majority of U.S. teens, or 60 percent of those surveyed, do not view electronic texts as writing."

But what was more interesting to me in the article, was this bit:

"All teens write at least some for school, but 93 percent of kids surveyed said that they write for themselves outside of school."

This gives me hope that the author-run writer's workshop I have planned for July will be successful.

Eisenhower?

THIS makes me want to hold a trivia contest (quiz bowl?) in the library with the teens.

Perhaps I shall. Just to prove otherwise.

RSS Feeds demystified (well, somewhat...)

I went to bloglines today and there were actually rss feeds there that I had subscribed to from other websites...wow! it worked!

stylists and librarians unite!

I read this in an article about more tween girls styling their hair.

"I tell stylists to get more involved in school and community events to reach out to these younger girls," he said. "They may not want to think in those terms, but these girls are our future business."

The approach sounded kinda familiar.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/358211_tweenhair09.html

P.S.
In a recent forum on Weary Parent, a child-raising blog, one person admitted in a post that she had tried to give her 11-year old daughter the blond-on-brown look of Jamie Lynn Spears of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101."
"But that was a disaster," she wrote. "I had to pull her out of school for a day so I could fix it."

Tweens arrested for Death Note "joke".

Alabama Tweens Arrested in 'Death Note' Row
Anime-Inspired Notebook Deemed 'Terrorist Threat'

The Gadsen (Alabama) Times is reporting that two 12-year-old students at the West End Elementary School were arrested after school authorities discovered a Death Note-inspired notebook containing the names of faculty members, school personnel and students. The notebook was turned over to the Etowah County Sheriff's Department, where authorities classified its contents as "terrorist threats," even though the students told their principal that it was a joke.

According to the article, this is the third incident reported where students got in trouble and the first where they were arrested. It will be interesting to see how this book is handled. I think it is a great work, that really examines issues in a thoughtful and entertaining way. If teens are emulating this impossible concept, I see that as a cry for help...they must be awfully miserable to even joke about this, no?

Washington does good..new scholarship program for low-income teens!

WA Offers Low-Income Kids College Scholarships
Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 4/2/2008 2:00:00 PM

Low-income kids from Washington no longer have to worry about who’s paying for college—as long as they keep up their high school grades and stay out of trouble with the law...

Had any of you heard about this? How cool is that?

The State's information page can be found here.

Emo battles in Mexico

Have any of you heard about the awful stuff going on in Mexico? Emo kids are being targeted and beat up in massive groups. A blog post that sums it up well: Violence against emos sweeps across Mexico.

When I hear about things like this, it makes me wonder about the big problems we have in the world, and ponder what is driving these youth to lash out at easy victims.

Sad sad sad.

Gaming @ NYPL

New York Public Library has gotten on board with video gaming in a big way! Not only are they offering gaming programs at many of their branches, they are also circulating 2,500 copies of 92 different games! Wow!

Taking Play Seriously at the Public Library With Young Video Gamers

“I thought a library was just for books, just for studying, just for a lot of things I don’t normally do,” he said. “But when I found out the library was starting to have games it was great, because it’s really good to hear that the library is paying more attention to the youth and what we’re into.”

He paused. “And it’s also good because I can just say to my parents, ‘I’m going to the library.’”

The power of graphic novels

No Laughs, No Thrills, and Villains All Too Real
By Michael Kimmelman for the New York Times

Interesting article talking about how graphic novels are helping a new generation of Germans and French understand the Holocaust.

Sultan teens need entertainment

While some may view gaming at the library as dumbing kids down, I have to say I have seen a small town such as Sultan with very little to do for teens in desperate need of free, readily accessible, positive entertainment that keeps kids engaged with each other in a welcoming public place--as an alternative to producing the unfortunate ones who become street corner meth users. Gaming and other engaging events to lure non-readers is not a luxury in a town like this.

Gaming in libraries - the dumbing down of a nation?

So, here I sit at SVC awaiting a late trainer. A perfect time to update the Lynnwood MySpace blog! Ok. Done with that. Hmm. Ok, time to catch up on the listservs I've largely been ignoring. YALSA-L...what?!

Dave Gibson, in the American Chronicle:

"Unfortunately, it appears that this country's librarians have decided to do their part in the dumbing-down of America. What has happened to this country?...All of the librarians I have known were in love with the written word and truly enjoyed opening the door to their world to young people. Perhaps, today's crop of young librarians would be better served answering their calling as arcade attendants and movie theatre managers."

So, comrades, do you feel like you are dumbing down young people?

heh. Happy people are dissing the hater all over the internet. Check it out.

-Jackie

article: Classroom Misbehavior

Classroom Misbehavior
Some authors treat the subject of affairs between boys and their teachers as romance; others see it for what it is--the stealing of innocence
March 9, 2008 - Sonja Bolle for the LA Times

Anyone looking for easy explanations for what some have called "an epidemic" of this sort of sexual abuse will find them in these books: The absence of parents in teens' lives, the increased possibility of secrecy in e-mail as well as cellphone communication. But the choices each novelist makes in telling the story make the reading experiences vary widely.

an article on gaming jobs to point curious teens towards...

Tough Competition for Video-Gaming Jobs
Monday, March 3, 2008
San Francisco Chronicle

In reality, love of games is a prerequisite for most jobs in the industry, which is concentrated in the Bay Area and a few other tech-heavy regions. But as with so many things in life, it turns out that love is not enough...

A realistic look at what it takes to make it in the gaming industry, and how little you might make as you try and work your way up.

teen repellent?

A friend forwarded this to me today:

Teenage loiterers affecting your business? Get your business back on track with the Mosquito™ Utrasonic Teen Repellent!

I have to say, I'm rather appalled. But if they had the opposite, I'd get it for our libraries ;)

gender and web use

Penni shared an article with me today from The New York Times that you may find interesting:

Sorry, Boys, This Is Our Domain

Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are not misfits resembling the Lone Gunmen of “The X Files.” On the contrary, the cyberpioneers of the moment are digitally effusive teenage girls.

teens, homework and the web

Penni shared this interesting article with me, which I thought you might enjoy.

Web-Based Homework - What Do Teens & Tweens Really Want

I look forward to see what develops from this. The widgets in particular sound very useful.

apparently teens aren't getting enough caffeine...

Stimulus Plan for Candy: Pack It Full of Caffeine

The new products are appearing as the candy industry is losing part of its most bankable audience -- kids. There were 3.3% fewer kids age 6 to 11 in 2007 as in 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Sales of sugar confectionary dropped by 4% from 2001 to 2006, while energy-drink sales rose by more than 400% to $3.23 billion in the period, according to market researcher Mintel.

Ok...to risk sounding like I am a million years old, when did caffeine become so socially acceptable for youth? When I was a kid my folks only let me have soda at parties, and then only one of the little half cans you can rarely even find any more. (Ok, disclaimer, my folks were hippies!) It is hard not to see links to growth in hyperactivity in kids, and also rising anxiety, too. Why isn't there any regulations against this? Or do some people actually consider this healthy?

What do your teens think?

Scrapbooking 2.0

I confess, I've never understood the appeal of scrapbooking, but I do know a lot of people enjoy it. Maybe it would make a good teen program teen program? After reading this article I'm thinking it could be a lot more edgy and interesting that I realized:

Serious Scrap: Enthusiasts come unglued when avant-garde page-maker fails to follow rules

"I, seriously, was like the Lindsay Lohan of scrapbooking," Contes said.

This young scrapbooker gets a lot of grief for using pictures of herself and other non-traditional approaches...I think it is more like she combines scrapbooking with blogging. An interesting read, for sure!

i-List Party Game - Reviewed!

Reviewed by: Anne Murphy, & Nolan (age 13)


The idea behind this game is simple. Two to four people plug their mp3 players into the console, and race to find songs on their own playlist that match specifications from the card that is drawn from the deck. The person with the most points (one per win) when all the cards have been used wins.

This game has the potential to be a lot of fun, but unfortunately a few issues with game play knocked it down to a mediocre rating from both me and my 13 year old son.

Setup was fairly easy, although a Phillips head screwdriver is required to insert the batteries (or a bit of innovation, I used a small fingernail file to loosen and tighten the screw). Once the batteries are in, the console immediately springs to life and man’s voice begins giving instructions. We plugged our iPods into the console and began playing.

We didn’t formally follow the rules. Instead we just decided to use the blue questions (there are four different colored questions on each card), and try some races. At first things went well, as we were getting the hang of scrolling through our playlists as quickly as possible (not an easy feat – do you look through artists, albums, songs…?). After a few questions, however, the man’s voice on the console became annoyingly repetitive as he barked directions at us each time we pushed a button on the console. Soon we were telling him to “be quiet, we get the picture” etc.

One has to know their music collection pretty well to find songs to answer the questions, and we did enjoy the challenge of trying to remember things about our music.

Then the technical problems set in. Each time you press the start button for a new question, a timer begins as players race to find their song. In theory, as soon as somebody finds a song and presses play, the console begins playing the song out loud so all players can decide if it really “answers” the question. When they hit play, a green light lights up at their station and the rest of the players can no longer affect the console. After working perfectly fine for several songs, the console began lighting up whenever I began to scroll through my playlist, even if I was in artists or albums – thus effectively blocking my son from winning, even though I hadn’t actually chosen a song yet. He suggested that perhaps it had to do with the fact I was using one of the new Nanos, which has very sensitive scrolling. Maybe, but that doesn’t explain why it had worked all right earlier, and then started working properly again a little later. He has an older Nano, and didn’t have the problems I did. Also, sometimes the console would not work at all when we selected a song and pressed play.

I think people can enjoy playing the game, and we did get a lot of laughs over some of our answers and even the barking command voice. However, I believe interest will wane quickly if the technical problems persist for players. For an overall score, I’d only give it 2 ½ stars out of five.

Videogames Expand: A Popular New Phase Of Full-Body Playing
By NICK WINGFIELD

What is up and coming…beyond Rock Band.

know your teen celebrities

I tend to be a bit awful about knowing celebrities in general, and teen ones in particular, so I found this list to be pretty helpful:

Top 20 Tween (and Teen) TV Stars

A quick primer for catching up with who young teens are talking about.

good news to end the year

Sometimes it is nice to hear something that makes you think that just maybe all your hard work is paying off:

Study: Web generation heaviest users of public libraries

Rainie added that young adults are the ones likely to have visited libraries as teens and seen their transformation into information hubs, with computers and databases alongside stacks of printed books.

Hooray!

A lovely article about Westerfeld and Larbalestier

Meet the East Village "It" Couple of Young-Adult Lit

Living large in Y.A.

by Carol Cooper

December 26th, 2007

Makes you want to run away and become a YA author in NYC, no?

Great interview with Nick Hornby

This came out last month, and is one of the most enjoyable author interviews I've read in a while. He says some great things about YA lit and the Alex Awards, too!

The Younger Side of Nick Hornby
by Jessica Murphy
in The Atlantic

Scholastic's new multi-platform series for tweens

Scholastic Plans to Put Its Branding Iron on a Successor to Harry Potter

I'm not sure this will have much appeal for teens, but it is an interesting concept. It will feature 10 books be various authors including Rick Riordan and Gordon Korman, plus web based games, collectable cards, and cash prizes for readers who puzzle it all out.

“We want to go where the kids are and really be part of their complete world, rather than going to one aspect of their world,” said David Levithan, an executive editorial director at Scholastic. He added, “We talk of it as being subversively educational.”

books into movies in 2008

Over on the YALSA-BK listserve someone just posted a list of all the movies based on kids and teens books coming out next year. WOW! Looks like there could be some really fantastic programming tie-in opportunities here!

Spiderwick Chronicles, books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Jumper by Steven Gould
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Suess
Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Tale of Desperaux by Kate Dicamillo
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Pena
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 by Ann Brashares

World of Warcraft saves boy's life

A random example of a benefit of playing video games:

After playing World of Warcraft, the 12 year old boy knew how to cope when he was attacked by a moose in the forest.

In the article he describes how he first yelled at the moose, distracting it so his sister got away, then when he got attacked and the animal stood over him he feigned death. "Just like you learn at level 30 in World of Warcraft."

Who would have thought?

Are web communications oral traditions reborn?

Some interesting perspective on how we communicate online:

Myspacebook.past.: Friending, Ancient or Otherwise
By ALEX WRIGHT for the New York Times
Published: December 2, 2007

Academic researchers are starting to examine that question by taking an unusual tack: exploring the parallels between online social networks and tribal societies. In the collective patter of profile-surfing, messaging and “friending,” they see the resurgence of ancient patterns of oral communication.

I particularly like the conclusion:

Still, the sheer popularity of social networking seems to suggest that for many, these environments strike a deep, perhaps even primal chord. “They fulfill our need to be recognized as human beings, and as members of a community,” Dr. Strate says. “We all want to be told: You exist.”

How can we satisfy this need for community teens?

Teen Tech Sherpas - cool volunteer program

In US classrooms, 'tech sherpas' assist teachers with computers
In a role reversal, students provide the tech support, creating a 'culture of respect' between teachers and teens.
By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo in Christian Science Monitor

As American schools look to incorporate 21st-century technologies into everyday lessons, some teachers are intimidated by technical glitches or the prospect of being left behind in a generational divide. Teachers have even become targets of cyberbullying, with students taking secret videos of an angry or embarrassing moment in class and posting them on popular websites such as YouTube. But this district and many others are trying to foster more collaboration – staving off problems by putting students' enthusiasm to constructive use.


I love the idea of giving students such empowered volunteer opportunities. How could we make something like this work in our libraries?

What Do Youth Volunteers Want?

from The Everyday Giving Blog

The following list of traits that should be a part of any volunteer project that involve youth:

1. Provides a new experience
2. Shows "immediate" progress in making a difference
3. Is fun
4. Is well prepared and organized
5. Encourages (but doesn't force) participation
6. Matches work to skills of each youth volunteer
7. Involves a group of friends and other youth
8. Work is challenging
9. Adequate number of supervisors and trainers
10. Future volunteer opportunities are available

Something to think about with our teen volunteers. What could we do to provide such an experience?

rainy day aphorism from Lemony Snicket

A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.

- Lemony Snicket, from Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid

Here is hoping your area hasn't been flooded.

seniors + teens = a winning combinations

Old Bridge library unites generations
Home News Tribune Online 11/26/07
by TOM CAIAZZA
OLD BRIDGE — You're never too old to rock out.

Seniors, alongside teenage volunteers, tested their mettle in the ubiquitous air-guitar video game and various other games available for the Nintendo Wii gaming system as the first step in the library's plan to make seniors more technologically proficient and to include them in what Allan Kleiman, assistant director of the Old Bridge Public Library, called the inevitable redesign of libraries.

I love the idea of doing a program like this, especially as we explore new ways to use technologies and give teens meaningful and fun volunteer opportunities in our libraries.

I Used to Believe...

If you’re looking for an easy bulletin board idea that’s fun for teens, this one has been very popular at Maryville. I put up the words “I used to believe…” on a plain background, set out blank construction paper circles with a bunch of colored sharpie and waited for responses. You might want to put up a couple samples so people get the idea, but we get several responses in our box each day, so it won’t take long to fill your board.

It’s not uncommon to see groups of teens gathered by the board reading what’s already up there and adding their own. The responses have been as different as teens are…Here are some of my favorites!
• I used to believe that the library was only for research.
• That the library was boring…but it’s not—it’s Awesome!
• I use 2 believe that graduating would be fun, but now I’m scared—Class of “08”
• That having a little brother would be cool
• That it would be awesome when my older sisters would move out (its not)
• That we would be best friends forever. Then you moved away.
• That if I forgot to tie my shoes my feet would fall off.
• Elected officials in the United States Government worked for the people who elected them, not for themselves.
• That if I wished hard enough, I could go into the TV.
• That if you plant Skittles a rainbow would come out
• My sister was an Alien.

Lack of sleep is impacting teens

Snooze or Lose Overstimulated, overscheduled kids are getting at least an hour’s less sleep than they need, a deficiency that, new research reveals, has the power to set their cognitive abilities back years. By Po Bronson
New York Magazine

Apparently getting more sleep improves learning, reduces traffic accidents, and might possibly lower childhood obesity.

Keeping up with Asian pop culture

I've found two great sources in my quest to learn more about Asian pop culture...

Giant Robot - print magazine and website highlighting visual arts, music, literature, and the famous names in Asian pop culture

PingMag - Tokyo based e-zine "About Design and Making Things!"


I've been looking through Issue 50 of Giant Robot, and it could be worth considering for out teen magazine collection.

Game Boys - portraits of gamers

This is a interesting and lovely collection of portraits of teen boys playing video games...a subject rarely commented upon for its beauty.

Game Boys
March/April 2007 Issue of Mother Jones
Photo Essay by Shauna Frischkorn

not the same old song and dance

The game Rock Band was realeased today making headlines not just in video game publications, but in the financial pages as well. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NYTU07620112007-1.htm

Rock Band ushers in a more social level of gaming. Built along the lines of Guitar Hero, Rock Band allows players to take part in other aspects of being in a band, adding vocals and drums to bass and guitar. Four players can play songs cooperatively as well as play dress up with their virtual rocker buying outfits and changing hair, accessories, and makeup.

Not only does this mean expanded participation during gaming events (as 4 can play off one console instead of just one or two players) but teens can create virtual rock and roll identities, which even this librarian found addictive.

While only hardcore gamers may be aware of Rock Band's release, once word begins to spread I see it becoming a gaming phenomenon making Guitar Hero yesterday's news.

Online petition in support of school libraries

As described in this morning's SEATTLE TIMES, the Legislature is being petitioned to strengthen the standards for schools and provide for school/teacher librarians as mandated staff in the Basic Education Act.

World-Class Education for Washington: Support School Libraries & Information Technology

boot camp for Internet addicts?

In Korea, a Boot Camp Cure for Web Obsession
By Martin Fackler
Published: November 18, 2007

Compulsive Internet use has been identified as a mental health issue in other countries, including the United States. However, it may be a particularly acute problem in South Korea because of the country’s nearly universal Internet access. It has become a national issue here in recent years, as users started dropping dead from exhaustion after playing online games for days on end. A growing number of students have skipped school to stay online, shockingly self-destructive behavior in this intensely competitive society.
...“I don’t have a problem,” Chang-hoon said in an interview three days after starting the camp. “Seventeen hours a day online is fine.”

I wonder how long it will take for this to reach the States?

bans on hugging?

I've read articles recently about how hugging has become trendy among teens. This comes as a surprise to me, for I didn't know it had ever been out of fashion. Many of the teens I've worked with are affectionate and hugging seems to be a natural, warm and fairly innocent way to connect with others.

So I was surprised to see that schools are putting bans on hugging, and punishing teens who hug. What is the world coming to? Here is some commentary on the issue that I feel is pretty right on.

Thoughts?

How do you make safe social networking?

Apparently, by fingerprinting young girls to prove they are who they say they are:

Anne's Diary is the first biometrically-secured social networking site for children in the world. The site offers girls in grades 1 to 8 (ages 6 to 14) a secure environment in which to keep a private diary and communicate with their peers around the world. Members can also enter contests, play games, participate in book clubs and receive homework help.

What do you think of that?

teen benefits of being online

A refreshingly positive article about teens on the Internet, emphasizing that there is such thing as being too safe...which limit's teens' participation and what they can get out of the net.

Benefits Of Online Interaction For Teens Outweigh Danger, Professor Says

“the first line of defense should be teens themselves. Increasingly, tech-savvy adolescents are aware of the risks in online socializing and are developing their own strategies for staying safe in cyberspace.”

Nice.

YALSA avatar contest

YALSA is sponsoring a Create Your Own Avatar Contest! Create an avatar that shows off how you can use your library's technology offerings in a creative way, and you can win $100 worth of books and materials from YALSA! Contest open to YALSA members and attendees of Gaming Night. For official rules and an entry form, please download the Create Your Own Avatar Contest Guidelines (PDF).

Even if you aren't planning on participating in this contest, I encourage you to play with some avatar technology...rather than using staff pictures on our new teen website, I think avatars are the way to go. See how Nashville Public used them on their teen site. I asked, and they said they used meez.

Have fun!

new book featuring writing of teen girls

Salon has an article featuring 4 short stories from the new collection Red: The Next Generation of American Writers -- Teenage Girls -- on What Fires Up Their Lives Today. Looks like a very interesting and frank collection with lots to consider. I'm intrigued.

MTV survey on happiness

MTV Research: The Future of Happiness

What makes 12–24 year olds happy? That was the topic of a study that MTV commissioned Social Technologies to conduct earlier this year. The findings, which hit the newswires on August 20, 2007, surprised many.

“We knew friends and technology would be important to this demographic, but going in we also had the preconceived notion that 12 to 24 year olds were slightly indifferent, self-serving, and perhaps even a bit apathetic,” explains Andy Hines, Social Technologies’ director of custom projects, who led the study. “The biggest thing we learned was never to judge a book by its cover.”

Well, I guess that is a big step for a lot of people, to get around stereotypes of teens. I'm fascinated by the fact that MTV chose this topic to study. It seems to me to be a very positive approach to learning more about youth culture and hopes. I look forward to hearing more about this, and if anything useful comes of it.

Article on tween behavior

Passed on by a staff member at MTL, good for better understanding of young teens, both for staff and parents:

Deal With Tweenage Attitude
Sick of "whatever" with a side of eye-rolling? Here's how to tame the sass and sarcasm preteens are famous for.

Q&A with Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

I'm behind on reading this series, but loved the first one. Are any of your younger teens reading it?

To mark the release of Peter and the Secret of Rundoon (Disney Editions, Oct.), the final volume in Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s saga about Peter before he was Pan, the authors kicked off a national tour, beginning with an appearance this week in Barry’s hometown: Miami, Florida.

program idea: Matchbox Shrines

Darlene from MIL forwarded me this fun project idea:

Matchbox Shrines

These little boxes are just so much fun to make! They also make a neat alternative to a card – you can even put in a tiny letter or a small pressie which reflects the theme of your shrine…

Looks fun, with lots of room for creativity.

full-time gaming at the library?

What do you think of the idea of having a permanent gaming space in the library?

Fort Worth Library Unveils New Teen Gaming Section

I'm sure teens would love it. How would you justify it to the tax payers?

Arguing in favor of video games

This blog posting by The Shifted Librarian is in response to a newspaper article that makes some sweeping negative generalizations about video gaming, and supplies some good counter arguments and talking points for using with patrons who may have concerns.

Another Article about Gaming and Libraries, Same Old Story

What responses have you encountered, from patrons or staff, about gaming in our libraries?

very cool teen website from Penguin UK

I'm just smitten with this website called Spine Breakers put out by Penguin UK for teens 13-18. Not only does it have about the most awesome name for a book site EVER, but it is interactive, filled with different medias for access points, encourages contribution of creative content from teens and just looks good!

Hopefully our new teen site will aspire to such heights!

What do you like about Spine Breakers?

National Book Award Finalists - Young People's Literature

• Sherman Alexie for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown)
• Kathleen Duey for Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
• M. Sindy Felin for Touching Snow (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
• Brian Selznick for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic)
• Sara Zarr for Story of a Girl (Little, Brown)

Hip Hop Planet

National Geographic recently had a feature on hip-hop culture around the world. Check it out at:

Hip-Hop Planet

Be sure to check out the Photo Gallery, Learn More, and Multimedia links. Great stuff!

thanks to Jim McCluskey for sharing this!

Stargirl inspires

I love this idea. Teens who loved the message of Stargirl started their own society to support each other to live more like Stargirl and do kind things for others. So nice!
Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl Inspires Societies

learning with iPods

Looking at how trendy technology can help motivate students to learn:

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening

What library applications can you envision?

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - the movie!

I'm excited to see that NaNIP is going to be made into a movie...starring one of the guys from Superbad! Check it out:

Cera and Dennings to star in 'Playlist'

31 Flavorite Authors

Readergirlz and YALSA are featuring a different teen author chat each day this month in celebration of Teen Read Week/Month! Consider adding their downloadable poster to your Teen Read Month display.

A day in the (digital) life of a South Korean boy

From CNN:

A day in the (digital) life of a South Korean boy.

This is interesting, as it shows some technology trends we are just starting to see, and ways they may very well develop. Can any of your teens send text messages without looking? Can you imagine if Internet cafes offered free rides to teens?