Central Massachusetts Year of the Teen

Save the dates - fall Year of the Teen Workshops!

July 26, 2007

Get your calendar, and get ready - we have some GREAT workshops planned for this fall! Here’s what’s coming …

Thursday, September 20:
Teens and Technology: What’s Up Now
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Oxford Public Library

Teens use technology to communicate and collaborate on a regular basis. They use Twitter and text messaging, blogs and Facebook, Pandora and iTunes. Come find out what teens are doing with technology as a part of their day-to-day lives, learn how to connect with teens virtually, and how to market your services using the technologies teens are currently into. Linda Braun, of Librarians and Educators Online, will get us up to speed.

Friday, October 5
Gaming and the New Literacy
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Shrewsbury Public Library

It is no longer enough for today’s students to know how to read, write and do arithmetic; now they  must be proficient at finding, organizing, and conveying information, and all in an ethical manner. Beth
Gallaway, author of Get Your Game On! (Neal Schuman, 2007), shares why video games matter to your library in terms of entertainment, culture, learning, literacy, and adolescent development. School and public librarians who directly serve teens, and administrators and trustees whose staff serve teens, shouldn’t miss this workshop.

Tuesday, November 27
Patrick Jones on Building Your Collection & Reaching Teen Readers
10:00 am – 3:30 pm
Leominster Public Library

We have libraries filled with books, yet many students who enter our media centers are aliterate; they have the ability to read but choose not to. Learn best practices for reaching these students, as well as tips for building a lasting “core collection” for all teen readers.

About the presenter:
Patrick Jones is a national expert on library services for teens. His latest young adult  novel, Chasing Tail Lights, was published in spring 2007.  His first YA novel, Things Change, was named by YALSA as a best book for reluctant readers. His most recent (and last) professional publication is Connecting with Reluctant Teen Readers. Jones is a frequent speaker at library conferences, having visited all fifty states and several other countries.  Jones grew up in Flint, Michigan, began his library career in Springfield, MA, and now lives in Minneapolis.

Monday, December 10
Lights! Camera! Teen Action Plan!
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Boxborough Public Library

We’re nearing the end of the Year of the Teen, so now it’s time to take all that great knowledge you’ve gained and write a Teen Services Action Plan! A written plan can be included in your library’s long range plan and can be used for future grant writing and program planning. Participants will learn how to use a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) brainstorming exercise to prioritize ideas and develop goals. Including library staff and teens in this process will make a teen services action plan a valuable and viable document. Susan Babb, Youth Services Consultant for the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System, will lead the workshop.

Registration information for all these workshops will be available soon on the CMRLS website. YA and children’s staff, school librarians, Serving Tweens and Teens grant recipients, library directors, all library staff, and trustees are invited to attend. Come and bring a friend!

The Central Massachusetts Year of the Teen project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

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