This will be my first time attending ALSC National Institute and I couldn’t be more excited that the first day is dedicated to teen services development. As a former elementary school teacher and now an early literacy researcher, I feel confident navigating the landscape of children’s literature. But as my work expands to include supporting teachers who serve striving adolescent readers and my niblings enter their teens, I have become acutely aware of my limited knowledge of youth literature.
I know what was popular in my youth (e.g., Gossip Girl and Twilight). And I’ve thankfully stumbled across some great t(w)een reads monitoring the list of books challenged in my local school district (e.g., Pet by Akwaeke Emezi). And coding for Diverse BookFinder (e.g., You’ve Goth My Heart by L.C. Rosen). But if I am to serve secondary teachers well—and maintain my status as the “cool aunt”—I’m going to need more than that.
TSDD Programming
Teen services development day (TSDD) starts with a keynote featuring Delali Adjoa, author of The Free Verse Society, in conversation with Valerie Tagoe. The schedule sets aside 30 minutes afterwards for Adjoa to sign books.
Next is a session on the Alex Awards, which recognize “books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.”
The sessions I’m most excited about are “Don’t Leave the Tweens Stuck in Between” and “Middle Grades Grows Up: Making Room for Young Teen Experiences in Literature.” Because finding books for tweens is, like being a tween, hard.
There are also sessions on teen spaces at libraries, manga, navigating the library with generative AI, programming (including comic cons!), youth leadership, and more. Exhibitors include those that publish t(w)een books.
Teen services development day ends with a keynote and book signing by Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give.
Not going to ALSC National Institute this year? We’ve got you. Just lika ALA Annual, there will be a cadre of bloggers posting daily so you can be a part of the action.
Which ALSC National Institute and teen services development day programming are you most excited about attending (or reading a blog about!)? Drop a line in the comments or at ktaksier@ufl.edu.
This blog post relates to ALSC Core Competency VII: Professionalism and Professional Development.
The post Looking Forward to Teen Services Development Day at ALSC National Institute appeared first on ALSC Blog.
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