The OLD Top Shelf

Congrats to MK at Terry Middle School for registering her campus at the Teen Read Week site!

If you haven’t done this yet, there’s less than a week left before registration closes. Why should you register? YALSA is a non profit organization that depends on its members for support. By registering, you are letting them know that teen literacy is a concern and you are willing to do something about it! By registering, you are telling YALSA that this program is worthwhile, and they will continue to sponsor the week.

Once you have registered, these 13 steps will help you get the word out about your celebration.

Teen Read Week PR Checklist

1. There is a TRW display in my library.
2. TRW is featured on my library’s web site, blog and/or MySpace page
3. Information about TRW is in my library’s fall newsletter
4. I’ve posted announcements, fliers, and brochures all over my library: along shelves, at each checkout station, and bulletin boards. (Tip: Want a great, ready-made poster that you can easily print on any printer? Check out the Print PSAs on the Teen Read Week Web site’s Get Publicity page)
5. At my school, I asked to include TRW activities and information in the daily announcements.
6. All library staff are knowledgeable about my library’s TRW activities.
7. Relevant local organizations have been informed about TRW and your library’s TRW activities, such as the community center, 4-H club, area schools, parent organizations, etc.
8. Local VIPs such as town council members and/or state legislators, have been invited to attend any special TRW events.
9. Local media outlets such as newspapers, radio stations and TV stations have been informed about TRW and your library’s TRW activities via a press release (see the TRW Web site for samples). You can also ask your local newspaper to print one of YALSA’s PSAs (follow the directions at the Get Publicity page!)
10. My Teen Advisory Group (TAG) is involved in promoting TRW by writing letters to the editor, making a commercial for the public access channel, designing and posting flyers, creating and uploading a short informational video for YouTube, etc.
11. I or my TAG have asked my town council and/or state’s governor to declare Oct. 14-20th, 2007 Teen Read Week in my town or state (see a sample proclamation on the TRW Web site).
12. I have designated a member of my TAG or someone to be the photographer at my TRW events, and I will distribute the photos by posting them on the library’s web site or Flickr account, sending them to the local newspaper and sending them to American Libraries at americanlibraries@ala.org.
13. I went to the Teen Read Week wiki and shared my library’s plans so others can be inspired by my ideas and my celebration can be shared by ALA publications or the Public Information Office for promotional use.

If you’ve done all these things, I’d say you are more than ready! Share your plans in the comments.

From the YALSA blog…

Time is running out! Join thousands of other members and teen literacy supporters by registering for Teen Read Week—registration ends September 17.

All YALSA members who register will receive a free paperback courtesy Scholastic, a Teen Read Week Promotional Partner. Teen Read Week 2007 is October 14-20, with the theme of “LOL @ your library,” encouraging teens to read something light or humorous, just for the fun of it.

NoodleTools now has a My Notes feature that allows students to take their notes online and connect them to their citations. Read more about it on Joyce Valenza’s blog posting. This might be something we’d want to explore for our secondary campuses. What do you think? Would your teachers be open to moving away from the traditional note card? Leave a comment with your thoughts…

Show your support of teens and literature by registering
for YALSA’s 2007 Teen Read Week, “LOL @ your library.”
Registration is quick and free. The event will officially
be held Oct. 14-20. The humor theme is meant to encourage
teens to read light and entertaining materials just for
the fun of it. Register at:
www.ala.org/teenread

The first 100 registrants will receive a free audiobook from an award-winning author!

YALSA is pleased to announce that registration for “Teen
Tech Week” is now open. “Teen Tech Week” is a new
YALSA celebration aimed at getting teens to use their
libraries for the different technologies that are offered
there, such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, video games and
more.

“Teen Tech Week” will be celebrated for the first time
March 4-10, 2007.

Registration is available now at
http://www.ala.org/teentechweek

Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/november2006/TeenTechWeek.htm

Teen readers across the country voted “Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince” by J.K. Rowling as their favorite book
to take the #1 spot on the annual Teens’ Top Ten (TTT),
sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association
(YALSA), a division of ALA. The vote took place during Teen
Read Week (TRW), October 15-21, 2006, and gave teens an
opportunity to voice their choice for the best new young
adult books.

For complete list see
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/november2006/TTTlist.htm

Check out the current edition of Knowledge Quest online (KQWeb)

“Snagging Teen Readers: Authors to Zines”:

- Guest editor Anita Beaman on “YA Lit 2.0: How Technology
is Enhancing Reading for Pleasure”
- “Building a Community of High School Readers” with Julia
Roberts
- Denise Aulik explores “Zines, Literacy and the Adolescent”

Visit the new KQWeb at
http://www.ala.org/aasl/kqweb

posted on LM_NET…

Please join YALSA in celebrating our first ever Teen Tech Week – March 4-10, 2007.

The purpose of this new initiative is to encourage teens to use libraries’ nonprint
resources for education and recreation, and to help teens recognize that librarians
are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.

Here’s what you can do to join the celebration:

1. Register for Teen Tech Week at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw.htm.
Those of you who register will receive incentives from our Promotional Partners Rosen Publishing and Tutor.com.

2. Visit the Teen Tech Week wiki at http://teentechweek.wikispaces.com to find and
share ideas for celebrating the event.

3. Plan on attending the Teen Tech Week Kick-Off from 10:30 to 12:30 Jan. 21st at
the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Meet our partners and sponsors and get ideas from our
TTW Taskforce on how to celebrate in your library.

4. Keep an eye out on the TTW web site for Teen Tech Week podcasts.

Thank you for working to ensure that the teens in your communities have access to a
variety of electronic resources and are competent users of information in all
formats. YALSA would like to thank E-Vanced Solutions for making the online
registration possible.

Mesquite HS librarians have a whole week of great activities planned for Teen Read Week. Click the link to download their cute promotional poster! (It’s a Word document.)
Teen Read Week at MHS

A list of career web sites was posted on LM_NET this week by Kim Smith.
Bureau of Labor’s online Occupational Outlook Handbook

Career Exploration

Career Zone

America’s Career Infonet

Jobstar Central

Career Voyages

JobProfiles.org

Mathematical Sciences Career Information

What Do You Like?

Career Quest

School to Careers

Become a Librarian

CollegeBoard.com

Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)

My Future: Career Toolbox

Job Hunter’s Bible

Career Research and Planning on The Princeton Review

WetFeet.com

CareerShip

In the Mix – Careers: Focus on Your Future

Cool Careers in Science