Young Adult Services meeting notes December 7th @ DeWitt Community Library Present: Ren Battelle (MR), Robin

Best (WH), Kelly Chambala (TU), Luke Connor (LV), Ossie Edwards (BT), Dan Golden (OF), Pam Gottheld (MN), Tina Limpert (MU), Holly Nichols (PA), Monica Norton (SA), Susan Reckhow (CN), Annette Waterman (PT), Marc Wildman (DE)

Subject Analytics
Guest speaker Cynthia Bishop talked about her work making subject lists for childrens books. These lists can be found on Inside OCPL, under Youth Services and Juvenile Subject Analytics. There are four lists: Folk Tale Versions, Folk Tales by Country of Origin, Juvenile Fiction, and Picture Books_Readers_Folk Tales. The purpose of subject analytics is to quickly be able to find books on a particular subject, specifically within the OCPL collection. The lists on Inside can be downloaded to your computer and saved to the desktop for easy reference. The YA group discussed the possibility of doing a similar subject analytics project for teen books. But a few group members expressed an interest in using an online tool, or something that everyone could access to add titles, and something that is searchable. Tina (MU) has created a blog for YA librarians at http://yalibrarian315.blogspot.com, which has a link to our new Good Reads page (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12955509-ocpl-yas). This is a tool we can use for our own version of subject analytics.

Summer Reading Task Force

The YA SRP group presented their ideas for Make Your Summer @ Your Library. The basic idea is to make the teen SRP more inclusive, so teens with creative interests of all kinds want to participate in Summer Reading. This version of the program involves fewer small rewards along the way, and the chance for bigger prizes and virtual badges. The virtual badges can be created by each library, but any teen can earn the different badges it doesnt matter where they signed up. Ren (MR) set up a Google Site to house the badges and calendars of library events: https://sites.google.com/site/ocplsummerprogram/ Libraries are encouraged to create their own badges. There are 3 different types of badges: Skill, Participation, and Achievement. Some badge examples are: Pam (MN) Plan a meal and cook it (Skill), Assist in a childrens craft program (Participation), and Write a poem (Achievement); Monica (SA) Read 10 books and have your fines waived (Participation), Helping Hands volunteer badge (Participation), and Loved It/Hated It book review badge (Achievement); Ren (MR) Attend a writing workshop at the library (Participation), Take a writing course from Universal Class (Skill), and Make a book from the writing you produced during the summer (Achievement). Each badge will have a set of criteria for earning it. The group is still ironing out the details of how teens report on their progress. This program still allows for using the traditional SRP methods, and any county libraries can participate and make badges for Make Your Summer. See the end of these notes for more details on Make Your Summer.

Other Announcements
Ren (MR) mentioned that a local author and Marcellus Central Schools graduate recently published a book. Summer Hanford (http://summerhanford.com/) wrote a teen fantasy book called Gift of the Aluien, and she has agreed to attend the YA book club meeting at Marcellus on May 9 to talk about her book. If any other libraries are interested in scheduling her for their book club or to do a reading, you can contact her through her website. Marcellus owns copies of the book, which can be purchased through Amazon. Kelly (TU) talked about 2 grants available from the NYS Council for Humanities (http://www.nyhumanities.org/). One of them is Community Conversations (http://www.nyhumanities.org/discussion_groups/community_conversations/index.php), which is given for programs that promote civic engagement using a short text and a community facilitator; and the other is the Together Book Club (http://www.nyhumanities.org/discussion_groups/kids_and_parents/together/further_reading.php), which is given to fund a parent-child book discussion with a community facilitator. The grants are easy to apply for, and the Council gives out quite a few of them.

Future meetings:
March Onondaga Free. The topic is the teen Summer Reading Program June Mundy Branch. The topic is the YSS Conference, and Monica (SA) will speak about Summer Reading. Bring 3-5 YA books you like for the discussion September Tully Library. The topic is how libraries use social media December DeWitt. The topic is school libraries and how they use technology

Make Your Summer @ Your Library!

http://sites.google.com/site/ocplsummerprogram

THE CONCEPT
To make the teen SRP more inclusive, so teens with creative interests of all kinds want to participate in Summer Reading. We want to reward kids, but this version of the program involves fewer small rewards along the way, and the chance for bigger prizes and virtual badges.

"MAKE YOUR SUMMER"

Inspired by the concept of Maker Spaces. Programs can be high- or low-tech. The main point is to provide materials and space to be creative, not necessarily to plan stepby-step programs.

EARNING BADGES
Virtual badges for different activities, including traditional book reporting. Teens could participate at multiple libraries. We have a Google Site for teens to log on and earn badges, report on summer reading, and see what programs are being offered at different libraries.

A WORK IN PROGRESS
Still ironing out ideas of how to update the traditional reporting system for stats. One idea is Friday Book Brags on the library lawn, during which kids can stop by and report progress theyve made, and share books with their peers. Another idea is to have a blog and e-mail address for reporting, and of course Evanced. We can open several avenues in addition to faceto-face reporting.

GET CREATIVE!
Badges can be on many achievements, so think outside the box. Some of my crazy ideas are: The War and Peace Badge, Visit all 32 Libraries Badge, and Learn Pirate Badge (this is a free course from Mango Languages, available on their website). The badges can promote library services, like databases, in a fun way.