Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice - Books / Professional Development - Books for Public Librarians - ALA Store

Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice by Denise E. Agosto

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Massive shout out to Denise E. Agosto and Sandra Hughes-Hassell - two awesome ladies who have devoted their careers to researching the information needs of urban, inner-city youth. If you are a professional librarian, educator, or social-worker who works closely with this population, this is arguably the best current resource available on the topic. Table posting your latest Goodreads review for a couple minutes and go order this book!
Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice - ALA Store

New Coming-of-Age Latina Hip-hop Drama Released in Theaters

Go For It!, written, directed, and produced by Latina, Carmen Marron was released in theaters last Friday, May 13th.  Featuring Aimee Garcia of The George Lopez Show, this film promises to help fill a noticeable Hollywood void in good, high-interest teen drama featuring Hispanic characters in primary roles.  For more details read Latina Magazine's exclusive interview with Aimee Garcia by Amaris Castillo or check out the review at nytimes.com. Can't wait to see this!

You just gotta see the dopeness...

Graffiti Creator

This quote is actually from a great 2008 coming-of-age movie, The Wackness, directed by Jonathan Levine.  For a fun teen summer reading activity, consider asking your teens to generate digital graffiti images of their own favorite quotes, using Graffiti Creator.  Users can post their designs to Facebook and Myspace.

Over 1,000 It Gets Better Books Donated to Schools and Libraries

For more information about the It Gets Better Project, check out their website at:

  http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Cultivating Civic Engagement: ICivics Democracy Lab

Did you know that primary elections are being held throughout the country this month?  If we want to empower urban youth, it's never too early to start them thinking about civic engagement.  I highly recommend introducing teens to ICivics Democracy Lab, a web-based education project, founded by former Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor.  The site contains surprisingly addictive time management games aimed at educating youth about grassroots organizing, our judiciary system and the democratic process. The graphics are hip and fun and the characters represent a diverse range of ethnicities. This is one of the best educational gaming sites for youth I have come across in a long time. Seriously, your teens will love it. Check it out and see for yourself.

Street Culture Trends: Turf Dancing

Summer Job-Seeking Program Ideas for Teens

With the shrinking availability of summer jobs and funding for teen employment programs, the challenges faced by first-time job-seekers have become increasingly daunting.  Workshops on resume-writing or interviewing are a great idea.  However, many teens may not know the first thing about conducting a web search for job openings which match their qualifications. Try one or two of these program ideas to help young job-seekers get a jump start on finding summer positions.

• To help teens locate appropriate job listings, consider creating brightly-colored cards with useful weblinks and place them by computers during after school hours. 
• Hold a program, inviting currently employed teen panelists to share their work and job-seeking experiences with other young adults. 
• Create a bulletin board at your library, featuring available career resources, as well as alternative money-making ideas for teens, such as babysitting, lawn-mowing, car-washing, house-cleaning, etc.
• Encourage teens to consider summer volunteer opportunities in the area to build skills and experience.  Serve Philadelphia is a great new resource provided by the city of Philadelphia for individuals seeking volunteer positions. Allows user to filter search by age group (ex. "ideal for": children, teens, senior citizens, etc.) 
• Hold a technology program, and show teens how to use MS Publisher to create a simple flyer or brochure for a proposed small summer business idea. 
• Tweens and teens alike may enjoy sites like Bureau of Labor Statistics Career Information which help them zero in on career interests and strengths. 

National websites featuring resources and employment opportunities for teenagers

Teens4Hire - Contains numerous job listings, articles featuring job-seeking advice for teens, as well as information on work permits and labor laws. Requires users to establish a free membership profile.   

Quintessential Careers - Links to a multitude of career resources and job databases for student job-seekers.

Summer Jobs - Search for jobs by keyword and/or region. No registration required.

Cool Works - Features seasonal jobs, and jobs specifically for teens. No registration required. Allows users to subscribe via RSS.