1. The Truth about Teens: Young Adult Services Training for Children’s Librarians JULY 8, 2003
That was Then, This is Now
Adolescent Development
Marketing Programs & Books to Teens
Reader’s Advisory for Teens
Booktalks

2. Our Staff is Trained to Kill

3. Overreaching Tasks for Young Adults
Developing Identity
Can be characterized by the question, “Who are you and what do you represent?”
Seeking Acceptance
Teens will look both to peers and to adults outside of the family for acceptance as they constantly redefine their identity
Managing Excitement
Partially a result of hormones, teens can have an abundance of energy which needs an outlet
Gaining Independence
A gradual increase in independence, responsibility, decision making, and instances of rebellion

4. Early Adolescence (12-14 years)
Movement Towards Independence
Struggle with sense of identity
Moodiness
Improved abilities to use speech to express oneself
More likely to express feelings by action than by words
Close friendships gain importance
Less attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness
Realization that parents are not perfect; identification of their faults
Search for new people to love in addition to parents
Tendency to return to childish behavior, fought off by excessive activity
Peer group influence interests and clothing styles
Career Interests
Mostly interested in present and near future
Greater ability to work

5. Early Adolescence (12-14 years)
Sexuality
Girls ahead of boys
Same-sex friends and group activities
Shyness, blushing and modesty
Show-off qualities
Greater interest in privacy
Experimentation with body (masturbation)
Worries about being normal
Ethics and Self-Direction
Rule and limit testing
Occasional experimentation with cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol
Capacity for abstract thought

6. Middle Adolescence Movement Towards Independence Career Interests
Self-involvement, alternating between unrealistically high expectations and poor self-concept
Complaints that parents interfere with independence
Extremely concerned with appearance and with one's own body
Feelings of strangeness about one's self and body
Lowered opinion of parents, withdrawal of emotions from them
Effort to make new friends
Strong emphasis on the new peer group with the group identity of selectivity, superiority and competitiveness
Periods of sadness as the psychological loss of the parents takes place
Examination of inner experiences, which may include writing a diary
Career Interests
Intellectual interests gain importance
Some sexual and aggressive energies directed into creative and career interests

7. Middle Adolescence Sexuality Ethics and Self-Description
Concerns about sexual attractiveness
Frequently changing relationships
Movement towards heterosexuality with fears of homosexuality
Tenderness and fears shown towards opposite sex
Feelings of love and passion
Ethics and Self-Description
Development of ideals and selection of role models
More consistent evidence of conscience
Greater capacity for setting goals
Interest in moral reasoning

8. Late Adolescence (17-19 years)
Movement Towards Independence
Firmer identity
Ability to delay gratification
Ability to think ideas through
Ability to express ideas in words
More developed sense of humor
Stable interests
Greater emotional stability
Ability to make independent decisions
Ability to compromise
Pride in one's work
Self-reliance
Greater concern for others
Career Interests
More defined work habits
Higher level of concern for the future
Thoughts about one's role in life

9. Late Adolescence (17-19 years)
Sexuality  
Concerned with serious relationships
Clear sexual identity
Capacities for tender and sensual love
Ethics and Self-Direction  
Capable of useful insight
Stress on personal dignity and self-esteem
Ability to set goals and follow through
Acceptance of social institutions and cultural traditions
Self-regulation of self esteem

10. Ten Core Values for Library Service to Young Adults From: New Directions for Library Service to Young Adults by Patrick Jones. Chicago: ALA Editions (p. 17)
Developmental Needs
Example: online chatting fulfills teens’ need for social interaction
Youth Development
Example: librarians can support healthy, positive youth development by offering programs and promoting reading through booktalking.
Developmental Assets
Example: connecting teens with the information they need promotes healthy relationships and has a positive impact on the community as a whole..
Youth Advocacy
Example: making a case for materials that appeal to teens, such as Graphic Novels, is one way to advocate for them within the library; another is simply showing them the same respect you would a child or adult.
Youth Participation
Example: use teens to assist with craft programs and take suggestions they make for improvement to library service seriously. This shows respect for their point of view.
Collaboration
Example: anytime you coordinate with a school to do a special program, you are collaborating on behalf on teens, such as the planned Research Methods unit for 8th graders.
Information literacy
Example: when you walk a teen through the process of a google search instead of handing over the information, you promote information literacy and self-sufficiency.
Adolescent literacy
Example: by showing an interest in what teens are reading, librarians strengthen the relationship between a teen and a book.
Learning and achievement
Example: by supporting the school curriculum and assisting with research and homework, libraries play a critical role in the learning and achievement of teens.
Equity of access and intellectual freedom
Example: by offering full and equal access to resources that help teens make the transition into adulthood, libraries support teens.