Teens.library: Developing Internet Services for Young Adults

Citation

Fourie, I. (2003), "Teens.library: Developing Internet Services for Young Adults", The Electronic Library, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 67-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470310462461

Linda Braun can be congratulated on a brief, but excellent and stimulating publication. It left me wishing I were a public librarian with sufficient technology and support to take up the challenges set by Teens.library… Public librarians face extreme challenges in competing for teenagers’ attention in a world filled with numerous forms of sport and entertainment. Library Web sites and services must therefore integrate teen‐friendly technology, contents and attitude or risk losing an entire generation of library customers. In this regard, Linda Braun offers an excellent point of departure for the creative librarian.

Since many teenagers are Internet enthusiasts, the WWW seems an obvious way of attracting teenage interests. Based on the development needs and interests of young adults, Teens.library … attempts to offer answers to the following: the reasons for teenagers liking the Internet, what they are looking for on a Web site (e.g. e‐mail services, games, help with homework, shopping, chat rooms), ways that traditional library services can be used via the Internet to draw teenagers, and the technical considerations for incorporating the required technology. Teens.library … furthermore covers 40 factors that are critical in the growth and development of young adults. These are grouped into broad categories such as support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, positive values, social competencies and positive identity. Web addresses that may fill these needs are included. Examples of teen‐driven library Web sites are also included such as the Curtis Memorial Library, Boston Public Library, Cleveland Public Library and the New York Public Library. Easy access to the Web addresses can be found from the Teens.library Web site. The publishers undertake to regularly update the Web site. Advice on the planning and management of a teenage library Web site project, and tips on the site maintenance and collection of evaluation feedback are also included.

There are five appendices including checklists for Web site development, teenage involvement in the development, and Web site evaluation, as well as appendices on user‐testing tips and programming opportunities for teenagers. A subject as well as a URL index is also included.

Teens.library … is a well‐bound soft cover publication. It is highly recommended for the intended target group, namely all young adult specialists, youth services librarians, school library media specialists, and technology specialists. It should also feature as recommended reading in LIS courses on public library services.