Help YALSA Name a New Teen-Focused Month

Librarians, help out YALSA by having your teens submit creative suggestions for a new teen-focused month that merges Teen Read Week and Teen Tech Week initiatives.  According to the YALSA Blog "This celebration will include related displays, passive activities, and programming that will fit public libraries, school libraries, and beyond!"
Find out more HERE.

Teen Tech Week

Teen Tech Week is right around the corner - March 5-11. The theme is "Be a Source of Change" and is about how technology can be used for social change. Dawn Abron's Blog is hosting 18 Days of Teen Tech Programming for inspiration. The ideas can work anytime of the year, especially with the CSLP's theme "Build a Better World".

If Teen Tech Week snuck up on you but you want to something, Dawn's Day 1 suggestion, creating a zine, might be a good passive option. This is a low tech option but markers were once advanced technology. Put out paper, markers, old magazines, scissors, and glue along with instructions in your teen area. You can offer inspiration for topics like what would you can in your town, library, or world. Ask teens to share their zines with you. Maybe one would be willing to talk about their zine and process in a video that you can post on YouTube or Facebook.

Another passive idea is an online scavenger hunt to get teens familiar with the library's website along with other useful and reliable sites.  If you are short on time, Education World has many ready-made themed hunts. You can offer more computer time or fine reduction if they do the scavenger hunt. Or have a drawing for gift cards to local businesses.

What are doing for Teen Tech Week?

Apps Teens Love

Sometimes it can be a struggle to know what apps are trending with teens.  One day Angry Birds is the go-to.  And the next?  Candy Crush.  With Teen Tech Week (March 6 - 12) just around the corner, YALSA's The Hub asked some youth services librarians what apps the teens in their libraries are currently obsessed with.  Check out the results HERE.  (*Spoiler* - Some of them are MATH apps!)

52 Weeks: Week 42 Arduino - Controlled Robots

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 42: Arduino - Controlled Robots  Submitted by YSS Member Matt Beinerman

Photo credit: Matt Beinerman

52 Weeks: Week 28 Hour of Code

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 28: Hour of Code Submitted by YSS Member Julie Kinney

52 Weeks: Week 15 App Inventor

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 15: App Inventor Submitted by YSS Member Julie Kinney

52 Weeks: Week 3 It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YAprogramming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 3: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Submitted by YSS Member Amber McCrea 

Teens choose “Geek Out @ your library”

From YALSA, Apr 5, 2011

Hundreds of teens voted for the 2012 Teen Tech Week theme, selecting Geek Out @ your library as their favorite, with 62% of the vote. Using the theme, librarians will be able to build programs and events that highlight the expansive technology offerings available to teens, for free, at public and school libraries during next year’s celebration, March 4–10. Teens who took the survey also answered questions about how they used technology both at home or in school and public libraries.

Teen Tech Week™ Publicity Tools Available

School and public libraries can promote Teen Tech Week™ (March 6-12) with online resources offered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Since 2007, Teen Tech Week http://www.ala.org/teentechweek, sponsored by YALSA, has ensured that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks and videogames. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries' nonprint resources for education and recreation and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.

The promotional effort for this year’s Teen Tech Week, held March 6- 12, is coordinated by ALA’s Public Information Office (PIO) and YALSA. It includes a number of online tools libraries can use to publicize Teen Tech Week activities:

• Sample Press Release
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#release
  
  
• Tips for Creating a Press Release
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#tips
  
  
• Sample
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#psa
  
  
• PSA
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#psa
  
  
• Sample Letters to Editor
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#editor
  
  
• Sample Proclamation
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#proclamation
  
  
• Tips on Using the TTW Logo
  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#logo
  
  
• Downloadable audio PSAs http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw11/publicity/publicity.cfm#audio (featuring Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants)

The 2011 Teen Tech Week theme of “Mix and Mash @ your library” fosters teen creativity and positions the library as a physical and virtual place for safe exploration of the many types of technology available at libraries, including DVDs, music, gaming, video production, online homework help, social networking, tech workshops, audiobooks and more.

For more information on Teen Tech Week, please visit www.ala.org/teentechweek.