1957
Year the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) was founded.
6–8
Dates in November that YALSA will host its 10th symposium, “Biggest Little Spaces: How Libraries Serve the Expanding Worlds of Teens.” Originally scheduled for Reno, Nevada, the symposium will be held virtually.
15
Number of groups that helped create this year’s Teens’ Top Ten, a book list entirely by and for teens. Groups are from school and public libraries around the country and represent readers ages 12–18.
1
Rank of #MurderTrending, a dystopic fiction novel by Gretchen McNeil, on the 2019 Teens’ Top Ten list.
51%
Percentage of teens who report that they read for pleasure at least once per week.
550
Number of people who attended Comics Relief, a virtual event hosted by Macmillan imprint First Second in April. Sessions focused on YA graphic novels and gave readers a chance to learn about comics creation from novelists, editors, and designers.
22 million
Approximate number of Animal Crossing: New Horizons copies that have sold since the Nintendo Switch game’s release in March. Librarians across the US have created virtual programs around the game, especially popular with teens, during the pandemic.
1994
Year that Teen’Scape, considered by many to be the first young-adult public library space with teen-specific design features, opened at Los Angeles Public Library.
4,440
Square footage of the teen center at New York Public Library’s Hamilton Grange branch. The first of its kind in northern Manhattan, the room serves teens from the neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights, and Hamilton Heights—an area where approximately 30% of residents are under age 19.
