Urban Teens in the Library: Research and Practice

by Denise E. Agosto, Sandra Hughes-Hassell Ph.D.

Urban Teens in the Library is the perfect solution for the concerns and uncertainty many librarians face when supporting this group of patrons and students. From a team of experts who have researched the information habits and preferences of urban teens to build better and more effective school and public library programs, this book will show readers The importance of moving beyond stereotypes and revamping library services The value of street lit and social networking How a library website can meet the information needs of teensThis groundbreaking book is relevant to all librarians working with urban teens and looking for ways to reach out to them.

Genres: Library Science

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book....I wish they had chosen a different title instead of what is commonly thought of as URBAN....though the author does admit to the shortcoming of the definition and what their intention is....it is simply about how to cater resources to those 'inner city' type kids, regardless of race or gender, collection development, programs, etc, which is nice...but not what I THOUGHT it was going to be.

[Hannah Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some helpful information in here.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to go back and read some of the chapters more deeply. The following chapters look like they could be very helpful in the future:
Chapter 3-Revamping Library Services to Meet Urban Teens' Everyday Life Information Needs and Preferences

Chapter 5-Street Lit Before You Can Recommend It, You Have to Understand It
Chapter 7-Urband Teens and Their Use of Public Libraries
Chapter 10-Youth Development and Evaluation: Lessons from "Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development"
Chapter 12-Before it's Reading, It's Writing: Urban Teens as Authors in the Public Library

[Elaine Pelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Massive shout out to Denise Agosto and Sandra Hughes-Hassell - two awesome ladies who have devoted their careers to researching the information needs of urban, inner-city youth. If you are a professional librarian, educator, or social-worker who works closely with this population, this is arguably the best current resource available on the topic. Table posting your latest Goodreads review for a couple minutes and go order this book!

[Becket · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another small step toward cultural competency.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good review of currently YA lit, especially lit for urban African American and Hispanic youth. Includes information about making library services relevant to the lives of urban teenagers.