YALSA Literature Symposium Stipend!

I just got the most exciting news - I was chosen for the student stipend to attend the YALSA Young Adult Literature Symposium!

It's in St. Louis, Missouri from November 2nd through 4th, and they have some amazing programs planned. The list of participating authors is very exciting, with names like David Levithan, Ellen Hopkins, and Brian Katcher. There'll be a lot of diversity-related programs and papers that I'm really eager to see, not to mention author lunches and getting to experience a bit of St. Louis! I will, of course, provide updates, news, and reactions from the symposium when the time comes. This will be a very valuable experience for me as a young library professional, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity.

I really needed this good news after a week of dealing with disposing of one dead (cursed) car and buying another one. Thank you, YALSA!

Have E-Readers Killed the Bookcover?

I just finished reading an article on the YALSA blog really struck a chord with me and had to share it. Have E-readers Killed the Bookcover? gives a valuable teen perspective on the e-reader craze and the effect of e-readers on teen book choice.

Ultimately, it seems that many teens don't feel as confident about choosing a book they will like when browsing electronically - they like to come into the library or store and handle the book physically and look at the cover, then go home and add the book to their e-reader. I'm in that camp, myself - despite being Ms. Recycles-Everything-Grows-Vegetables-Save-the-Planet, I just love the physicality of books and I'm having trouble jumping on the e-reader bandwagon. I certainly feel the need to see a physical copy before I read an electronic copy. Call me an old fogey if you'd like. I have an e-reader, I use it very occasionally, but the books just don't grab me in the same way.

I want to like e-books. I think they're a wonderful thing, and I love helping patrons with their e-readers - so what is my issue? I've happily read fanfiction online since the 8th grade, so it isn't a screen problem. There is just something about holding a book in my hands, seeing the cover and feeling its weight, that helps me make my decision. Perhaps that sense will fade with time as e-books take a greater percentage of the market, or perhaps it's a personal thing that will stick with me as long as the physical book remains an option. Either way, I'll readily admit that the cover does play a role in my decision to read a book, and I've included a few images of books that I picked up solely for the cover and ended up loving. Don't let cover-judging guilt keep you from reading a great book!

Master Post: LGBTQ Teen Resources

Whenever I'm not researching customer service in public libraries, I'm researching diversity issues. The public library is supposed to be for every member of our communities, but we do not always reflect that in our services and collections. The particular focus of my research is LGBTQ resources for teenage library users. The reviews below are also found in my master reviews post, but I wanted all of my LGBTQ teen information to be in one place.

LGBTQ TEEN FICTION:

Hero by Perry Moore (review)
I Am J by Cris Beam (review)
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (review)
Pink by Lili Wilkinson (review)

LGBTQ TEEN NONFICTION:

Gay America: Struggle for Equality by Linas Alsenas (review)

GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel (review)

LGBTQ TEEN WEB RESOURCES:

It Gets Better Project

The Trevor Project

MY RESEARCH & LISTS:

Megan's Top 10 LGBTQ Books for Teens

Increase Your Library's LGBTQuotient: Collecting across the spectrum (forthcoming research)