youth services Archives | Page 5 of 5 | American Libraries Magazine

Fifth-grader Evan Sass asks NASA astronaut Jeff Williams a question via video chat while Denise Raleigh, Gail Borden Public Library's division chief of public relations and development, holds the microphone. The Elgin, Illinois, library was one of eight nationwide selected for the traveling exhibit, Discover Space: A Cosmic Journey. Photo: Jason Brown

Houston, We Have a Library Program

By Megan Perrero | August 8, 2016

His appearance was part of Discover Space: A Cosmic Journey, a traveling exhibit that teaches library-goers about topics such as stars, planets, and gravity. The program was offered by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Public Programs Office in collaboration with the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the Afterschool Alliance. … Continue reading Houston, We Have a Library Program →

Giving Tweens Ownership in Space and Programs

By Kara Pauley | June 26, 2016

She began by asking her audience, a room full of youth librarians, how they defined “tween.” Many replied that their tweens were between ages 8–12, and Kropp further explained that many libraries had teen sections that ranged from ages 7 to as high as 13. “It’s hard if you are in a rule-driven place where … Continue reading Giving Tweens Ownership in Space and Programs →

Using Design Thinking

By Linda W. Braun | May 31, 2016

What if I said that that’s not how that program—or any library program—should work? By running a program in that way you aren’t really supporting youth learning. Imagine instead if you: Start by asking youth to talk with one another, in small groups or in a full group, about what they like and don’t like … Continue reading Using Design Thinking →

Growing a Program

By David Piper | May 2, 2016

The boys were eager to share their favorite graphic novels and joke books, and it was fulfilling to see them have fun and cultivate a joy of reading. While the enthusiasm was inspiring, the library needed to find ways to attract more participants and make the program worth the time it required each week. For those who have … Continue reading Growing a Program →

Pulling the Plug

By Abby Johnson | May 2, 2016

Maybe your funding, meeting room space, or employee availability is limited. Maybe the attendance isn’t there, or the staff member who supervised the service has left the branch. How do you decide to discontinue a program? Libraries should allocate resources in the most efficient way possible. Of course, “bang for your buck” can mean something … Continue reading Pulling the Plug →

Tween Read-Alouds

By Ernie Cox | March 1, 2016

This scene was one that would make any librarian feel warm and fuzzy. However, with a few swipes and punches of a smartphone, the verdict was in: “not for your grade level.” Mom was doing what schools, and often what libraries as proxies, have trained her to do—think about books in terms of levels. Reading … Continue reading Tween Read-Alouds →

Everything Is Messy

By Linda W. Braun | October 30, 2015

I realized that word was a fitting—and not necessarily negative—description. Many people serving youth and families in libraries may find it to be a “messy” business. It’s messy because: The audience we work with is not static. What youth and families need is always changing, and how libraries support those needs has to change too. … Continue reading Everything Is Messy →

A Place for Play

By Abby Johnson | September 10, 2015

There is a wide range of possibilities, no matter what your budget may be. An amazing play space can make your library a destination for young patrons, as it has at the Barrington Area (Ill.) Library (BAL), where open-ended activities engage a variety of age groups and encourage adult-child interaction. BAL’s activities and spaces in … Continue reading A Place for Play →

Listen First

By Linda W. Braun | May 20, 2015

Listening and not speaking up are often hard for me. I think they’re hard for many library staffers. Those working in libraries are often so focused on telling others about all the great stuff we have to offer youth and families—databases, homework help, free books, downloadable music, etc.—that we don’t always make sure we understand … Continue reading Listen First →

Richland Library's TAG group with author Grace Lin

Stuck in the Middle

By Jennifer Goforth Gregory | May 8, 2015

“Their ideas told us that they wanted this to be a fun and happy place,” says Sarah Shuster, children’s librarian at Richland Library. “We learned a lot about the vibe that we needed to create for the tweens.” Although the library obviously cannot create a miniature theme park inside the branch, the kids’ suggestions will … Continue reading Stuck in the Middle →

Storytime Underground

By Abby Johnson | September 22, 2014

Storytime Underground, an informal idea-sharing website where youth librarians can learn from each other, started with Guerrilla Storytime—gatherings of children’s librarians sharing ideas, brainstorming, and troubleshooting issues related to early childhood librarianship—at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago. Since then, Guerrilla Storytime has been held at conferences all over North America, creating … Continue reading Storytime Underground →

Latest Library Links

2d

Sarah Hunter writes: “This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. But the Declaration of Independence wasn’t an isolated event. As young readers confront the meaning of America’s 250th birthday, it’s important to allow them to see the wider picture beyond the keystone document and the familiar roster of ‘founding fathers’ that fill the pages of history textbooks. The following titles together offer a rich variety of perspectives on the decades leading up to and following the American Revolution.”

I Love Libraries, May 6
2d

Nicole A. Cooke writes: “Imagine a 14-year-old sitting on the floor of a library, flipping through a book they found almost by accident. The main character shares something deeply personal with them. For the first time, their life is not treated as unusual or controversial. It is simply there. Then the book is removed. No announcement. No explanation. Just absence. The message lands anyway. Your story is a problem. This moment captures what is often missing from public conversations about censorship. When books disappear, the impact is not abstract. It shapes how young people understand themselves, how they understand others, and how they learn to think.”

Information Matters, May 3
3d

Gary Brannan writes: “Special collections and heritage services in higher education institutions face a familiar accumulation of problems. We are seen as appealing only to an undefined body of ‘elite’ researchers [with declining usage]. This is the position we found ourselves in at the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, England. Our experiences suggest that, in addition to financial control, staffing resilience, and adaptability, special collections and heritage services should also consider their capacity for visibility, cultural repositioning, and pedagogical integration.”

Katina, May 6
3d

Sam Stuart writes: “If you have ever worked with a middle schooler, you know they love graphic novels. Now more than ever, they are also demanding manga, or Japanese graphic novels, as well as manhwa (South Korea), manhua (China), and other works from around the world. I have never been able to dedicate as much money as I would have liked to this section of the library. A Vision to Reality Grant from the Association of Independent School Librarians gave me the flexibility to explore new releases, expand on popular authors, and even work on expanding lengthy manga series.”

AISL Independent Ideas, May 11
3d

Amy Qin writes: “André spent 2025 trying to stay one step ahead of the Trump administration. He is part of a group of people, now known as the Data Rescue Project, who have banded together during Trump’s second term. They have been quietly racing to save hundreds of critical government datasets before they are no longer available.” The Guardian also identified five ways Americans are affected by deleted data, while a paper in the International Journal of Digital Curation provided an analysis of the Data Rescue movement from Trump’s first term.

The Guardian (US), May 7; International Journal of Digital Curation, vol. 20, no. 1, May 6
4d

Anita Sundaram Coleman writes: “The ALA Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Working Group has released a draft guidance document for libraries. This is a good document. It says, in one quiet clause buried in its appendix, that AI should enable ‘human flourishing—including mental and social wellness.’ But neither it nor we may know what that means yet. That’s what this section is for. Before we delve into flourishing, we need the rule: ‘Question the chatbot back on everything. Verify anything that carries your name. Triangulate, with other AI tools and with non-AI sources.’”

Infophilia: A Positive Psychology of Information, May 9
4d

A new report from PEN America found that 3,743 unique titles were removed from at least one school library or classroom during the 2024–2025 school year. “In the last school year, we found a surge in the banning of nonfiction titles. We documented bans on over 1,100 unique titles that are educational or informational books for young people—textbooks or reference texts on a wide range of subjects, history books, biographies, and autobiographies.” The most common topics in banned titles included violence, death and grief, and empowerment and self-esteem.

PEN America, May 7

View more Latest Library Links