Last month, I blogged about my son who had become disengaged with reading in a post titled, Books & Boys. So, at this year’s MLA conference when I saw they were hosting a session titled: Reaching the Reluctant Teen Reader: From Creation to Circulation, I knew immediately that I wanted to attend. Because of the popularity of this session, I thought our readers would also find this information helpful. Here are my session notes.
This session was a structured panel discussion with an author, librarian (public) and editor. First the panelists talked about why some teens aren’t reading which included the following;
Active adolescents are unable to sit still for long periods of time.
Some teenagers struggle to make connections between the reality of their world and the world of books.
Books don’t have as strong of a pull than other forms of media (TV, video games, internet, etc.)
Reading may be perceived as uncool, anti-social or too much like an adult.
Another important conversation that occurred was the identification of books struggling readers might be more prone to read. The physical appearance of these books are generally catchy, action oriented, with larger print and greater amounts of white spaces on each page. In terms of fiction books, reluctant readers have a tendency to gravitate toward books that they can relate to, with a touches of humor, action rather than descriptive text, with limited but well defined characters. The panel also suggested ways in which librarians can help get books in the hands of reluctant readers through displays, shelving “quick reads” together, posting student book reviews, hosting book talks, taking the library (on the go) out into the community, and developing efficient electronic assess to books.
As a result of this session, CMLE would like to bring a reluctant reader event to our area. Watch for it in upcoming events with CMLE this December!
CMLE would like to note two, free webinars being hosted by WebJunction this November!
Serving Job Seekers: Library and Workforce System Partnerships That Work on November 6th from 1-2pm (CT) Link
Learn how innovative partnerships between state and local libraries and their workforce systems can amplify services to meet community employment needs.
Grace Under Pressure: Tips and Tricks to Cultivate a Positive Approach on November 12th from 1-2 pm (CT) Link
Explore stress-reduction skills and strategies to help face challenging situations that impact our personal work styles, our organizations, and the communities we serve.
Also, the following archived webinars are now available online:
Serving Readers: Beyond the Basics (from October 8th) Link
Where Teens and Technology Meet: Engaging Teens with Digital Media (from August 8th) Link
An article in Brain Hive placed by a high school librarian refers to the impact Tumblr had on her teen patrons. Robin Brenner professes that using this form of social media is even more affluent than Facebook or Twitter. Robin goes on to list essential tips (8) on how she successfully marketed library resources, to teens, with Tumblr. She also shares her top picks for current sites categorized by Teen Lit Tumblrs, Tumblarians, Teen Authors who Tumble, etc. Click here to read, Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons (September 2013.)
In a related post, The Library Is Open: A Look at Librarians and Tumblr(June 2013), Molly Mcardle talks about how librarians have and can incorporate Tumblr in their work. Molly quotes other types of librarians targeting a wide range of patrons who also use Tumblr.
Are you an adult who loves to read children and teen books?
Chapter & Verse Book Club iscoming to St. Cloud. The Children’s Literature Network is the sponsor of the 8 chapters (to date) nationwide. The Great River Regional Library in St. Cloud will partner as the meeting spot.
The club will be facilitated by SCSU faculty member Marcia Thompson (mthompson@stcloudstate.edu or 320-308-2120). It will meet the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00 pm starting September 19.
This month’s books are Nobody’s Secret by Michaela MacColl and Emily by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Click here for more information and a look at the upcoming Chapter and Verse monthly meetings and book selections.
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