Central Massachusetts Year of the Teen

Wow. That’s all I can say – and what a lot of you said on your evaluations of Brent Hartinger’s presentation this week! If you weren’t there, Brent talked about making reading relevant for today’s teens, censorship, the history of teen literature and SO much more. He was inspiring, passionate, funny, and conveyed a deep respect for teens and their right to read – while being entertaining and engaging. The morning flew by and we all wish he could have stayed longer. If you attended, what did you think were the high points? What are the top two issues he discussed that you went right back and shared with other librarians or teachers? Add your comments and let’s keep it going!

OK, I got excited – and posted Support Teen Literature Day a month early. There’ s so much great YA literature out there these days, I couldn’t help myself. Let’s keep the discussion going!

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Happy “Support Teen Literature” Day! In light of the designation, I’m curious to know what teen literature you’re reading. I’ll start the responses – click Comments and add yours!

I just started reading Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. It’s the story of a group of kids who meet each other in a psychiatric hospital for teens who have attempted suicide. I’m only a couple chapters into the book, but wow, is it ever powerful! It’s written in verse, which makes it even more powerful.

OK, your turn! Who’s next?

Howell, Michigan has been a seat of controversy lately over English teachers’ use of works by Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Wright in 11th and 12th grade classes. Vicki Fyke of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education filed a complaint with the Livingston County prosecutor that stated – get this – Morrison, Wright and Vonnegut books are legally obscene and also violate laws against child pornography and child sexual abuse. She filed the complaint with the prosecutor when her complaints to the school board were dismissed.

To make matters worse, Stephen J. Murphy III, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, referred her complaint to the FBI! The FBI, folks! What that means, in the eloquent words of author Brent Hartinger on his blog, is this:

“This was not just another book being challenged. Book challenges are a fair expression of freedom of speech; everyone has a right to make them, and every school and library should have a process in place to consider them.

But in this case, people need to understand: for having assigned classic books by acclaimed authors, these English teachers were being reported to the FBI, accused of distributing “pornography” to kids. If this travesty had been allowed to continue, these educational profressionals would have had to hire lawyers; their characters would have been brutally and maliciously attacked, they’re careers would have been threatened, and they may very well have faced prison time. It’s possible they would have had to register as “sex offenders” for the rest of their lives!

It’s not hyperbole to say that this is like something out of 1984–it really IS something from 1984! There is literally criminalizing books, and education. And don’t tell me if the FBI had investigated and a precedent had been created, even if they hadn’t actually pressed charges, it wouldn’t have had a HUGE chilling effect on what books can be taught in classrooms, and on the very nature of education in the US. The very notion of academic independence and intellectual freedom was at stake.

 Had this been allowed to continue, this would not have been the America I know, the land of the free.”

Book challenges, I understand – but trying to prosecute high school English teachers for “distributing pornography”? That’s going a little too far. No, make that WAY too far.

Come talk to Brent Hartinger next Thursday, March 22 at his workshop, “Books Don’t Suck” at Millbury Public Library. Register at www.cmrls.org.

We’ve heard all the statistics about how teens DON’T read, and the stories about how BAD young adult literature has become. Well, now for the good news! From 1999-2005, sales of teen books increased by a quarter, according to industry analysts. And it’s not just quantity that’s increasing, it’s quality too.

According to Michael Cart, a leading authority on YA literature, “We are right smack-dab in the new golden age of young adult literature.”

Find out more about this “rebirth” in a great article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Thank you to Kathy Lowe, from the Massachusetts School Library Association, for the excellent link!

Gaming in the Library

Presented by
Jenny Levine, Internet Development Specialist and Strategy Guide, American Library Association

March 13, 2007, 11 a.m. – noon Eastern

Much is happening in the world of gaming right now, and it’s not just a lot of teenage boys sitting in the basement staring at a screen for hours on end. No, gaming has tremendous potential for libraries to reach out to new users, offer new services, and help complement efforts in community building, information literacy, and other areas. Don’t know much about gaming, but want to know how it can benefit libraries? Not sure what kinds of services your library could offer (especially on a limited budget)? Are you an avid gamer who would like to offer services, but you need help convincing others? Just want to hear what other libraries are doing? We’ll cover all of these topics and more in just one hour. Get the scoop that helps you clarify your thinking about gaming and libraries. Register now to take part in a FREE webinar that is sure to further your understanding of how to use gaming in your library.

Jenny Levine is the Internet development specialist and strategy guide at the American Library Association, where she splits her time between the Information Technology and Publishing departments. As part of her job, she blogs, creates wikis, bugs her colleagues to instant message, tests podcasting and vodcasting, teaches RSS, posts pictures on Flickr, explores Second Life, and does similar work with emerging technologies and tools in general. She is currently organizing the 2007 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium, which will take place on July 22-24, 2007, in Chicago. Last year, Jenny had the pleasure of traveling around the United States and Europe to give more than 30 presentations. She is also the author of The Shifted Librarian blog, http://theshiftedlibrarian.com, a site that helps librarians understand the coming impact of ubiquitous, always-on Internet (and hence ubiquitous, always-on information) on our profession. She wrote the September/October 2006 issue of “Library Technology Reports,” titled “Gaming in Libraries: Intersection of Services,” and is an avid proponent of gaming services in libraries.

Register for this SirsiDynix Institute webinar at:
https://events.livemeeting.com/961/7248/reg.aspx

• If you have missed previous SirsiDynix Institute events or are unable to make this one, we have an extensive archive posted at http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/archive.php. You can check out past webinars at any time.
• See the 2007 SirsiDynix Institute schedule at http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/.