This afternoon was full of play at #alsc26 as I learned how to transform my book club into an engaging tabletop escape room for teens and tweens!
Category: Tweens
Mastering the Dungeon at #alsc26
Have you ever wanted to start a TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) program at your library? Perhaps you’ve never played a game yourself before, but you know that youth at your library would be interested. Perhaps you were not a theater kid and are worried that you just aren’t a good actor or good at improv. Or, maybe you have completed a few campaigns with a local D&D group, and you know how much preparation goes into a successful campaign. You worry that you just don’t have enough hours in the day to prepare something fun and engaging for your library patrons. This morning at #alsc26, Youth & Teen Services Librarian Elizabeth Sanderson aimed to help with these common challenges, and more!
Once Upon a Unicorn
What luck when a friend asked me for picture books tips for family readings with two different aged children. With no child in sight and very few guidelines, I had a realization.
Engaging Teens and Tweens in Fan Programs
Often when I am at the library providing reader’s advisory services, I get asked by young folks, “Can you recommend a book to me?” My immediate follow-up is, “Well, what do you like?” I tell them that it doesn’t have to be a book; it could be a favorite character, movie, or activity. This sparks so many conversations about what youth feel very passionately about. Often, I pocket these conversations not only to help in the moment, but also for later programming ideas.
Working with Teens at the Library
Many library systems around the country rely on the help of volunteers to make our workflows successful. In my system, this includes teen volunteers, and in the summer paid teen employees. If you are new to working with teens, you may feel apprehensive about how to manage their workflow. Whether you work with teens as summer volunteers or school year employees, these tips can help you set them up for success!
Modern Fairytales at #alaac26
This morning at the Real Page-Turner Stage, author Julie Wright presented Reinventing Fairytales for Today’s YA Readers. I was instantly hooked by her pronouncement that “Fairytale retellings are the oldest form of fanfiction.”
Social-Emotion Growth and Resilience Through Manga
Over the past year or so, I have noticed an increased interest in anime and manga at my library. After starting an Anime Club, I knew that #alaac26 would be a great opportunity to expand my own knowledge and come back to my home branch with new ideas for programing nd collections development. I started my hunt today with GNCRT’s President’s Program: Social-Emotional Growth and Resilience Through Manga.
Media Literacy for a Young World
This May, Soman Chainani returns to the scene with his first original novel in over ten years. Young World, published by Penguin Random House, is a political thriller set in the not too distant future where countries around the globe are on the brink of collapse. Chainani blurs the lines between fact and fiction on and off the page to make us all think: Wait, is this really happening?