I think the topic I chose to search in the beginning searches was a little complicated, even though it seemed straightforward. After some thought, I decided I was going to investigate after-school youth programs and their impact on the community.
I wanted to start with a database I knew a little about and use the most confusing of all the searches to make it a bit easier on myself. (Being confused on two topics would just make a mess of the whole thing!) Using LibraryLit, I did a successive fraction search.
I think that youth programs would get the most information back, so I built the search around it, using some nested Boolean techniques.
Search 1: (youth services) AND (after-school programs) AND (community)
No results. Hmm. It is possibly the way everything is spelled. I decide to change up the search in order to possibly get more results. I decide to leave out “community” to see if changing it will give me back anymore results.
Search 2: (youth OR young adult AND services) AND (programs)
522 Results! Ok, I am obviously on the right track. Some of the items I retrieved are actually useable, but I want to narrow it down further, so I try yet another search. I also limit the type of articles that I will get back – so only peer-reviewed articles will be included going forward.
Search 3: (youth OR young adult AND services) AND (programs) AND (impact)
No results. Using a progressively unique term at the end is truly weeding out those articles that are applicable! I am going to go back to “community” and see if this works here.
Search 4: (youth OR young adult AND services) AND (programs) AND (community OR town).
43 Records. Now we are getting somewhere. Let’s get more specific.
Search 5: (youth OR young adult AND services) AND (programs) AND (community OR town) AND (literacy) – This search really gets to the heart of what I want to know about.
Success! 6 totally useable and applicable records were found; 6 records are certainly something I can handle. Six is much better than 522, that is for certain!
Here is the article:
Diaz, R. (2009). After School Mobile Literacy: Serving Youth in Underserved Neighborhoods. Teacher Librarian, 36(3), 37-8. Retrieved December 2, 2009, from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Even the Cool Kids Like Pictures!
In looking through various library sites for information about young adult services, I stumbled upon the Voice of Youth Advocates' (or VOYA) chronology of Young Adult Library Services History (you can find the link here. To the right, you will see a copy of the Young Adult Alternative Newsletter, which started in 1973.
To the left is a picture, also from the VOYA site, showing kids and teens surrounding the Book Wagon of Pratt Library. I included it because it shows how far we have come! Libraries are available now to all sort of segments of society - many inner city neighborhoods boast impressive libraries these days.These images are important to my topic because it is important to know how and where youth services began and its history before I try to implement my own plans! Another librarian could have had the same idea and saw it did not work. Knowing where you came from is essential to know where you are going.
Jeana : )
All The Cool Girls Go to This Website!
Using Google, I found a neat website geared toward young adult readers, called Book Divas. At Book Divas, the goal is to get young women interested in reading and becoming a part of a community of readers. This promotes literacy among an age group that typically rejects reading (beside the occasional seventeen or Cosmo).
They have everything from book trailers and interviews to reviews and contests! It includes some of the most popular titles for young women, along with some independant novels.
You can find Book Divas main page here.
Jeana : )
They have everything from book trailers and interviews to reviews and contests! It includes some of the most popular titles for young women, along with some independant novels.
You can find Book Divas main page here.
Jeana : )
Multimedia: Book Trailers Are a Cool Librarian's Friend
I was turned on to book trailers by a kid I was tutoring this summer. Basically, they are short video that act like movie trailers do: they preview the book in words and pictures. It made perfect sense! Kids are constantly downloading and viewing material in videos over the Internet, so why not peak their interest in a book by presenting it in a format they prefer?
You can find loads of book trailers at the website Veoh, which is where I got this particular trailer. This is a trailer for a young adult title called Desperado Moon by Sheila Keller. The trailer gives a brief summary in a way that may appeal to the sensibilities of teen, more so then just reading a book jacket. Here is the page that links you to the video for Desperado Moon on their website.
Happy Videoing!
Jeana : )
You can find loads of book trailers at the website Veoh, which is where I got this particular trailer. This is a trailer for a young adult title called Desperado Moon by Sheila Keller. The trailer gives a brief summary in a way that may appeal to the sensibilities of teen, more so then just reading a book jacket. Here is the page that links you to the video for Desperado Moon on their website.
Happy Videoing!
Jeana : )
Monday, October 12, 2009
Tagging Your Blog: All the Cool Kids Do It
Since the beginning of our blogging experiment I have labeled or "tagged" each entry I have created. It seems, however, there might be a little confusion among my classmates on how to accomplish this. It's easier than you think! (I promise.)
First, go to your "dashboard" or where you can edit or add posts on your blog. Everyone is pretty familiar with creating the blog post (the BIG BLUE button that says, "New Post) and publishing it, but you can add a tag from that same screen.
When you are creating your post, i.e. typing it, there is a thin, rectangular box at the bottom of the blank screen where you enter your post text. It has small text next to it that says, "Labels for this post:". This is where you can enter the tag for your post.
For example, I made tags for this particular post that list the different things that are applicable. You can see them at the bottom of the post, just under where you can see if anyone has commented on the post.
You can also create a tag cloud just for your blog! This makes it easier for people to find what they need within your blog. To do this you go back to the main page or your "dashboard". Under your blog name, you'll see the big blue button that says "New Post" and next to it several options, including "edit post" and "settings".
The third option, Layout, is the one you will want. Adding the tag cloud is going to be a similar process to adding an RSS feed - you'll go into Layout and "Add A Gadget". Under the gadget lists, you will see an option for "Labels". When you add this to your blog, it will create a label list that may look similar to what I have at the top of my blog.
You can go into layout and edit the "label" section to make it resemble more of a tag cloud versus a list or rename the gadget (I renamed mine "Tags!" - clever, I know).
I hope this sheds a little light on everything!
Happy Blogging (and tagging)!
Jeana : )
First, go to your "dashboard" or where you can edit or add posts on your blog. Everyone is pretty familiar with creating the blog post (the BIG BLUE button that says, "New Post) and publishing it, but you can add a tag from that same screen.
When you are creating your post, i.e. typing it, there is a thin, rectangular box at the bottom of the blank screen where you enter your post text. It has small text next to it that says, "Labels for this post:". This is where you can enter the tag for your post.
For example, I made tags for this particular post that list the different things that are applicable. You can see them at the bottom of the post, just under where you can see if anyone has commented on the post.
You can also create a tag cloud just for your blog! This makes it easier for people to find what they need within your blog. To do this you go back to the main page or your "dashboard". Under your blog name, you'll see the big blue button that says "New Post" and next to it several options, including "edit post" and "settings".
The third option, Layout, is the one you will want. Adding the tag cloud is going to be a similar process to adding an RSS feed - you'll go into Layout and "Add A Gadget". Under the gadget lists, you will see an option for "Labels". When you add this to your blog, it will create a label list that may look similar to what I have at the top of my blog.
You can go into layout and edit the "label" section to make it resemble more of a tag cloud versus a list or rename the gadget (I renamed mine "Tags!" - clever, I know).
I hope this sheds a little light on everything!
Happy Blogging (and tagging)!
Jeana : )
Monday, October 5, 2009
LibraryLiterature/BIP
The last time I attempted to search databases, I felt like I was searching through endless information for nothing in particular, even though I thought for a while about the topic I wanted to cover. This time I am going to try a few more variables in with my search on items about teen literacy and self-esteem, to find out if there was any correlation.
Starting off from scratch with some new search terms (like inclusion of the word “literacy”), I started with Library Literature using “teen literacy” as my beginning point, without any limiters. I only came back with 32 results. Retrieving only 22 results this time, I decided just to check to see if narrowing the search to peer-reviewed article would decrease the number of results, and did it ever. I came back with a single result:
Title: [Teens, Technology, and Literacy]
Personal Author: McClellan, Susan
Journal Name: Public Libraries
Source: Public Libraries v. 47 no. 1 (January/February 2008) p. 88
Publication Year: 2008
Peer Reviewed Journal:
ISSN: 0163-5506
Language of Document: English
Book(s) Reviewed: Title: Teens, technology, and literacy; or, Why bad grammar isn't always bad[2007; Braun, Linda W.; Libra]
Document Type: Book Review
Database: Library & Information Science
Accession Number: 200800101051021
Persistent URL: Click to copy the HTML full text article link
Click to copy the PDF full text article link
The result is not really what I set out to look for; the abstract describes how to use technology that teens are using (like wikis, blogs, etc) to host workshops that utilize the technology in an effort to promote literacy. However, I included the result, because this article actually is EXACTLY something I am interested in. It is better than a result I would have gotten about teen literacy and self-esteem and I think it fits in better with my interests.
This lucky break article can be found at: http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2090/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42
Now back to the actual search list about literacy and self-esteem. I decided to modify the search by adding “self-esteem”, which returned no results. I then tried a few variations on the word “self-esteem” and still returned with nil. I went back to my original results list and actually found an interesting article that relates to my topic (a bit).
Title: Life-Changer
Journal Name: Library Journal (1976)
Source: Library Journal (1976) v. 131 no. 5 (March 15 2006 supp) p. 18-19
Publication Year: 2006
Abstract: A profile of Amy Cheney, a project director of Juvenile Hall Library and Literacy Program, Alameda County Library, California, who has been recognized for her work in teen activism by the Library Journal in its 2006 list of "movers and shakers," is provided.
Subject(s): Public libraries/Services to juvenile delinquents; Juvenile delinquents/Reading; Paraprofessionals/California; Alameda County Library (Calif.); Cheney, Amy
Physical Description: Portrait
ISSN: 0363-0277
Language of Document: English
Document Type: Contains biographical material; Feature Article
Database: Education; Library & Information Science
Accession Number: 200635101872020
Persistent URL: Click to copy the HTML full text article link
Click to copy the PDF full text article link
This article gives some insights on how jailed teens can evolve by participating in reading programs at a youth correctional facility in Northern California. By empowering them with the ability to read, process what they have read, access and analyze this information and make it applicable to their life, the program gives teens a chance for survival outside of the criminal world.
The link to the article is here: http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2090/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42.
I must admit, Library Lit was easier to use than some of the other databases I have searched through (including the one I chose for my database analysis). It was straight-forward and the results were easy to sift through – I got two great articles for the price of one!
Books in Print, conversely, was a little harder for me to navigate. As a visual learner, I appreciate all the color graphics and extra information, but it made it a bit more difficult to find the place where I would actually do my search. Couple that confusion, with the fact I had to make selections about what information I wanted back initially (books, videos, in print, forthcoming) and my head was already spinning.
Just using the term “teen literacy” brought back 95 results – way more than I can glance through. I added “self-esteem” and received 7 results back, but none of them fit in with the things for which I was looking. I looked through some of the results and found the term “media literacy”, so I used that in conjunction with “teen” and found a pretty great book available for me (see below)!
Title: Start-To-Finish YA Programs: Hip-Hop Symposiums, Summer Reading Programs, Virtual Tours, Poetry Slams, Teen Advisory Boards, Term Paper Clinics, and More!
Author: Ella W. Jones
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Incorporated
Country of Publication: United States
Market: United States
ISBN: 1-55570-601-0
ISBN13: 978-1-55570-601-2
Item Status: Active Record (Readily Available)
Binding Format: Trade Paper
Edition: illustrated
Pages: xiii, 217
Price: $75.00 (USD Retail) (Publisher)
Also Available Through: Alibris ; Baker & Taylor Books; Blackwell; Brodart Company
Current Language: English
Audience: Scholarly & Professional
Bowker Subjects: MEDIA LITERACY
General Subjects (BISAC): SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies
LCCN: 2008-050853
LC Class #: Z718.5.J65 2009
Dewey #: 027.626
Synopsis/Annotation: What teen wouldn't be interested in a poetry slam, hosting a cable TV show, or learning to be a DJ? In Start-to-Finish YA Programs, author Ella Jones gives you the "411" about planning powerful programs for teens. With high school enrollments increasing by 13%, the role of both school and public libraries is growing too. The author provides 25 successful teen programs from public libraries based on the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets for Teens. If you're looking for engaging, high-impact teen programming breakthroughs, buy this book and give some of these concepts a try: - Brown-Bag Concerts- Library Teen Cable Show- Commitment to Fitness- Dance 360- Oral History Video Projects- Hip-Hop Symposium- Youth Gospel Fest- And moreThe companion CD-ROM provides all of the sign-up forms, promotional posters, evaluation worksheets, permission slips, and more for easy reproduction and personalization.
Although this was not exactly what I was searching for, I think this book is right up the alley of a person like me, interested in investigating innovative programming aimed at teens. So, in the end, BIP is difficult to maneuver though, but can provide you with some fantastic resources!
Starting off from scratch with some new search terms (like inclusion of the word “literacy”), I started with Library Literature using “teen literacy” as my beginning point, without any limiters. I only came back with 32 results. Retrieving only 22 results this time, I decided just to check to see if narrowing the search to peer-reviewed article would decrease the number of results, and did it ever. I came back with a single result:
Title: [Teens, Technology, and Literacy]
Personal Author: McClellan, Susan
Journal Name: Public Libraries
Source: Public Libraries v. 47 no. 1 (January/February 2008) p. 88
Publication Year: 2008
Peer Reviewed Journal:
ISSN: 0163-5506
Language of Document: English
Book(s) Reviewed: Title: Teens, technology, and literacy; or, Why bad grammar isn't always bad[2007; Braun, Linda W.; Libra]
Document Type: Book Review
Database: Library & Information Science
Accession Number: 200800101051021
Persistent URL: Click to copy the HTML full text article link
Click to copy the PDF full text article link
The result is not really what I set out to look for; the abstract describes how to use technology that teens are using (like wikis, blogs, etc) to host workshops that utilize the technology in an effort to promote literacy. However, I included the result, because this article actually is EXACTLY something I am interested in. It is better than a result I would have gotten about teen literacy and self-esteem and I think it fits in better with my interests.
This lucky break article can be found at: http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2090/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42
Now back to the actual search list about literacy and self-esteem. I decided to modify the search by adding “self-esteem”, which returned no results. I then tried a few variations on the word “self-esteem” and still returned with nil. I went back to my original results list and actually found an interesting article that relates to my topic (a bit).
Title: Life-Changer
Journal Name: Library Journal (1976)
Source: Library Journal (1976) v. 131 no. 5 (March 15 2006 supp) p. 18-19
Publication Year: 2006
Abstract: A profile of Amy Cheney, a project director of Juvenile Hall Library and Literacy Program, Alameda County Library, California, who has been recognized for her work in teen activism by the Library Journal in its 2006 list of "movers and shakers," is provided.
Subject(s): Public libraries/Services to juvenile delinquents; Juvenile delinquents/Reading; Paraprofessionals/California; Alameda County Library (Calif.); Cheney, Amy
Physical Description: Portrait
ISSN: 0363-0277
Language of Document: English
Document Type: Contains biographical material; Feature Article
Database: Education; Library & Information Science
Accession Number: 200635101872020
Persistent URL: Click to copy the HTML full text article link
Click to copy the PDF full text article link
This article gives some insights on how jailed teens can evolve by participating in reading programs at a youth correctional facility in Northern California. By empowering them with the ability to read, process what they have read, access and analyze this information and make it applicable to their life, the program gives teens a chance for survival outside of the criminal world.
The link to the article is here: http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2090/hww/results/external_link_maincontentframe.jhtml?_DARGS=/hww/results/results_common.jhtml.42.
I must admit, Library Lit was easier to use than some of the other databases I have searched through (including the one I chose for my database analysis). It was straight-forward and the results were easy to sift through – I got two great articles for the price of one!
Books in Print, conversely, was a little harder for me to navigate. As a visual learner, I appreciate all the color graphics and extra information, but it made it a bit more difficult to find the place where I would actually do my search. Couple that confusion, with the fact I had to make selections about what information I wanted back initially (books, videos, in print, forthcoming) and my head was already spinning.
Just using the term “teen literacy” brought back 95 results – way more than I can glance through. I added “self-esteem” and received 7 results back, but none of them fit in with the things for which I was looking. I looked through some of the results and found the term “media literacy”, so I used that in conjunction with “teen” and found a pretty great book available for me (see below)!
Title: Start-To-Finish YA Programs: Hip-Hop Symposiums, Summer Reading Programs, Virtual Tours, Poetry Slams, Teen Advisory Boards, Term Paper Clinics, and More!
Author: Ella W. Jones
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Incorporated
Country of Publication: United States
Market: United States
ISBN: 1-55570-601-0
ISBN13: 978-1-55570-601-2
Item Status: Active Record (Readily Available)
Binding Format: Trade Paper
Edition: illustrated
Pages: xiii, 217
Price: $75.00 (USD Retail) (Publisher)
Also Available Through: Alibris ; Baker & Taylor Books; Blackwell; Brodart Company
Current Language: English
Audience: Scholarly & Professional
Bowker Subjects: MEDIA LITERACY
General Subjects (BISAC): SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies
LCCN: 2008-050853
LC Class #: Z718.5.J65 2009
Dewey #: 027.626
Synopsis/Annotation: What teen wouldn't be interested in a poetry slam, hosting a cable TV show, or learning to be a DJ? In Start-to-Finish YA Programs, author Ella Jones gives you the "411" about planning powerful programs for teens. With high school enrollments increasing by 13%, the role of both school and public libraries is growing too. The author provides 25 successful teen programs from public libraries based on the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets for Teens. If you're looking for engaging, high-impact teen programming breakthroughs, buy this book and give some of these concepts a try: - Brown-Bag Concerts- Library Teen Cable Show- Commitment to Fitness- Dance 360- Oral History Video Projects- Hip-Hop Symposium- Youth Gospel Fest- And moreThe companion CD-ROM provides all of the sign-up forms, promotional posters, evaluation worksheets, permission slips, and more for easy reproduction and personalization.
Although this was not exactly what I was searching for, I think this book is right up the alley of a person like me, interested in investigating innovative programming aimed at teens. So, in the end, BIP is difficult to maneuver though, but can provide you with some fantastic resources!
Cool Kids Read Banned Books (aka Tagging)
When I was younger I wanted to get my hands on the items people told me were "controversial" - okay, okay, I still do that now, but using banned books as a way to promote literacy is a GREAT idea.
Using librarything.com, I did a search for some of the most popular banned book titles and found one of my favorites, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Here are some of the tags I found for the novel:
adventure(280) boarding school(152) British(277) children(468) children's(898) children's fiction(257) children's literature(465) England(241) fantasy(5,750) favorite(139) fiction(3,657) hardcover(158) Harry Potter(2,502) Hogwarts(205) HP(123) J.K. Rowling(274) juvenile(149) kids(122) magic(1,636) novel(334) own(343) read(780) Rowling(162) school(180) series(719) sff(154) witches(285) wizards(806) YA(489) young adult(887)
You can find the rest of the tags (and there are a LOT) and other information about the book and author at http://www.librarything.com/work/2742161.
I chose this because the use and promotion of banned book may be the thing that gets a kid who HATES reading interested in something. If you tell them they are not supposed to be doing something (in this case, not supposed to be reading something), of course you peak their interest. I am a full believer in every kid will have something they want to read; it’s about finding that something that is the challenge! The Harry Potter series got kids, even those who never showed an interest before, to read. Find a book to match the child - it's just a good policy.
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