Summary Lecture: YA Literature Issues

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Summary LectureYA Literature Issues

• Dr. Betty Marcoux
• dmLIS 566
• Winter Quarter 2007

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Lecture structure

• Beginning
• No terms this lecture
• Definition of YA lit
• History and current trends in YA lit
• Chapter and journal articles discussion
• Middle
• Important issues about YA lit reinforcement to
  what you have been doing/finding out.
• Other questions you might find interesting
• End
• Final information about the class with the
  evaluation URL for this course. PLEASE fill it
  out!

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YA Lit defined

• In the main, these authors deal with an
  adolescents relationships with others his own
  age, with his parents and other adults, and with
  such worries as deciding upon and preparing for a
  job, going steady, marrying and facing the
  responsibilities of adulthood. (Alm, 1955)
• Perhaps the single theme most sought by the
  young adult is the book that details the movement
  of a character from adolescence into early adult
  life. (Carlsen, 1973)
• the great American theme in the final third of
  the 20th century has been the tribalizing of the
  young. (Peck, 1994)

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YA Lit Definable?

• Literature all works of imagination which are
  transmitted primarily by means of the written
  word or spoken narrative that is, in the main,
  novels, stories, and poetry. (Townsend, 1980)
• YA is ever changing as ideas and understandings
  and attitudes evolve.

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Text Definition

• From text (Nilsen/Donelson) Young adult
  literature is any book freely chosen for reading
  by a 12-20 aged person.
• NOT necessarily the publishers age range that is
  important.
• Issues and approach is more important

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Chapter 2 info

• Read widely and constantly
• Know the difference between reading interest and
  reading need
• Think in terms of cross-overs
• Be ready for criticism

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2 articles on YA issues

• Both are hot button issues within the YA context
• Both are important to consider regarding culture
  of organization and audience.
• Time to wrestle with these issues is BEFORE you
  need to.

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Weiner article

• Getting to be somewhat historical but still
  interesting. (2002)
• Writes about the convincing of others that
  graphic novels should be taken seriously in terms
  of collections.
• Gives insights into criteria for collecting them.
  You already have criteria also that you can use
  from YALSA.

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Donadio article

• A bit more on censorship.
• Case study of Judy Blume her books.
• Case studies of two lawsuits.
• References to Patriot Act and other potential
  laws/understandings that impact selection as well
  as censorship.

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1900-1950
1950-1970
Civil War
1980
1990
2000-
YA Literature History
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Older YA Lit criticisms that still resonate

• slick, patterned, rather inconsequential sotries
  written to capitalize on a rapidly expanding
  market (Alm, 1955)
• the stuff of adolescent literature, for the most
  part, is mealy-mouthed, gutless, pointless
  (Jennings 1956)

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Recent YA trends YALSA magazine Vol. 42,
Winter 2006

• YA participation in selection of materials
• Questions/concerns over racy materials
• RR can mean finding the right book for the
  gateway to further reading
• Cross-overs
• Touchy subjects
• Survey of MS student attitudes/habits toward
  reading important findings
• Connect urban teens to appropriate books
• Match readers to correct reading level
• Subject matter important
• Make more periodicals available
• Allow time to read
• Recognize gender differences

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Male readers

• http//specialed.about.com/od/literacy/ss/trucks.h
  tm
• Workshop by former student http//mailman1.u.wash
  ington.edu/pipermail/iyouth/2005-April/000113.html
  

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Teens, Gays and books

• Issues of homosexuality http//www.religioustoler
  ance.org/homosexu.htm
• Support of alternate lifestyle individuals
  http//pflagcd.tripod.com/index.html
• Seattle PL list http//www.spl.org/default.asp?pa
  geIDaudience_teens_readinglistcid1078240176718

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Books with negative stereotypes

• A problem present today
• Good thing to be aware of with selection and in
  reviewing
• http//www.beyondintractability.org/essay/stereoty
  pes/
• Try this one on librarians http//home.earthlink.
  net/cyberresearcher/stereotypes.htm

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How do you get YAs into a public library?

• http//www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/profdev/youngadultsde
  serve.htm
• http//www.ala.org/ala/ppo/currentprograms/greatst
  ories/club.htm
• Currency of interests
• Timing of events
• Senior Sunday

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Is a library necessary in a high school?

• http//www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA3392
  07?displaybreakingNews
• Central clearinghouse core vs community
  collections and networking
• Economically/fiscally efficient

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How to get schools to value libraries and
information literacy.

• University Laboratory High School Frances
  Jacobson Harris
• National Forum on Information Literacy P.
  Breivik http//www.infolit.org/
• Information Literacy essential skills for the
  information age. Spitzer/Eisenberg, Lowe ERIC,
  1998

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How do you forge a strong relationship between
the branch public library and local schools?

• http//www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlcl/pld/comblibs.h
  tml guidelines for partnerships that can be used
  for identifying issues to create partnerships
  that may or may not include shared space
• YALSA and school cooperative partnership
  guidelines
• CLL WSL initiative

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How much should a public library support a local
school?

• History of both interwoven
• http//institute21.stanford.edu/programs/workshop/
  facilities/schools_handout.pdf
• Richard Halsey (2003). Lobbying for Public and
  School Libraries a history and political
  playbook. Lanham, MD Scarecrow Press.

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How can YA librarians use blogging in a public
library setting?

• http//www.weblogg-ed.com/
• WebJunction http//webjunction.org/do/DisplayCont
  ent?id767
• http//www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/2003/01/26.html
  
• http//www.librarysupportstaff.com/4blogs.html

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Can public libraries effectively teach
information literacy to YAs?

• http//www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/infor
  mation/5locate/adviceengine.html
• http//www.infolit.org/
• http//www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informat
  ionliteracycompetency.htm
• Directory of Online IL Resources
  http//bulldogs.tlu.edu/mdibble/doril/
• ALA http//www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Sectionolos

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What is the canon of YA must reads?

• http//www.ouhsd.k12.ca.us/lmc/ohs/read/Engl1.htm
  
• http//www.elginacademy.org/library/summer_reading
  /summer_reading_upper_school.htm
• http//www.secondaryenglish.com/firing20the20can
  on.htm
• http//www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/YALSA/Bo
  oklists_and_Book_Awards/Booklists_and_Book_Awards.
  htm
• http//archive.ala.org/booklist/v95/youth/se1/55ya
  talk.html

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What readings are particularly good tools to
reach out to at-risk teens?

• http//www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/quick
  picks/quickpicksreluctant.htm
• http//www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/pdfs/shelf_life/03_se
  p.pdf

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The future YA librarianship.

• http//www.libr.org/PL/contentsFT.html
• http//pdfs.voya.com/VO/YAM/VOYAMatchMadeinHeaven.
  pdf
• http//www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/f
  avorites/by_age_group/for_grownups.html
• Outreach
• http//www.cla.ca/resources/cla2002/teens_are_patr
  ons_too.pdf
• http//www.olc.org/pdf/YASD_Winter03.pdf

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Budget reductions as they relate to YA youth
services.

• http//www.ala.org/Template.cfm?SectionBudgeting_
  and_FinanceTemplate/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay
  .cfmTPLID4ContentID408

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Technology resources with YAs

• http//www.americaconnects.net/research/LTC_ToolKi
  t/index.shtml
• http//www.cctpg.org/ciof/toolkits/index.htm
• http//www.ctcnet.org/toc.htm
• http//www.cyfernet.org/curricul/
  http//www.gcflearnfree.org
• http//www.techmission.org
• http//techsoup.org

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Technology Awareness

• Top Ten Things Teachers Should Know to Better
  Understand (Joyce Valenza)
• Network Behavior and the Web
• http//mciu.org/spjvweb/topten.html

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What are the guidelines for cataloguing a book
picture or folklore.

• Format (picture book) vs content (folklore)
• http//www.uiowa.edu/crl/infohawk/help/earlychil
  dhood.htm
• http//jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/passport/lessonp
  lan/lessons/lessonpblocks.html

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Adios!

• The future is you working with these YAs and
  children and their literature!
• Continuous learning you AND me!
• None of us ever know everything keep going and
  realize that often we dont age quite at the same
  rate as YAs think we do and at the same rate of
  their changing.
• Course has life-time guarantee ?
• https//depts.washington.edu/oeaias/webq/survey.cg
  i?userISUWsurvey186
• No online chat this week!

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THANK YOU!!!
elm2_at_u.washington.edu