How does one celebrate the life, or rather death, of the undead? With the popularity of series such as Twilight, Vampire Kisses and Blue Bloods, throwing a vampire party is a great way to get teens excited about reading. But where to begin? In my mind, every successful party includes cake. And what better variety of cake to serve at a party devoted to blood suckers than red velvet? Even if you don’t have the budget to purchase a bakery cake, you can find red velvet cake mixes and mix it up yourself. If you are ambitious, there is a recipe in the February 2008 issue of Shojo Beat for a Vampire Knight Valentine’s cake that looks like it would be yummy anytime of year. Another option would be making cupcakes and then allowing each teen to decorate as they see fit with darkly colored sprinkles or icing. If you have access to Halloween cookie cutters, you could also decorate cookies in the shapes of coffins, tombstones, bats, or spider webs.

Music can also contribute to the success of a party. Stephenie Meyer has already done a lot of the work for us when it comes to selecting music for a vampire themed party. Begin with the playlists that can be found on her site and expand from there with additional music from those bands. The website allmusic.com can help you find other artists. Simply search for an artist and it will give you their influences, followers, and similar acts. Songs such as “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” and “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” by My Chemical Romance and “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)” by Concrete Blonde add an appropriately ghoulish atmosphere. Try having teens come up with their own vampy mix to share.

A few simple activities can tie the whole thing together. You could either make a quiz on general vampire lore or create separate quizzes for individual books, using each book as a prize. The most fun thing for the teens who are into vampires, is to make them a vampire for a day. Your local community theatre might have a volunteer who would be willing to come in and transform them into vampires. We had a staff member give people vampire bites on the neck using eye shadow and liner in shades of red, brown, blue and purple for appropriate bruising around the wound.

In my community, the majority of teens who love vampire stories tend to feel like they are alone in their interests. They are teens on the fringe, sometimes into the Goth and Emo scenes. Celebrating one of their passions can show them that they are not as alone as they think, and give them the chance to be outsiders together.

Opening Photo: be careful / Originally uploaded by girl interrupted. jess

Posted by Sarah Granville

Yup.  Just two more weeks before April, which means Poetry Month is once again upon us.  Although I can’t write poetry to save my life I do love to read it.  It was this fact that was foremost on my mind last year when I planned my first Teen Poetry Program.  I wanted something low-key, educational but fun and settled on a kind of coffee house type program where teens could sip on coffee/tea and listen while others read their poetry outloud, slammed if they knew how, read someone elses poetry, then participated in a series of activities that would teach them some poetry skills. 

You can read all the details about the program on an old blog post.  We’re planning a similar event this year, however, we’ve invited a local published poet to come in and “open” the event.  If there was one thing I learned during my experience last year it was that poetry programs are a perfect opportunity to collaborate and network with your local high schools.  It was because of the poetry program that I managed to meet one of the school librarians and also an English teacher who offered her class extra credit for attending the event and extra points if they recited a poem.  If it wasn’t for her class I probably wouldn’t have had so many attend the program.  For some reason I always felt kind of down about that fact, that the only way we managed to get teens to come to our program was to essentially bribe them.  But looking back I realize that it’s all about perspective.  Despite how we got them through the door, they did come, they did have fun and I do believe that they brought something back from the experience. For me that is the very definition of a successful program.  Many of them were very shy in the beginning or acted too cool to read poetry in front of an audience but it only took a few brave souls and one amazing young lady who really knew how to slam to encourage the rest to step up.  Of course, the flavored coffee and chocolates probably helped too.

 Below is the slide presentation I used during the program.  Please feel free to use it, change it, as you like.  I found most of my activities from the IPL Teenspace poetry wiki but unfortuntately it doesn’t seem to be working right now so I can only provide the cached link. I would love to hear some ideas from our readers on various poetry programs, there are so many different ways to share and encourage a love of words and writing with teens.

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New post from Jeff 2.0! Jeff took a 15 year detour through chemistry and engineering before becoming a librarian. He wonders why he didn’t start there in the first place. In addition to being a YA specialist, Jeff is also a Boy Scout leader.

Intellectual Property Rights, Creative Commons and…Nine Inch Nails?

Teaching information literacy skills is an important role for YA librarians. Educating teens about such issues as intellectual property rights, digital rights management (DRM) and the law can often come across as preachy. Fortunately, an unlikely partner can help break the ice with teens on this subject: Nine Inch Nails.

Ask a teen where they got the music on their MP3 player and they’ll likely reply “the internet.” Of course, the real question is: was it obtained legally? While authorized downloads of artists’ music are available through online retailers such as Apple’s iTunes Store or Rhapsody, many people still use file-sharing protocols such as Limewire, KaZaa and BitTorrents for unauthorized downloading (aka theft) of copyrighted materials.

The world seems divided into two camps: those who view all intellectual property as essentially being public domain (as long as they don’t get caught), and those who view all intellectual property as private property posted “no trespassing, authorized persons only”. The former camp says that copyright stifles creative uses of intellectual property such as sampling in music; the latter camp says that owners of intellectual property should have the right to control all its uses.

As in most ideological battles, there is a middle ground. Enter Creative Commons, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable corporationthat defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright — all rights reserved — and the public domain — no rights reserved. Our licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work — a “some rights reserved” copyright [http://creativecommons.org/about/]

Many teens may be familiar with Creative Commons from its use on Flickr. Flickr allows you to apply Creative Commons licensing to grant other users the right to use your work under certain circumstances.

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails have given us the opportunity to use their music to educate teens on intellectual property issues. NIN has released their latest album, Ghosts I-IV under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. This means that you can share it, or remix it and share it under the same license for noncommercial (i.e. free) uses as long as you attribute it to Nine Inch Nails. Nine Inch Nails offers the album for download for only $5, or you can download a partial album for free from the website or via BitTorrent.

The album consists of instrumental tracks which are perfect for remixing and/or adding vocals. One of the programs suggested for Teen Tech Week 2008 (or any other time) involves teens using Splice Music, JamGlue, or Audacity to create their own music. Why not include downloading the free Nine Inch Nails tracks and have the teens make their own remix? How about adding vocals? What about a music video posted to YouTube? The finished product could be uploaded and shared following the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license. The teens will have fun exercising their creativity, and we will get the opportunity to talk with teens about intellectual property rights and Creative Commons licensing.
Posted by Jeff 2.0

This post is brought to you by one of our new contributors, Sarah Granville! Sarah is the Teen Services Librarian at the Barberton Public Library in Barberton, Ohio. Sarah loves the new perspectives her teen customers bring her. Their enthusiasm helps keep her enthusiastic on rough days!

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I began thinking of a Dungeons and Dragons (D & D) group at the library in 2005. I had been interested in D & D since high school, but hadn’t ever played. The idea of knowing nothing about this game and running a program terrified me. The thought of learning enough to feel comfortable suggesting it overwhelmed me. I received a D & D starter kit from YALSA and stared at it proudly as it sat on my desk. And gathered dust. My quest was not starting out well.

One evening I entered our meeting room to set up for anime club and there was a group of boys sitting at a table with D & D books. My teen programming senses tingled and I asked them about what they were doing. They were beginning a new campaign so I asked them if they would mind having their campaign be a once a month library program open to any teenager who wanted to come. They agreed! I was getting my D & D group without having to be proficient at it myself! And you can too.
The basic things that any librarian needs to start a D & D group are the core rule books (the Players Handbook, the Dungeon Masters Guide, and the Monster Manual), dice, and one or more teens to be Dungeon Master, or DM. My DM and I have an understanding. If he feels that a player is acting unfairly he will let me know so I can handle it. If he notices that I am continually correcting someone’s behavior, he will punish them by taking away hit points, which is like a player’s life span.

It is so rewarding to see my teens having fun gaming in a social way. During a campaign they will fight for and with each other instead of against each other. D & D is not about who wins. The group of characters is working toward a common goal. They learn each others’ strengths and weaknesses.

Since we are talking about libraries, I will mention books. If your kids are really into the sword and sorcery content of D & D, they will definitely want to read the Dragon Lance and Forgotten Realms series. You can also incorporate aspects of other books into the campaign setting. Right now, the world our D & D group is playing in is based on the Wizard of Oz series. Our DM found out more about the series of books so he had more settings and ideas to draw from. My favorite book is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, so I’ve already requested a Wonderland campaign setting. If your teens are not interested in fantasy but you still think a role playing game might appeal to them, there are a wealth of role playing games that offer different settings. The great thing is that you can make this work for any group of kids.

Here’s a list of resources on D & D and why role playing is a good thing:

Packer, Alex J., Ph.D. Wise Highs: How to Thrill, Chill, & Get Away From It All Without Alcohol or Other Drugs.

Slavicsek, Bill and Richard Baker. Dungeon Master for Dummies.

Slavicsek, Bill and Richard Baker. Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ (search “role-playing”)

http://www.theescapist.com/index.htm

http://www.wizards.com/

Posted by Sarah Granville

While librarianship is an apolitical profession for many, I endeavor to practice advocacy and activism in the library and dispense with the fallacy of neutrality. In my first year as a librarian, I have not been successful in implementing the tenets of what may be called radical librarianship and I am still trying to figure out what it means to cultivate social justice in and through the library. The best way for me to do this may be to incorporate activism into youth programming. My first project is an Amnesty International chapter at the library.

My friends and I belonged to our high school AI chapter and Wednesdays after school consisted of a clutch of punks eating pizza and writing a letter or two but spending most of our time messing around. It was a good time and I talked to people I wouldn’t have talked to otherwise. I do not know yet how successful AI will be at the library. Young people are particularly interested in their freedoms and rights, which may easily extend to a concern for the freedoms and rights denied to political prisoners from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Burma, and throughout the world. Perhaps AI will provide a context for understanding about the Other, for fostering compassion, for fighting injustice. Maybe it will just be a fun gathering of letterwriting and pizza. That would be enough.

In a great interview in the November 2004 issue of Arthur Magazine musician and activist Kathleen Hanna said, “I think it’s completely political for people to feel joy in a joyless culture. That in itself really is doing a great service to the planet.”

This is a guiding principle for me. I think in our programing and outreach efforts, joy is a most worthy aim.

If anyone else wants to start an AI chapter at their library or school, there is some information here.

My Alt. Teen Services post is a day late. I guess that’s an improvement on last month when it was a week late. I’m going to blame it on indecisiveness this time. I spent most of yesterday trying to come up with a good topic. There’s so much to think about and talk about these days when it comes to teen services, so much in the world impacting a teenagers life and so many librarians trying to figure out the best way to help them. I was pretty much set on writing about how neat it would be to have a Teen Yoga program at a library, however, while crunching on my Grape Nuts early yesterday morning my husband thoughtfully reminded me that November 11th was Veterans Day, something which had completely passed me by. My husband has good reason to be paying close attention to this particular holiday. His nineteen year old cousin was killed a mere three days into the invasion of Baghdad in April of 2003. We were newly weds at the time, young adults ourselves and it was the first time I’d ever seen him cry. Suddenly a yoga program seemed like a very trivial topic.

It makes me twitch to think about all the issues teens have to deal with these days but the one that leaves me most anxious, the one that makes me gnaw on my hang nails and yank at my tangled hair in the morning, is the depressing situation in the Middle East. The past few years has revealed a lot of dishonesty in our government. I’m not here to argue over those issues. I’m here to try and put myself in the shoes of a sixteen year old and imagine what it must feel like to be at the edge of my childhood in a world where you seemingly can’t trust anyone, or look to anyone for honest leadership. All the facts and the falseness, all the broken promises, I wonder, how do they make sense of it all? How does it effect them? Do they even care?

Of course they do. They may not keep up with the news in the traditional way but they do keep up and they do care.
I’m currently reading The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf. Now before you say “Whoa, maybe not such an objective middle-way read”, know that I’m only on page twenty and don’t have much of an opinion on the book other than that it’s helping me learn a lot of WWII history that I didn’t know. There is, however, a quote I read which has been stubbornly sitting at the tip of my brain all weekend. In an attempt to express how fragile our civil liberties are Wolf uses an interesting pendulum analogy:

“Up until now, the basic checks and balances established by the Founders have functioned so well that the pendulum has always managed to swing back. It’s very success has made us lazy. We trust it too much, without looking at what a pendulum requires in order to function; the stable framework that allows movement; space in which to move; that is liberty.”

I read the part about being “lazy” and was reminded of another quote that I read recently in Julian Aiken’s article from American Libraries, Outdated and Irrelevent? Rethinking the Library Bill of Rights. The results of the survey he reviewed indicated that “more than half of our public libraries are not conforming to Article V of the Library Bill of Rights“. Apparently this particular part of our job has simply turned into a cumbersome battle that most librarians are “no longer interested in fighting.” I find something downright scary about “rethinking” the Library Bill of Rights and remolding it to better fit the needs of busy librarians who are unwilling to spend the time explaining Article V to busy working parents.

So, where am I going with this? I’m not entirely sure, this is definitely a very randomly thought out post. Am I saying that we’ve become lazy? I don’t know. I’m not sure you can quantify laziness so lets not even use that word. Maybe we’ve become too cautious. Tensions are high in this country, people are on fire with opinion, who can blame anyone for choosing to remain reticent in the wake of controversy or for choosing precaution over advocacy if it means keeping relations in a community peaceful, not to mention helping to avoid heated disagreements with friends and peers. That route is easier, less stress on everyone, that’s for sure. But I have to admit, the repercussions of that kind of cautious action scares the bejezus out of me. Is it enough that we keep gay/lesbian fiction on our library shelves, yet overlook doing programs or displays to promote those books because we’re afraid of upsetting people? How many of us shy away from doing teen programs that may involve political or religious topics because we worry it might lead to inflammatory discussion or upset parents? I think Teen Librarians need to be careful about choosing the quiet stay out of trouble lets lay low and walk the path of least resistance so we can appeal to everyone route. You may think your appealing to everyone that way but instead you end up isolating your services to a quiet reading room and I say quiet because, well, eventually no one will be there. They’ll be here instead.

I think Younker had it right when he described teen services as “the illegitimate child of public libraries”. It’s unfortunate but true and because of it teen librarians have to expect controversy while on job. They have to anticipate these moments be willing to face them and engaged in them productively. Most importantly, we shouldn’t be afraid to let teens engage in disagreement. When holding a book discussion, don’t gloss over hot topics because you’re worried it may pinch a nerve and start an argument. If you do, you may be missing out on a perfect opportunity for teens to express themselves. Teens love to express their opinion. Let them. While you’re at it let them know what it means to be able to live somewhere where they are able to express their opinion without persecution. Then let them know how fragile those rights are and how easily they can be stripped away from them. Using library services to empower our youth is one way we can help maintain the checks and balances in our society.

We’ve never had a great deal of success with teen book clubs at our library.  Nowadays we usually just try to incorporate books into whatever program we’re doing at the time.  So I was paying very close attention to the YALSA BOOK listserve last week which was practically on fire with all sorts of creative ideas for book clubs.  One in particular caught my eye,  the Missing Ending Book Club. 

 The Missing Ending Book Club idea originated with the Weld County Library in Greely, Colorado.  After viewing their presentation at a conference, Janet Good of North Branch Summit County Library was insipired enough to start her own.  Janet explained the concept of the book club in a recent write-up in her local newspaper:

“Each reader gets a book with a twist:  the final pages stapled off!  At club meetings, readers tell how they would end the story, and then find out the author’s take.  Besides the joy of exercising his or her creativity, the reader with the best guess gets a prize.”

Janet also includes related snacks and crafts during the program, depending on what book is being read.  When their club read The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey, the groups craft was to make a sort of self-made coat of arms shield.  The snack was mini corn dogs and Coke because that was the first meal the main character Alfred introduced the knight to in the book.  She also hands out candy to anyone who guesses the ending of the book correctly.  ”I used gold-wrapped chocolate coins that meeting.  The prize for the best guess as to the ending of the story was a DVD of Camelot.”

The model of the Missing Ending Book Club can be adapted using a variety of different books.  Mysterious would obviously be the easiest genre but any book with a twist at the end will do.  If you want to make the program more for older teens then maybe something like What happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles or Tyrell by Coe Booth would work.  At any rate, it’s a fantastic way to jazz up a book club and help teens get a little more excited about reading.

For more information about creating successful teen book clubs, try The Teen Centered Book Club: Readers into Leaders by Bonnie Kunzel and Constance Hardesty.

*The information/quotes about the Missing Ending Book Club at the North Branch Summit Library was taken from Janet Good’s email to the YALSA listserve, with her permission.  Thank you Janet. :-) 

Previously I posted about what I have planned for Teen Read Week at my library and I asked what you have planned.  Today I am back with the first few responses.

Kimberly, a Teen Services Librarian from the Kingston Frontenac Public Library writes:

We usually put up dispays and have our municipalities declare Teen Read Week.  This year, we are also holding a teen membership drive throughout the week.  We will be holding a drawing at the end of the week, and the winner will get an iPod Nano Video.  Teens will get a ballot if they:

1. register for a library card
2. bring a friend who registers for a library card
3. use their library card to borrow materials or a book an internet station
4. visit the library’s teen website

There is no limit to the number of ballots they can recieve (other than, of course, they may only register for one card themselves!).

Molly, Associate Director of the Guthrie Memorial Library wrote:

In conjunction with Teen Read Week, a nationwide initiative by libraries to encourage teens to read for fun and discover their local libraries, the Guthrie Memorial Library - Hanovers Public Library and the York County Library System will welcome Robin Brande, author of Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature (Knopy Books for Young Readers, September 2007) for events in York County October 12-13, 2007.

York County’s Teen Read Week celebration is now in its fourth year.  Controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution in schools in Dover, Pennsylvania (kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District) in 2005 makes Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature an especially timely and important choice for York County.

Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature tells the story of a ninth grade girl who has been ostracized by her friends and her church for doing the right thing.  She faces many tough decision during her freshman year: social pressure, parental relationships, faith, romantic relationshiops, and sense of self.  When her science teacher begins a unit on evolution, things get out of hand as Mena struggles to find a way to reconcile her faith and religion with science.

The book has already been selected as one of the Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Books for Young Adults for 2007.  Additionally, Borders has chosen Brande as an Original Voice for September.

Brande will be part of a local initiative called One Book, Every Freshman, where she will speak to ninth grade students at area high schools who have read her book.  Nearly 500 copies of the book will be given away in conjunction with participating schools in preparation for Brande’s visits on Friday, October 12 to Hanover High School and Delone Catholic High School.  This program, based on the One Book, One Community model, will bring reading as a collaborative activity to high school students, as well as introduce them to a fresh voice in young adult literature.

Also on Friday, October 12, Brande will visit Dover Area High School for programming with drama and language arts students.

On Saturday, October 13, Brande will do a talk and signing at the Borders store on Whiteford Road in York, Pa at nooon, and then will be headlining at the York County Library System Teen Read Week Kickoff event at 5:00 pm at the Guthrie Memorial Library - Hanovers Public Library in Hanover, PA.

So what are you planning?

If you would like to share what your library has planned please send an email to jberns89@gmail.com with TRW in the subject line.  Include in the email a short description of your events, and make sure to let me know if you do not want me to mention your name or what library you work for.  As always, feel free to post information about your events in the comments as well.

Last year we posted a series about Teen Read Week.  The point of the series was for you, the readers, to share both with us and with each other what your plans were for TRW.  This was a good opportunity for all of us to share our excitement with each other, all while creating a resource for librarians who might be having trouble coming up with plans of their own.  Seeing as how everyone enjoyed sharing last year, I thought we could do it again this year for the TRW theme of LOL @ your library, which takes place October 14-20.

So, I will get us started by sharing what my library will be doing for TRW.  After that I am relying on you guys to tell me what you’re doing.  Email me at jberns89@gmail.com with a paragraph or two about what you are doing (programs, school visits, contests, etc…) and include TRW in the subject line.  I will try and post a few ideas every couple of days as I get them.  If you want me to post your email or other info about you so people can contact you with questions about the programs let me know.  I will try to post a first name and library for each person if it is given to me, unless you ask me not to.

We have a few things planed for TRW this year at my library, the first being a school visit.  I will be going into our local high school with one other staff member to book talk a bunch of books and plug a few of our programs.  Last year we talked to most of the freshman class as they cycled through the English classroom and while I am not exactly sure what the school has planned for us this year I suspect it will be something similar. 

While we are book talking in the schools we will be handing out a coupon, which students can bring in to our library in order to receive a free book, while supplies last.  This treat is provided for us thanks to our friends of the library group who are going to buy us 50 or 60 paperback books.  I have picked out 6 or 7 titles and these will be both the books we book talk and the books we give away.

Finally we will be hosting a comedy program called Laugh Out Loud.  We have a professional comedian, Dwayne L. Gill, who will be coming in to give a stand up comedy workshop to our teens.  I will, of course, be trying to drum up as large of an audience for this event as I can while I am at the school.

So, that is what my library has planned, what about yours? Email me at jberns89@gmail.com with a short description of your plans and don’t forget to include TRW in the subject line.  Feel free to mention your plans in the comments as well, or better yet, once your event has happened use the comments to tell us about how it went.

About 1 year ago I wrote a post about the then soon to be released Nintendo Wii and what benefits it would have over other systems for library gaming.  Having now owned a Wii for about 6 months and having used it at my library a time or two, I thought it would be fun to revisit the post to point out a few reasons that this system is a great choice for library programming.

             Before the release of the Wii I speculated that it would be a great system for libraries because it would appeal to many ages and I stand by that thought now that it is out.  One of the things that Nintendo has done with the Wii is create a system that is accessible to every one, from a young child, to the elderly, because it relies heavily on natural physical movements and less on the mashing of buttons, which can be unnatural to someone who does not have much gaming experience.  In addition to creating a system that could be fun for everyone, Nintendo also seems to be doing a good job putting out games for it that appeal to anyone.  From simple games like Wii Sports, to more complicated games like Trauma Center: Second Opinion, there are games for both the casual and hard core gamers alike, and gamers of any age.   So, in addition to being a great draw to get teens into your library, this system can also be used for events with a younger crowd.  Better yet, it might be a perfect system to use if the teens in your library would like to help introduce their parents, or even grandparents, to video gaming.

             Another great thing about the Wii is that there seem to be two reasons that make it a great choice for social gaming.  First is the fact that it is a physical experience.  Games like Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero have become very popular with libraries because it is fun to have a game that gets you moving, and it is also very fun to watch someone play a game that gets them moving.  Nintendo has capitalized on that by making movement a central part of almost every game for the Wii.  You can have 4 people lined up next to each other, each swinging the remotes like a tennis racket, while the characters on the screen engage in a heated doubles match.  Afterwards everyone could take a turn using the controller like a fishing rod and hopefully real in a large catch.  Not only is this a ton of fun to do, but it is also very fun, or better yet funny, to watch. The second reason is that many of the games that Nintendo makes are often meant to be played with numerous people.  This has been a big draw for earlier Nintendo systems and it continues to be the same for the Wii as well.  There are games like Mario Stikers Charged or WarioWare Smooth Moves, which are already out, as well as the soon to be released Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which is sure to be a huge multiplayer hit.  Either way, because of both the style of play, and the type of games, Nintendo has hit the nail on the head when it comes to social gaming, a fact that their advertising is often quick to point out.

             There is also a temporary reason that makes the Wii a great choice for library gaming.  This is the simple fact that is still very hard to get your hands on one.  When stores do actually get this system in stock they still sell out very quickly.  This means that if the library can somehow get its hands on one, there will be plenty of people who want to come experience it because they can not get their own.  This is a lot easier said than done, but if you happen to find one somewhere, or if you have a staff member who owns one and is willing to bring it in I would highly recommend doing so.  At our last videogame night I brought mine in and every one, teens and parents alike, was very interested in trying it out.

One last reason that the Wii is such a good choice for the library is its price point.  The Wii retails at $250 dollars, which includes a game called Wii Sports, as opposed to the Sony Playstation 3 which retails at $499 and up.  The Microsoft Xbox 360 has recently come down in price, but it still generally costs $299 for the core system.  All three systems have similar prices for games and controllers depending on which ones you choose to buy.  So, when considering the ever tightening budgets that libraries have, the savings of anywhere from $50 to $250 can be a big deal.

So, all in all, if your library is looking to purchase a video game system to use for programming, I highly recommend the Nintendo Wii.  It is a very fun system, which is sure to draw a big crowd at your next gaming night.  For more info on the system or the games check out the Nintendo website, IGN, or an Avatars Reflection, which is where Jami Schwarzwalder, an active library blogger and video game enthusiast reviews games for the Wii.

Originally I was going to write about literature based social networks available on the web, those being Anobii*, Library Thing*, Shelfari*, and Revish*. However, with the branch library full of teens discussing final parties to attend, amusement parks to visit, and the number of days left to stay up really really late before school starts, my original topic diverged to meet their impending school situation. In this post we discuss social network resources that can academically or entertainingly engage the online teen who face a new school year. The starred links will direct you to my personal accounts so that you may gain a better understanding of the limitations of each social network.

Research Tools
Clipmarks and Fleck
Older teens facing an unfamiliar year of writing research papers may find appeal in the web annotation services of Clipmarks and Fleck. While browsing the web for information, Clipmarks will allow the user to highlight text portions of a page store them on an account to tag, comment, or read later. There are times when researching requires annotations directly onto the web page rather than highlighting its text and Fleck can immensely help this type of researcher. Fleck also has functions to email and save the annotated pages. Both applications are free, but users can only access their accounts from the original computer containing the downloaded application.

Literature Themed Social Networks
A book report alternative
Teen readers may find perks in either of these programs aimed at gathering teen opinions on young adult books. First Look offers ARCs to registered teens in exchange for opinionated reviews. Creating an account with First Look will enable the user to participate on the message boards as well as grant them permission to receive arcs. If you have a library MySpace page, HarperTeen has a presence worth checking out. Just grab some code to continue promoting literature. More involved but equally rewarding, the Pulse It program created by Simon and Schuster, Inc is aimed at reading enthusiasts. Teens print a parental consent form, mail it to S&S, then create a member profile. They will be sent young adult titles to review including ARCs on a regular basis.

Shelfari* and Revish*
For teens who have book collections at home, Shelfari is the coolest place on the web to create an online bookshelf, join book discussion groups, make friends with similar genre interests, and gleefully grab some code to show off their bookshelf on MySpace or other blogs. Shelfari recently held a best review contest for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in which the winner received a signed copy. I’m not aware of Shelfari holding many contests, but Revish is hoping to have more user-driven review of the month competitions. If they follow through this idea, Revish would be the place to suggest for the teen looking to branch out of book reports.

Extracurricular Activities
Of the social networks listed below, I’ve only tried StyleMob. The others look like they carry heavy appeal towards the right audience:

StyleMob* Fashionistas can find inspiration and feedback for their daily outfits. Members can add friends to their personal StyleCouncil for clothing advice, ask ‘The Mob’ such questions as “Are leggings good or evil?”, have their looks rated, and participate in style forums and contests. Check out StyleMob for ideas on how to mix-n-match your wardrobe.

FanNation - Sports fans might be interested in checking out FanNation for the latest news in sports or sports fantasy.

introPlay - Teens interested in fitness can keep track of workouts and goals and compete against other members.

GuildCafe - This social site promotes interaction between gamers. With GuildCafe, members can keep a profile of their gaming history as well as create a hub for their guild and/or clan.

Kongregate - A social site full of user-submitted Flash games.

“The Cute Book” by Aranzi Aronzo
Hardcover = $12.95 ISBN=9781932234688

Supplies Needed: Photo-copied patterns from “The Cute Book”, various colors of felt, embroidery thread, needles, Tacky glue, a couple of spools of thread, scissors, cotton stuffing

The steps in this craft program may appear easy, but I’ll caution that you’ll need a group of teens who are determined and patient to see this project through to its completion. The animal forms are very small (approx 3″) and those who aren’t easily discouraged will find this activity rewarding. I would suggest making an animal before your program, so that you’ll have an idea of the areas in which teens may need help. In many cases, teens will find their own solutions to sewing situations and will not require assistance. However, there are teens who have never touched a needle in their life and may need guidance. For beginners, I suggest using the simpler patterns of the panda, bear, rabbit, and kitty. The teens who came to this program were very crafty and ranged between ages 12-18. They also enjoyed the idea that during their next creations they might alter their patterns to resemble anime characters, such as Kuro Neko from the series Trigun or Yuki and Kyo from the series Fruits Basket. Don’t worry; if you get a couple of teens who aren’t down with cute, there are patterns to construct a bad guy, kidnapper, and liar.

Simple Steps
One: Make supplies available and briefly explain the construction process. Two: Teens cut out patterns and animal pieces. Three: Teens sew on faces and other body parts and stuff bodies. TADA! All Done.

Other titles to consider having available for checkout:

Speaking of things cute and cats, here’s a random idea for leaving ‘MySpace Comments’:
A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me these links in an email: ICanHasCheezburger and Cute Overload!;) Since then, I’ve been randomly inserting cat pics onto my teen patron’s MySpace comments. This way of communicating usually goes well with teens who already have animal pictures on their MySpace page. Not only do they find the pics funny but many will find humor in the slang accompanying the pics (ex. bird flavr watr hitz da spot).

A couple of months ago I mentioned the group Knitta in the post “Knitta pleasa for a causa” as a resource for inspiring teens. When I presented Knitta and other established Outreach groups to my teen knitters, I had not anticipated the ambition and readiness that would ignite them towards starting their own awareness-raising effort.

Perk up an ear
and listen here!
For this is our story,
in all it’s radiant glory!

THE BIRTH OF CREATIVE ACTIVISTS: Our teen library knitting group, the Purlers, began about 2 years ago amidst the craze of associating knitting with cool. Purlers attracted dedicated teens whom are now 16-18 yrs old and have been party to:

• throwing their knits down in frustrated torment
• jubilant outbursts upon the discovery that they’ve been purling without realizing
• twisting an item on a circular needle and despairingly surrendering to the act of frogging (frogging = to completely unravel your knitting)
• knitting a strip that stretched the length of the meeting room, approx. 50 ft.
• meeting Debbie Stoller during her 2005 Stitch ‘n Bitch tour

During our first years, Purlers meetings were delightful and energetic. But as teens became more expierenced in the craft, they comparatively became more restless. If Purlers were to survive, it was understood that the hobby alone wouldn’t continue as the group’s sole muse. Trails Teen knitters needed agendas, goals to cross off, and a purpose to knit other than pleasure; they craved empowerment. Twas the fall of ‘06 when I shared Knitta to the Purlers. Knitta’s theme of warming the city with knitted art appealed to Trails Teens and pumped their enthusiasm to “vandalize” our KC community using a similar idea. During this new venture, I realized Trails Teens would no longer be grouped with humble beginning knitters; I was now mentoring creative activists.

DANIELLE’S POLYCHROMATIC PURLERS: One teen in particular, a senior who started as a teen volunteer and became a library aide, took the leadership role in organizing and directing the actions of our Purlers knitting group. Danielle combined outreach knitting with tagging to create the Polychromatic Purlers. To garner support and spread the word to the knitting community, Danielle made flyers and arranged with local knit shops to distribute advertisements to their customers. She also created and currently maintains (with the help of other PolyPur members) online accounts on Blogger PolyPur and MySpace PolyPur.

To participate in planning for PolyPur’s annual event, members meet monthly to knit items that may benefit a child (ages birth thru 17). On Jan 2, knitters throughout the KC metro area will take their items and hang them throughout the city. Attached to every knitted garment is a tag listing information on statistics and websites pertaining to child abuse. For more information please visit the Blogger and MySpace accounts or contact us directly at polychromatic_purlers@yahoo.com (underscore between polychromatic and purlers).

JANUARY 2, 2007 and BEYOND: Teens from the Polychromatic Purlers met early afternoon 1-2-07 to “vandalize” the Plaza area with their knitted garments and informative tags. Two and a half months of planning yeilded approx. 14 knits from various knitters. Items were placed upon the city’s abundant statues, elegantly showcasing their hard work. Later that afternoon, teens observed a homeless man benefit from their giving spirit. A slideshow of the teen’s 01-02-07 event is available to view on the MySpace account.

There are still kinks to work out, nation-wide knitting groups to enlist, and other projects to develop. The group is currently scheduling knitting classes with local libraries and charging a small fee. Monies will purchase supplies for the PolyPur knitting group. A summer Knitting Olympics idea for the KC-Metro area is also in the works. I don’t think it necessary to delve into the postive characteristics resulting from this experience, frankly I think it’s all too apparent. But for the longevity of the PolyPur program, I’m reduntantly expressing a request for support. Please add the teens as a MySpace Friend to your library accounts, share this idea with your teens, and email us if you or your teens are interested in participating. Finally, any feedback and support is greatly appreciated.

A fellow kickbutt Teen Associate,
bloodymandy

I had to post this video of the Fayetteville Public Library Teen Fashion Show. The nationally recognized blog that Jenine mentions is us! This fashion show is so amazing, and the ultimate display of teen empowerment and involvement. Way to go Jenine and the Fayettville Teens. And it ALL STARTED WITH A BOOK!

The Terrazas Branch Austin Public Library recently had a two month long program on altering books. The teen librarian, Joanna Nigrelli sent out their flickr album link http://www.flickr.com/photos/aplteens/sets/72157594326521707/ to the YALSA listserve today and I just love seeing all the different pieces. It just seems like such a fun program to do. She remarked that it was a very successful event. They held a total of twenty workshops between October and November.

I think collage art in general would be a wonderful activity for a teen program. It’s so intuitive, theraputic and it gives teens a chance to be creative and artsy without actually having to possess what is thought of as traditional artistic skill. Teens spend so much time in a school environment where final grades and test scores are ultimately what matters most. Not only that but many public schools are often faced with budget issues and art/music programs are typically the first to feel the effects. Libraries can help fill in the gaps by offering creative art/music programs and encourage an environment where teens don’t have to feel pressured. Art and music can teach teens how the process of creating or learning something is just as important as the outcome.

I think this kind of thing would work well as an ongoing everyday after school program. However, rather than focusing soley on altered books, you could just do a general altered art program. You can pretty much alter anything, from books , journals , postcards , playing cards , cd’s , boxes …then provide them with the general supplies: paint, markers, pastels, assortmant of paper/collage paper, yarn/ribbon, found objects. You can, of course, get real fancy with stamps and such but I think it would be best to start with the basics and see if it takes off before investing in the expensive stuff.

There’s also a lot of potential for this to go beyond just a basic craft program. Take the Found Art project for example. Post/playcards can be altered to include quotes from a favorite book and then placed in another book for a reader to be pleasently suprised with. If you include the author and the title of the book on the card then it could potentially function as a niffty little readers advisory tool, something which teens may find a little more intriguing as opposed to a traditional book talk.  Perhaps this could be a TAG project of some sort.  Teens providing readers advisory to other teens.