“Some 57% of online teens create content for the internet. That amounts to half of all teensages 12-17, or about 12 million youth. These Content Creators report having done one or more of the following activities: create a blog; create or work on a personal webpage; create or work on a webpage for school, a friend, or an organization; share original content such as artwork, photos, stories, or videos online; or remix content found online into a new creation” (Lenhart & Madden, 2005, p.2).
Lenhart and Madden’s report, “Teen Content Creators and Consumers” was great. It reaffirmed that I, a 25 year-old internet user, am not so different than a 17 year-old user. In fact my online activities mirror young adult’s activities. According to the report, young adults engage in the following activities:
- Blogging
- Instant messaging
- Creating myspace profiles
- Download music and videos for free
- Share files
Really, the information in this article did not inform me of anything that I didn’t know or assume. I think that, personally, the importance of this article lies in its ability to illustrate that there is not such a gap between the young adult and the “adult” in various areas. For example, both demographics want to keep in touch with those they love. We demonstrate this by IMing loved ones, leaving comments on loved one’s blogs, messaging and leaving comments on our friend’s facebook, friendster or myspace pages. Additionally, both young adults and adults have a need to express themselves and their thoughts. We (both adults and YA) can achieve this through creation of art, through colors and through text. These creative and expressive endeavors may be displayed on a blog, a wiki, a webpage or a myspace profile. Another desire both adults and YA share is in entertainment. We can get our celebrity gossip through blogs, search for old friends/lovers on myspace to see how they “exist” without us, find and download free mp3s to play on the bus, find and down free videos to watch immediately or a later date and/or get the news via various vechicles.
Lenhart has another interesting article, “Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview”. In this article she explores how young adults use social networking sites such as facebook and myspace. She found that young adults use these sites to meet new friends, making plans, maintain friendships and flirting. This may not come as a surprise to the readers of this entry, but I use myspace for the same things! Nothing says friendship like leaving a picture comment on a friend’s page of him or her in a compromised condition. Additionally, I use myspace as a means of keeping in touch with long distance friends. It is a great way to comment on a new haircut or drawing even though you are not physically there. This is achieved by the friend adding the picture to his or her profile or his or her pictures. In fact, I have met friends, some of my best friends through myspace. When I was living in Atlanta, Scott, now one of my bffs, found my profile and messaged me. He was a cyclist and had a bike crew, “Wheels of Fire”. On my profile I have one of my interests as riding a road bike. He asked me if I would be interested in joining his crew and riding. The short of the long story is that one day after he contacted me we met up and cycled around the city and now we are bffs. Moral of the story: socially networking online ROCKS!! And so do Yas!
FYI
I think that it would be interesting to find articles/reports on how many young adults have rss feeds, which sites they have rss feeds from, how many young adults tag websites and how they choose appropriate terms to tag websites.
Lenhart and Madden article can be found
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/a/100/about_staffer.asp
Monday, February 05, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
i like emerald curry, but Ann Curry is easy to digest and keeps you wanting more
I was not what you would call a typical “popular” kid in high school, but I was known; therefore, when I was 16 and I started dating one of my friends that was a girl, the word of our relationship spread quite fast. I have never been one to be afraid of confrontation; therefore, when caught wind of the rumors that we were have having sex in the bathroom, mind you I was a virgin during the entirety of the relationship, I quickly approached the source of the slander. While I was not hesitant to be out at school I was nervous to be out at home and in other public places. I was raised by an Italian catholic mother. Although she had the occasional gay male friend I was never exposed to lesbians via my mother or father. As it was
implied, gay men know style and lesbians just are not prevalent. I knew that if my mom found out she would be very disappointed in me – and to me that was worse than her being angry. My mother and I were very close but have always been very different. She was and is conservative where I am not at all. I confided in her about most things, but I knew that the line had been drawn at my sexuality; therefore, I searched friends that were similar to me. By the time I was 17 I started sneaking off to dance clubs and hanging out with an older crowd. Thanks to my sister I had a fake ID that said I was 21; therefore, I wasn’t limited to underage clubs. Through my older friends and friends of friends I found comfort in my sexuality. It was only when I was 22 and in a serious relationship with a woman that I began looking for lesbian literature. I was working at a library and a bookstore, but I did not feel comfortable searching for queer literature at my university’s library because there would be a record of what I decided to check out – and I was interested in checking out some lesbian erotica. I wasn’t concerned about “if I ask, will they answer” I was concerned about; “if I ask or check out will I get fired” (Savannah, Georgia is quite conservative).
I commend the research collected and presented by Ann Curry in her article, “If I ask, Will They Answers: Evaluating Public Library Reference Service to Gay and Lesbian Youth”. I believe that this research is extremely important not only because it speaks volumes about youths receiving unbiased library service, but it demonstrates that there are concerns for GBLTQ patron’s information needs.
I loved the introduction to the article. I was unaware of the history of the Library of Congress’ representation “lesbians” and “homosexual males”. I was quiet offended that there was a “see also” reference to “sexual perversion”. The Gay and Lesbian Task Force illustrate how an active approach to a problem of representation can produce significant results.
I particularly liked the method of collected data through unobtrusive observation. I do not see this type of data collection as a problem. In fact, not only were the researchers collecting data and protecting the anonymity of the librarians they were presenting data to back to the libraries; therefore, taking an active approach by either telling those branches that did a good job and how, or telling those that did poorly why and hopefully, the manager or chief librarian will review with his or her staff the shortcomings and how to change them.
This article has left me wondering, has this type of research been conducted within the TPL? More specifically, has there been research on the North York branch to see if the librarians there are adequately serving the GBLTQ youth?
Over the next week I will be looking into the questions stated above and looking to see if there is similar research carried out by a different methodology. Until then, this article has a great reference list that I will also be checking out.
Curry, Ann. 2005. If I ask, will they answer? Evaluating public library reference service to gay and lesbian youth. Reference & User Services Quarterly 45(1): 65-74.
implied, gay men know style and lesbians just are not prevalent. I knew that if my mom found out she would be very disappointed in me – and to me that was worse than her being angry. My mother and I were very close but have always been very different. She was and is conservative where I am not at all. I confided in her about most things, but I knew that the line had been drawn at my sexuality; therefore, I searched friends that were similar to me. By the time I was 17 I started sneaking off to dance clubs and hanging out with an older crowd. Thanks to my sister I had a fake ID that said I was 21; therefore, I wasn’t limited to underage clubs. Through my older friends and friends of friends I found comfort in my sexuality. It was only when I was 22 and in a serious relationship with a woman that I began looking for lesbian literature. I was working at a library and a bookstore, but I did not feel comfortable searching for queer literature at my university’s library because there would be a record of what I decided to check out – and I was interested in checking out some lesbian erotica. I wasn’t concerned about “if I ask, will they answer” I was concerned about; “if I ask or check out will I get fired” (Savannah, Georgia is quite conservative).
I commend the research collected and presented by Ann Curry in her article, “If I ask, Will They Answers: Evaluating Public Library Reference Service to Gay and Lesbian Youth”. I believe that this research is extremely important not only because it speaks volumes about youths receiving unbiased library service, but it demonstrates that there are concerns for GBLTQ patron’s information needs.
I loved the introduction to the article. I was unaware of the history of the Library of Congress’ representation “lesbians” and “homosexual males”. I was quiet offended that there was a “see also” reference to “sexual perversion”. The Gay and Lesbian Task Force illustrate how an active approach to a problem of representation can produce significant results.
I particularly liked the method of collected data through unobtrusive observation. I do not see this type of data collection as a problem. In fact, not only were the researchers collecting data and protecting the anonymity of the librarians they were presenting data to back to the libraries; therefore, taking an active approach by either telling those branches that did a good job and how, or telling those that did poorly why and hopefully, the manager or chief librarian will review with his or her staff the shortcomings and how to change them.
This article has left me wondering, has this type of research been conducted within the TPL? More specifically, has there been research on the North York branch to see if the librarians there are adequately serving the GBLTQ youth?
Over the next week I will be looking into the questions stated above and looking to see if there is similar research carried out by a different methodology. Until then, this article has a great reference list that I will also be checking out.
Curry, Ann. 2005. If I ask, will they answer? Evaluating public library reference service to gay and lesbian youth. Reference & User Services Quarterly 45(1): 65-74.
Monday, January 22, 2007
i like rap but i love RAPP
After taking Paulette's other course, FIS 2139, last semester I surprised myself by actually considering becoming a children's librarian. I have never been one to "oooohhh" and "aaawwwww" over babies or toddlers. I do not have the immediate connection to children. However, I do have an immediate connection to the books for children. Unfortunately, a love for children’s materials is not enough to be a children’s librarian. Sandra Feinberg, Joan Kuchner and Sari Feldman illustrate the aforementioned point in “Chapter 1: Family centered and developmentally appropriate practice” in their book Learning environments for young children: Rethinking library spaces and services. “In order for the child to thrive, the physical setting and the social interactions within that setting must be suitable for the age of the child and right for the particular individual. This premise is basic to the design of the developmentally appropriate environments for children” (4). The authors continue to inform the reader about the stages of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and primary grade children’s social, emotional and physical developmental stages and . While the authors appear to be quite knowledgeable and the reference list is extensive, the lack of in-text documentation is alarming. Not only is it disturbing because the reader does not know which idea is linked to which reference, but also a lack of in-text documentation makes the author’s ideas seem unreliable. I was also troubled by varying amount of coverage on the stages of children’s development. Three pages were dedicated to the “developmental realities [of] infants and toddlers”, while only one and a half page were used to describe “the preschool years”, and a half a page to describe “the primary grades”.
It was interesting to read about developmentally appropriate practices for children in libraries, but as stated above, I do not connect or have a passion for the wee ones. Contrarily, I have a strong interest, not only in young adult materials, but the development of young adults. This may be due to the fact that I still act and think I am 17, also known as experiencing middle adolescence. Melanie Rapp, in her article “Adolescent development: an emotional roller coaster”, describes three distinct developmental stages of young adults: early adolescence, middle adolescence and late adolescence. She suggests using humor when dealing with young adults. From my own adolescence experience, I always felt a sense of admiration for adults that were humorous. Another suggestion she puts forward as did Sandra Feinberg, Joan Kuchner and Sari Feldman to be involved with other community organizations or schools. That is a great idea for suggesting organizations and keeping up-to-date with what school’s perception of high school student needs are. I like how Rapp tells the reader not to just pay attention to circulation statistics when deciding to weed the collection: “For example many sex books may not be heavily circulated but are read extensively... Once can tell by the tattered edges and covers of these books how much they are being used, not to mention if they are interfiled with the cookbooks” (3). She goes on to highlight other ideas to keep in mind when organizing the collection for young adults—BRILLIANT IDEAS!
This is one article that I will be reviewing before I go to my young adult’s librarian interview.
Feinberg, Sandra, Joan F. Kuchner, and Sari Feldman. 1998. Ch. 1: Family centered and developmentally appropriate practice. In their Learning environments for young children: Rethinking library spaces and services, 3-13. Chicago: American Library Association.
Rapp, Melanie. 1998. Adolescent development: An emotional roller coaster. In Young adults and public libraries: A handbook of materials and services, edited by Mary Anne Nicholls and C. Allen Nichols, 1-10. Westport, CO: Greenwood Press.
It was interesting to read about developmentally appropriate practices for children in libraries, but as stated above, I do not connect or have a passion for the wee ones. Contrarily, I have a strong interest, not only in young adult materials, but the development of young adults. This may be due to the fact that I still act and think I am 17, also known as experiencing middle adolescence. Melanie Rapp, in her article “Adolescent development: an emotional roller coaster”, describes three distinct developmental stages of young adults: early adolescence, middle adolescence and late adolescence. She suggests using humor when dealing with young adults. From my own adolescence experience, I always felt a sense of admiration for adults that were humorous. Another suggestion she puts forward as did Sandra Feinberg, Joan Kuchner and Sari Feldman to be involved with other community organizations or schools. That is a great idea for suggesting organizations and keeping up-to-date with what school’s perception of high school student needs are. I like how Rapp tells the reader not to just pay attention to circulation statistics when deciding to weed the collection: “For example many sex books may not be heavily circulated but are read extensively... Once can tell by the tattered edges and covers of these books how much they are being used, not to mention if they are interfiled with the cookbooks” (3). She goes on to highlight other ideas to keep in mind when organizing the collection for young adults—BRILLIANT IDEAS!
This is one article that I will be reviewing before I go to my young adult’s librarian interview.
Feinberg, Sandra, Joan F. Kuchner, and Sari Feldman. 1998. Ch. 1: Family centered and developmentally appropriate practice. In their Learning environments for young children: Rethinking library spaces and services, 3-13. Chicago: American Library Association.
Rapp, Melanie. 1998. Adolescent development: An emotional roller coaster. In Young adults and public libraries: A handbook of materials and services, edited by Mary Anne Nicholls and C. Allen Nichols, 1-10. Westport, CO: Greenwood Press.
Friday, November 17, 2006
what it is..
I remember, when I was about 11, reading Slumber Party by Christopher Pike and absolutely loving it. Slumber party was about a group of young women go to a cabin in the in mountains. Unfortunately, they had a sleepover party eight years prior that was quite catastrophic: one girl’s face, Nell’s, was scarred by a fire and another girl died. This slumber party begins to get suspenseful when Dana goes missing and someone is burned. Ironically,the events begin to resemble the last tragic sleep over party.
I think I enjoyed this book because it was a suspenseful mystery rather than a scary story. Additionally, boys were at the sleep over party and there was no parental supervision…AWESOME! To provide some further insight to why I was drawn to this book I point you to 2 things I don’t think I will ever grow out of being excited by:
· Sleep-over parties
· Making out
According to James Howe in his article, “Writing Mysteries for Children”, the “plot is the most crucial ingredient in any” (178). He also suggests that contrary to the question posed by adults when they read mysteries, “Who did it?”, children, when reading mysteries, question, “What’s going on here?”. I don’t know if I agree with that statement because the main question when I read Slumber Party, was who is the villain? - "who did it"
Interestingly, Howe’s article, illustrated how he personally approaches writing mysteries for kids instead of merely suggesting a way to do it. He states, “A mystery is a story told forward but conceived backward” (180). He leads the reader of this article on an insightful adventure of methods, cautions, and suggestions when constructing a mystery.
To entice you, if you have not read his article,I present you with following excerpt:
“Ultimately, mysteries may be most compelling because they are stories of human failing. Crime is at the core of every mystery, and no crime is committed with suffering on someone’s part. Still, compassion in the reader will not come from the writer tell the reader to be compassionate. It will only come when the writer has done the most essential thing – tell a good story” (184).
Howe, James. 1990.
Pike, Christopher. 1985. Slumber Party . New York: Scholastic.
I think I enjoyed this book because it was a suspenseful mystery rather than a scary story. Additionally, boys were at the sleep over party and there was no parental supervision…AWESOME! To provide some further insight to why I was drawn to this book I point you to 2 things I don’t think I will ever grow out of being excited by:
· Sleep-over parties
· Making out
According to James Howe in his article, “Writing Mysteries for Children”, the “plot is the most crucial ingredient in any” (178). He also suggests that contrary to the question posed by adults when they read mysteries, “Who did it?”, children, when reading mysteries, question, “What’s going on here?”. I don’t know if I agree with that statement because the main question when I read Slumber Party, was who is the villain? - "who did it"
Interestingly, Howe’s article, illustrated how he personally approaches writing mysteries for kids instead of merely suggesting a way to do it. He states, “A mystery is a story told forward but conceived backward” (180). He leads the reader of this article on an insightful adventure of methods, cautions, and suggestions when constructing a mystery.
To entice you, if you have not read his article,I present you with following excerpt:
“Ultimately, mysteries may be most compelling because they are stories of human failing. Crime is at the core of every mystery, and no crime is committed with suffering on someone’s part. Still, compassion in the reader will not come from the writer tell the reader to be compassionate. It will only come when the writer has done the most essential thing – tell a good story” (184).
Howe, James. 1990.
Writing mysteries for children.The Horn Book66 Mar/Apr: 178-183.
Pike, Christopher. 1985. Slumber Party . New York: Scholastic.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
reluctant or epileptic? you decide...or maybe I did
I did not mind reading “Ashley and Junie B. Jones: a struggling reader make a connection to literacy” by Carol D Wickstrom, Joan Scott Curtis, Kayla Daniel, Karen Smith and Faryl Kander. Although, I started to get a bit irritated when I read the last page, but alas, I am getting ahead of myself.
So, this little girl, Ashley, was born prematurely and had experienced some other complications from being in the womb when her mother had toxemia. The previous sentence would have been a more sensitive way for the authors to have documented Ashley’s medical issues. Sadly, for Ashley, the authors note that some of Ashley’s medical side effects from her mother’s toxemia were surgeries on her eyes and bladder. Okay, I can see how the eye surgery is pertinent for the reader to grasp an understanding of a reason that Ashley may not be a good or interested reader, but the bladder surgery? I have never heard, maybe I am ignorant, of the bladder affecting reading habits or lack of?
This poor girl has her hardships with speech and reading outlined publicly, and to top it off she has her bladder issues smeared in black and white for all to see? Damn, how traumatizing would that be…immeasurable! Even if Ashley was a pseudonym, her mother is listed as an author – Kayla Daniel. The connection is not that hard to make.
I will continue. So, Ashley had these issues and is not interested in reading. She had a hard time remembering details. One day she witnessed an accident and afterwards is able to describe the situation she encountered. Because she can remember the details, which was something rare for her, her teachers and parents believe that she has to have an emotional attachment to something in order to retain it as a long term memory.
Well, Ashley gets a hold of this Junie B Jones book via a teacher, Joan, during an open house night at the high school. Ashley was only in elementary school during this time but throroughly enjoyed these books being read to her and became interested in see the text. The authors then posed the question “So can a book that is a higher reading level than the ability of the student become a catalyst for learning to read” (Wickstrom et al., 20)? Well, obviously, Ashley was totally into them. The question posed is not that simple of answer for Ashley is only one person, but what really ticked me off about this article is that the reader comes to find out that Ashley wasn’t a reluctant reader, SHE WAS EPILEPTIC! Part of her brain was in a constant state of seizure. After she began taking medicine “Ashley’s motor skis improved immediately…Her reading skills have improved, and Ashley is reading slightly above her grade” (20). This became an article that was not about higher level reading material intriguing the reluctant reader, but that the reluctant reader may be epileptic?
After writing this commentary, I realize, I don’t like this article at all and I retract my opening paragraph statement. The fact that it took 5 people to write it is mind blowing.
Though, Junie B. Jones, a series book may be beneficial to a reluctant reader, this article only would provoke a parent that is a hypochondriac to take his or her child to a neurologist.
Wickstrom, Carol D., Joan Scott Curtis, Kayla Daniel, Karen Smith, Faryl Kander. 2005. "Ashley and Junie B. Jones: A struggling reader makes a connection to literacy," Language Arts 83(1): 16-21.
So, this little girl, Ashley, was born prematurely and had experienced some other complications from being in the womb when her mother had toxemia. The previous sentence would have been a more sensitive way for the authors to have documented Ashley’s medical issues. Sadly, for Ashley, the authors note that some of Ashley’s medical side effects from her mother’s toxemia were surgeries on her eyes and bladder. Okay, I can see how the eye surgery is pertinent for the reader to grasp an understanding of a reason that Ashley may not be a good or interested reader, but the bladder surgery? I have never heard, maybe I am ignorant, of the bladder affecting reading habits or lack of?
This poor girl has her hardships with speech and reading outlined publicly, and to top it off she has her bladder issues smeared in black and white for all to see? Damn, how traumatizing would that be…immeasurable! Even if Ashley was a pseudonym, her mother is listed as an author – Kayla Daniel. The connection is not that hard to make.
I will continue. So, Ashley had these issues and is not interested in reading. She had a hard time remembering details. One day she witnessed an accident and afterwards is able to describe the situation she encountered. Because she can remember the details, which was something rare for her, her teachers and parents believe that she has to have an emotional attachment to something in order to retain it as a long term memory.
Well, Ashley gets a hold of this Junie B Jones book via a teacher, Joan, during an open house night at the high school. Ashley was only in elementary school during this time but throroughly enjoyed these books being read to her and became interested in see the text. The authors then posed the question “So can a book that is a higher reading level than the ability of the student become a catalyst for learning to read” (Wickstrom et al., 20)? Well, obviously, Ashley was totally into them. The question posed is not that simple of answer for Ashley is only one person, but what really ticked me off about this article is that the reader comes to find out that Ashley wasn’t a reluctant reader, SHE WAS EPILEPTIC! Part of her brain was in a constant state of seizure. After she began taking medicine “Ashley’s motor skis improved immediately…Her reading skills have improved, and Ashley is reading slightly above her grade” (20). This became an article that was not about higher level reading material intriguing the reluctant reader, but that the reluctant reader may be epileptic?
After writing this commentary, I realize, I don’t like this article at all and I retract my opening paragraph statement. The fact that it took 5 people to write it is mind blowing.
Though, Junie B. Jones, a series book may be beneficial to a reluctant reader, this article only would provoke a parent that is a hypochondriac to take his or her child to a neurologist.
Wickstrom, Carol D., Joan Scott Curtis, Kayla Daniel, Karen Smith, Faryl Kander. 2005. "Ashley and Junie B. Jones: A struggling reader makes a connection to literacy," Language Arts 83(1): 16-21.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
It's about to get real graphic
I am a fan of graphic novels, specifically, manga. I gained an interest in type of reading material when I was 21. I was dating this kid that was all about manga. I didn't understand the appeal of these books. At first glance, I thought they were silly and a bit juvenile for my partner who was 29 back then. After we broke up, naturally, I started dating someone else. Coincidently, my new prospect was into manga. During our courtship, I was working at a bookstore and they only carried a minimal amount of manga. Being the diligent worker I was known to be, I decided that while I was on the clock I might as well check out our graphic novel section. Surprisingly, I was totally into it (not the Marvel comics).
I now have my own small, very small, collection of manga including my personal favorite Naruto (I even have a tattoo from this series...hehe...uh, shirt tug)!
At first, as I described above, I was skeptical of the merit and maturity of this genre, but after taking a closer look, I realized that this visual and textual experience is entertaining, creative and a fun read.
I was thoroughly pleased to read "What Teens Want: Thirty Graphic Novels you Can't Live Without" by Michele Gorman. From the title I thought this would be an article solely about graphic novels suited for teens. I was pleased and intrigued that this was more than a pathfinder for graphic novels; it was a collection, cataloging and integration manual for public libraries. I was impressed how Gorman emphasized, much like Lisa Heggeum during her talk last Wednesday, that teens need to be involved in the advisory committee to ensure the collection of your library will reflect the interest of the young adults and b/c, "This [having teens on the advisory committee] will provide feedback and help advertise the availability of graphic novels in your library. Word of mouth is the fastest way to spread news about new programs or materials" (44).
In other news…
I was really into "Sex Thugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Magazines for Young Adults" by Patrick Jones.
I thought back to when I was a preteen. I loved to read magazines and I would read any time I was presented with "Teen" or "YM", though I wouldn't consider myself to have been an avid reader. This is not an uncommon misconception. As Jones notes, "Often when librarians say that YAs don't like to read, they must mean books, because YA do like to read magazines" (100).
What I found most appealing about these 2 magazines was that there was always a quiz about how to be a better kisser, flirt more effectively or find out if you are ready to use tampons - you know- things a 10 year-old needs to know. Additionally, these magazines would have pop culture references, including music and television, that I was particularly keen on.
I found Jones' article to present facts that I never have taken into consideration. For example, "The primary benefit to a YA magazine collection is circulation. For the cost of one hardback book a magazine subscription can be purchased" (Jones 99).
Once again, a YA librarian suggests that teenagers should be a part of the selection process when acquiring YA material: "The best source for a list of magazines is teenagers themselves- either through formal or informal surveys, most teenagers know what they want" (Jones 101).
Moral of the articles: Get involved with your community to effectively and efficiently serve it.
Gorman, Michele. 2002. What teens want. School Library Journal 48(8): 42-47.
Jones, Patrick. 1998. Sex, thugs and rock n’roll: Magazines for young adults. In Young adults and public libraries: A handbook of materials and services, eds. Mary Anne Nichols and C. Allen Nichols, 98-106. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
I now have my own small, very small, collection of manga including my personal favorite Naruto (I even have a tattoo from this series...hehe...uh, shirt tug)!
At first, as I described above, I was skeptical of the merit and maturity of this genre, but after taking a closer look, I realized that this visual and textual experience is entertaining, creative and a fun read.
I was thoroughly pleased to read "What Teens Want: Thirty Graphic Novels you Can't Live Without" by Michele Gorman. From the title I thought this would be an article solely about graphic novels suited for teens. I was pleased and intrigued that this was more than a pathfinder for graphic novels; it was a collection, cataloging and integration manual for public libraries. I was impressed how Gorman emphasized, much like Lisa Heggeum during her talk last Wednesday, that teens need to be involved in the advisory committee to ensure the collection of your library will reflect the interest of the young adults and b/c, "This [having teens on the advisory committee] will provide feedback and help advertise the availability of graphic novels in your library. Word of mouth is the fastest way to spread news about new programs or materials" (44).
In other news…
I was really into "Sex Thugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Magazines for Young Adults" by Patrick Jones.
I thought back to when I was a preteen. I loved to read magazines and I would read any time I was presented with "Teen" or "YM", though I wouldn't consider myself to have been an avid reader. This is not an uncommon misconception. As Jones notes, "Often when librarians say that YAs don't like to read, they must mean books, because YA do like to read magazines" (100).
What I found most appealing about these 2 magazines was that there was always a quiz about how to be a better kisser, flirt more effectively or find out if you are ready to use tampons - you know- things a 10 year-old needs to know. Additionally, these magazines would have pop culture references, including music and television, that I was particularly keen on.
I found Jones' article to present facts that I never have taken into consideration. For example, "The primary benefit to a YA magazine collection is circulation. For the cost of one hardback book a magazine subscription can be purchased" (Jones 99).
Once again, a YA librarian suggests that teenagers should be a part of the selection process when acquiring YA material: "The best source for a list of magazines is teenagers themselves- either through formal or informal surveys, most teenagers know what they want" (Jones 101).
Moral of the articles: Get involved with your community to effectively and efficiently serve it.
Gorman, Michele. 2002. What teens want. School Library Journal 48(8): 42-47.
Jones, Patrick. 1998. Sex, thugs and rock n’roll: Magazines for young adults. In Young adults and public libraries: A handbook of materials and services, eds. Mary Anne Nichols and C. Allen Nichols, 98-106. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Justin may be bringing sexy back, but Jon is bringing funny back
Jon Scieszka is my new favorite person. In fact, I am in love with his style and speeches! He is brilliant, yet easy to read.
In his intelligent and comic speech, “What’s so funny, Mr. Scieszka”, Jon Scieszka surfaces some truths:
- The tragedy is one of the only genres that is considered “high art”
- Many curriculums do not give children the opportunity to learn on their own: information and methods are pushed on children
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
- Comedic material is not receiving the credit it deserves! Al Franken, Chuck Klosterman, Margaret Cho, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (definitely not an exhaustive list) are so damn funny, intelligent and politically aware that it is amazing that this form/genre of expression is not held in a higher regard.
A classic satirist is Jonathan Swift. Honestly, I enjoy his stories, but the message is so subverted and no longer relevant to current world issues that my question becomes, why is the material produced by the aforementioned writers/performers not considered to be as brilliant? Is it that they, the current day satirists, are too blunt? Is it that some of their material could not be distributed in schools because their ideas do not conform to the current conservative parties in power in North America?
When you are feeling blue because a loved one passed away, you have broken up with a partner, you can’t get your homework done, you are hung over or you have stepped in dog poo what makes you feel better:
- A good epic tragedy that deals with death, broken hearts and failures
OR
- A good joke that is about a guy ringing a bell with his head or a joke about “the shit hitting the fan”
I feel it is extremely important for children to learn sarcasm and other forms of humour when they are young. Developing an understanding of the juxtaposition of words and tones that are associated with humour equips a child with a set semiotics that are essential in order to effectively communicate.
How many times have you made a joke and no one laughs? (I know that never happens to me either!) Or, how many times has someone told you a joke, written an e-mail or instant messaged you something that is supposed to elicit a “LOL” or a chuckle and you have to give a “courtesy laugh”? It is one of the most uncomfortable things to do. Actually, I think the courtesy laugh is plain painful. In an effort to steer clear of telling painful jokes or future generations telling stories that receive a “courtesy laugh” we need to motivate our children, our friend's children, our brother’s and sister's children to read and to be taught humour. As Whitney Houston always said, “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Scieszka, Jon. 2005. "What's So Funny, Mr. Scieszka?: The Zena Sutherland Lecture," Horn Book 81(6): 653-667.
In his intelligent and comic speech, “What’s so funny, Mr. Scieszka”, Jon Scieszka surfaces some truths:
- The tragedy is one of the only genres that is considered “high art”
- Many curriculums do not give children the opportunity to learn on their own: information and methods are pushed on children
MOST IMPORTANTLY:
- Comedic material is not receiving the credit it deserves! Al Franken, Chuck Klosterman, Margaret Cho, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (definitely not an exhaustive list) are so damn funny, intelligent and politically aware that it is amazing that this form/genre of expression is not held in a higher regard.
A classic satirist is Jonathan Swift. Honestly, I enjoy his stories, but the message is so subverted and no longer relevant to current world issues that my question becomes, why is the material produced by the aforementioned writers/performers not considered to be as brilliant? Is it that they, the current day satirists, are too blunt? Is it that some of their material could not be distributed in schools because their ideas do not conform to the current conservative parties in power in North America?
When you are feeling blue because a loved one passed away, you have broken up with a partner, you can’t get your homework done, you are hung over or you have stepped in dog poo what makes you feel better:
- A good epic tragedy that deals with death, broken hearts and failures
OR
- A good joke that is about a guy ringing a bell with his head or a joke about “the shit hitting the fan”
I feel it is extremely important for children to learn sarcasm and other forms of humour when they are young. Developing an understanding of the juxtaposition of words and tones that are associated with humour equips a child with a set semiotics that are essential in order to effectively communicate.
How many times have you made a joke and no one laughs? (I know that never happens to me either!) Or, how many times has someone told you a joke, written an e-mail or instant messaged you something that is supposed to elicit a “LOL” or a chuckle and you have to give a “courtesy laugh”? It is one of the most uncomfortable things to do. Actually, I think the courtesy laugh is plain painful. In an effort to steer clear of telling painful jokes or future generations telling stories that receive a “courtesy laugh” we need to motivate our children, our friend's children, our brother’s and sister's children to read and to be taught humour. As Whitney Houston always said, “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Scieszka, Jon. 2005. "What's So Funny, Mr. Scieszka?: The Zena Sutherland Lecture," Horn Book 81(6): 653-667.
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