Why Youth Services & Literature?
I am a first-generation student from a disadvantaged background, and I attribute my success to public libraries. The free resources, literature, and programs led to my decision to become a youth services librarian when I was 11. Like the library I grew up with, I will help disadvantaged youths find the public library space as a learning environment, safe for them to express any questions.
Working with youth is an essential part of public librarianship. Children and teens have their own struggles separate from adults, on top of needing guidance for their developmental needs. There is also value in working with youth, knowing we are fostering the next generation of information-hungry individuals. The YSL program has prepared me with the tools necessary to understand how materials, programs, policies, services, and physical/digital space help youths transition into adult patrons by inspiring creativity and life-long learning.
Whether the literature needs are learning colors for early children or complex emotional perspectives for teens, YSL has enforced the collection needs for youths and their families of all backgrounds. Youth programming is where we can inspire creativity, learning, and self-expression. Fostering relationships with local schools and juvenile centers can uncover these materials and programming needs, along with the needs regarding services, policies, and library space. We must champion the unique needs of youths, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Cryptid Fiction Booktalk Video &
Annotated Resources for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Families
The culmination of LIS 517: Literature and Media for Children lead to booktalks and providing resources. Both are arduous if one does not love connecting books or resources to children and their families. Throughout this course, I rekindled my inner child by rediscovering cryptid literature. As a child, I also struggled with my unilateral deafness, leading to the annotated bibliography on my personal website. Regarding the booktalk video, the course prepared me to talk about books with classmates. Chatting with classmates, and recording ourselves, would help us advertise books in classrooms or groups of children or on the spot at the youth desk. Regarding the annotated bibliography, the course discussed barriers to library services. One barrier is the spectrum of hearing ability, especially among children. Their and my experiences are unique, even among others in the d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Identifying these barriers should be remedied through families and guardians as they are responsible for their children's information access through the library. Sourcing or creating lists of information can alleviate reference help with struggling families, so I will certainly promote these resources whenever possible.
Cinco Monitos Satalban en la Cama,
Flannel Board Storytime Video
In LIS 629: Early Children's Literature, we recorded ourselves doing various early literacy sessions. These sessions were to replicate or showcase to parents how to attend to early children's many learning needs in a fun environment. We played with toys, read board books, and used word games. One video I am most proud of costed no money: a Spanish version of Five Little Monkeys! I will always encourage bilingual sessions, so my transcription is on my video's description box for those interested in replicating the nursery rhyme. The course prepared me to implement many educational themes in small sessions. When teaching little ones, we need to think or act quickly to maintain their attention or suit their learning needs, such as those with autism. We must also incorporate the learning needs of bilingual children by finding teaching aids in their families' preferred language.
LitRPG Resource List
The culmination of LIS 518: Literature and Media for Young Adults resulted in resource lists for anything teens would enjoy. In my original undergrad course, this was the cyberpunk cyberspace resource. However, my graduate resource list is of the LitRPG or GameLit genre, where many protagonists face their foes through simulations or alternate digital realities. The course featured many different young adult novels, but among the various literature are several themes and genres. Connecting books to other books through relating themes or genres is a way to motivate young adults to find more literature. I will not always need to make an entire website for every subgenre or theme a teen requests, but the exercise helped stretch digital muscles while finding relevant novels and media. Because of helping me with my digital and reader's advisory skills, this class was my favorite and will help me most in connecting stories to disadvantaged youth.
Telgemeier's Ghosts Discussion Questions,
PDF Download
In the LIS 670: Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga, & Anime course, we discussed the intricacies of word-picture mediums. These materials can cover a range of themes fitting for children, young adults, and even adults. For the class, I focused on youth mediums. Luckily, I was also paired with a student to lead a book talk on Telgemeier's Ghosts, a graphic novel for early teens. To lead a good book talk about graphic novels, we must equip readers with words to describe the medium. Like how prose has similes and metaphors, graphic novels have those and gutters, speech bubbles, and more. Likewise, to lead a good book talk about any work, we as librarians must research further into the novel's author and writing history, including controversies. We then choose how to lead the book talk, whether we should include controversies or themes for certain audiences. Organizing a book talk can be as easy as a 5-minute advertisement, or it can be an analysis of the afterlife through Hispanic culture written by an American white woman as a graphic novel. Literature is complex, and we must treat every medium with respect so that young adults also respect literature and any cultures related to the work.
Youth Programming
3-month example PDF Download
The final project for LIS 519: Youth Programming was a 12-month program cycle with a budget for a selected audience. We had to consider many educational topics on top of themes/subjects. We also had to consider the interests of the community and make artifacts for every program, detailing our marketing efforts and an agenda. This final project was the most worked on among YSL, but the results trained me for the stress it would take a librarian to organize 12 months of programming in less than two weeks. This project also taught me to create marketable artifacts, from flyers to cards to bookmarks. I have no doubt the project prepared me the most for youth programming, and I respect passive programming for giving librarians a breather. I excluded STEM examples from my selected three examples, something every yearly cycle should include. Instead, I have a film contest, passive gratitude sharing, and de-stressing guest speakers. These emphasize the importance of creativity, mental health, and community engagement. These are most important for young adults aged 14 to 18 because they are the general audience transitioning to adulthood. While I wish for similar programs as a teen, I should immerse myself in the community to create similar, more impactful programs. I am grateful for the stressors this project caused because I feel prepared now.
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