psa 2.0: Stay Teen

I came across this website today, which is set up to discourage teen pregnancy: Stay Teen. It very much reminds me of the anti-smoking website/ad campaign that has recently disappeared called The Truth. The idea being that teens are smart enough to see beyond hype and recognize the value of facts when they are presented in a straightforward (and reasonably hip) manner. How could this apply to libraries? Should we have a fact page on our new teen website talking about the benefits of using the library or reading?

What do you think?

article: Teen Marketing 2.0

The September 3rd Publishers Weekly has an article about how publishers are beginning to explore using more 2.0 technologies to reach out to teens. I was happy to see that much of what we are considering on our website is reflected in this article.

intergenerational social networking

Here is an interesting blog post on intergenerational social networking. According to the author, youth-only social networking is unique to the United States, and in other countries it is being used much more for mentoring and intergenerational dialog. The author theorizes that we are creating limitations for ourselves because of our cultural panic about "stranger danger". What do you think?
I would love to see a class taught by teens to seniors about how to use social networking and/or blogging!

Golden Compass...the video game

Check it out...The Golden Compass has been made into a video game!

cute program idea

I just came across a book that supplies you with everything you need to run a great teen program that will appeal to crafters, Japanphiles, and anyone who loves all things cute. The book is The Cute Book by Aranzi Aronzo (a company that specializes in cute goods). Inside are patterns and thorough (but simple) directions on how to construct adorable little felt characters using felt, glue, and embroidery thread. I bet teens would love this. Maybe a pre-holiday program for making little gifts?

Sno-Isle owns 4 copies.

interesting perspective on kids and technology

Lots to chew on here:

The Internet's new Dr. Spock?
MIT media scholar Henry Jenkins shares expertise on technology's effect on kids, how games are replacing TV and YouTube-style politics.
By Stefanie Olsen CNET News.com
Published: August 17, 2007

My favorite quote:

...kids don't need someone looking over their shoulders, they need someone watching their backs.

Are video games good for you?

Here is an article from Yahoo!Games arguing that video games are actually quite good for you:

Games are Good for You
Five ways video games can make you better, stronger, and faster.
By Ben Silverman

My favorite quote:
There's nothing particularly pleasant about going under the knife, especially if you're wary of the surgeon's skills. That's why before making the first incision, Dr. James Clarence Rosser, Jr. of New York's Beth Israel Medical Center lets his patients know that he's awesome at Super Monkey Ball.

Hmmm. Reassuring?

radio bit - How to Talk to a Teenager

This was on KUOW earlier this month:

How do you talk to a teenager? Many parents say when their kids hit the teen years, they stop talking. A no smoking ad campaign ended up encouraging middle schoolers to rebel and smoke. What's going in teen brains? How do you keep the lines of communication open? Do any of you current or former teens have suggestions? (This part starts 6 minutes into the program.)

David Walsh wrote Why Do They Act That Way: A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen. He's the founder of the National Institute on Media and Family, and teaches at the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas.

Great tips for thinking about how to connect and communicate with teens.

social networking & advertising

Why Some Brands Seem Anti-Social
by Brian Morrissey
from Adweek

This is an interesting article about companies that have tried to reach their audiences using social networking, what has failed, and what has suceeded. What can we learn from this?

King on Rowling

Here is a quite excellent article by Stephen King on the magic of J.K. Rowling's books

The Last Word On Harry Potter

Warning: spoilers abound.

cultivating fans

I like this chart (from Church of the Consumer blog), illustrating how people become fans. I don't know about you, but I was totally a fan of the library as a teen. Perhaps thinking about cultivating not just patrons or customers, but real fans is the way to go in promoting to teens?

comparing virtual hang-outs

Here is an interesting chart comparing "Casual Immersive Worlds" by target audience, main premise, immersion level, graphics & point of view, number of users online when visited by surveyor, June 2007 total unique visitors, and revenue sources.

Some libraries are trying to set up shop in Second Life, but I think once you do that, you are really reaching outside your local target audience.

What can we learn from these sites? I don't think we can afford to create a immersive library world for our teens. How can we create features in our website that provide the feeling of community these sites offer?

social networking for anime fans

from ICv2 news:

AnimeMine Launches Social Network Site for Anime Fans
August 06, 2007
Smarticlesmart announced the July 31st launch of its AnimeMine social networking Website for anime fans where they can create personal contact pages, blogs, take part in forums and chats, offer reviews, and upload fan videos and art and elicit comments from others on the Site. AnimeMine will also offer news and reviews, and plans to add more features down the road, including a fan art contest.

Some of your teens might be interested in this, plus I think it is worth looking at to see what sorts of features we would like to try to use to attract teens to our future website. Thoughts?

article: Life after ‘Harry Potter’?

A good article that goes beyond "what next" and gives a solid overview of the state of teen fiction:

Life after ‘Harry Potter’?

Minx Graphic Novels

I came across an article that made me happy this morning:

DC Announces 7 Minx Graphic Novels for 2008

For those of you not familiar with the Minx line, it is DC Comics excellent effort to reach out to a traditionally underserved part of the comic reading demographic: teenage girls. But it is not doing so by talking down to them or trying to make a "girly" product. Instead it is featuring strong girl characters facing challenges in a variety of realistic situations and environments. These are well done with great art and rock solid writing, featuring both young adult authors and comic industry pros. I highly recommend checking one out. My favorites so far are Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Re-Gifters by Mike Carey.

(They are on order, but if you want to borrow my ARCs just drop me an email :)

Death Note - are your teens reading it?

Death strip
A controversial graphic novel from Japan -- banned in China -- has inspired a hit movie and much fan fiction. Will thrill-starved U.S. readers get hooked?
By Douglas Wolk


Personally...I've found Death Note to be one of the most riveting manga series out there, but it is definitely not for all teens. The premise is somewhat creepy, and heaped with implied violence. Yet at the same time, it is one of the most intriguing explorations of ethics I've seen teens reading. Thoughts?

good news for Runaways fans

Terry Moore/Humberto Ramos Next Runaways Team

Runaways is one of my favorite superhero series, and in my opinion one of the best comics being written for teens today. (If you haven't read it, I totally recommend ordering Volume 1 today - can't beat kids who discover their parents are supervillians and take off to do the right thing!) Brian K. Vaughn had passed the series on to Joss Whedon for a few issues, and not it has been officially announced that Terry Moore will be taking over! I think this is exciting news and can't wait to read them. As a bonus, the distinctive art of Humberto Ramos is going to look really cool for this title and should a great match!

Creating a YA blog.

Creating a YA blog from Alternative Teen Services

Recently my library system decided to start a YA blog. Previously we did not have much of an online presence for our teens and this will hopefully mark a change in the right direction...

I would love to find a way to incorporate a blog for teen patrons into the Sno-Isle website. This article gives some good things to think about up front. What do you think?

National trend: teen library services gaining

Youth and library use studies show gains in serving young adults

The Public Library Association's (PLA) 2007 Public Library Data Service (PLDS) Statistical Report tracked young adult service trends in public libraries. The report found that nearly 90 percent of the public libraries surveyed offer young adult programs, with more than half (51.9 percent) employing at least one full-time equivalent dedicated to fostering young adult programs and services, up dramatically from 11 percent in 1995.

Good news!

Guitar Hero in the media

Virtual Frets, Actual Sweat
By KATIE ZEZIMA
Playing Hendrix for a night has become the new karaoke.

Personally, I love Guitar Hero. Can we generate this sort of excitement at our branches?