Angst, Anarchy and Adventure: Teen Collection Development

for Every Budget

Presented by Greer Macdonell

Lambton County Library

May 2009

Defining Your Collection!Popular vs Comprehensive

YA Fiction Young-adult fiction, whether in the form of novels or short

stories, has distinct attributes that distinguish it from the other age categories.

The vast majority of YA stories portray an adolescent as the protagonist. The subject matter and story lines are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but beyond that YA stories span the entire spectrum of fiction genres.

Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, so much so that the entire age category is sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming of age novel.

Reading Habits of Teens

Reading is a social act. Teen readers have dry spells. The right or wrong book can make or break a

lifelong reader. Teens tend to read up a little. Literary quality means zilch. Gender influences reading preferences. Personal culture impacts book selection. Teens enjoy being read to.

What Teen Readers Need

Literature they can relate to. Support in reading difficult texts. Authentic reading opportunities. Literacy communities. An understanding of the politics of

literacy and empowerment.

Reluctant Readers

These readers need books that capture their interest and overcome their “I hate reading” mindset.

What to look for in books for reluctant readers.• Attractive and action-oriented covers.

• Larger and well spaced print.

• Illustrations are realistic.

Reluctant Readers

• Clear writing.

• High interest hook on the first few pages.

• Not too many characters.

• Plot driven and lots of action.

• Plot through dialogue not descriptive text.

• Realistic.

• Single point of view.

• Touches of humour.

Making your ¢a$e! Look at local census results and figure out

percentage of teens in your service area. Your budget for teen materials should

account to the same percentage. In Lambton County teens 12-18 years make

up 10% of the population. Twelve percent of the book budget is earmarked for teen materials.

If your system keeps statistics on patron age groups, run a report on teen library usage.

Budgets

Where did we find the money? Half came from the adult book budget, half

from the children’s. The budget breaks down into the following

percentages.• Fiction 50%

• Non-fiction 20%

• Graphics 20%

• AV 10%

Where to Buy!

Shop around for the best discount. LSC, Whitehots, Jack the Bookman, your

local book store, etc.

Review Sources

VOYA CM Magazine Horn Book Kirkus Reviews School Library Journal Publisher’s Weekly Teacher Librarian Quill and Quire

Tapping Into Teens

Ask your teens to look through publishers catalogues for feedback. They will have an opinion about what appeals to them and the authors they enjoy.

Bring them to TAG meeting, manga clubs, etc.

Leave some out to be marked up!

Request System

How do teens and all patrons make requests in your library system?

How can we make this easier for them? Is there one person they can identify and

build a relationship with? Follow up on the requests as quickly as

possible, teens live in the here and now!

Genre Fiction Genre fiction is a term for fictional works written with the

intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.

In contemporary fiction publishing, genre is an elastic term used to group works sharing similarities of character, theme, and setting—such as mystery, romance, or horror—that have been proven to appeal to particular groups of readers.

Genres continuously evolve, divide, and combine as readers' tastes change and writers search for fresh ways to tell stories.

What’s Hot

Looking for the next great thing. Here are some titles that may capture

your teens fancies. Don’t delay, something new is sure to

take their place soon!

Classics

Put away your copies of Pride and Prejudice.

Here are some of the tried and true teen novels that no collection should be without.

Warning: edgy content ahead!

Literary Literary fiction is a term that has come into common

usage since around 1970, principally to distinguish serious fiction (that is, work with claims to literary merit) from the many types of genre fiction and popular fiction.

In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more on style, psychological depth, and character, whereas mainstream commercial fiction (the page-turner) focuses more on narrative and plot.

What distinguishes literary fiction from other genres is somewhat subjective, and as in other artistic media, genres may overlap.

Action-Adventure

Action-adventure fiction, traditionally (but not exclusively) aimed at male readers, features physical action and violence, often around a quest or mission set in exotic or forbidding locales such as jungles, deserts, or mountains.

The conflict typically involves commandos, mercenaries, terrorists, smugglers, pirates, spies and the like.

Stories often include elements of technology, weapons, and other hardware.

Romance Romance is currently the largest and best-

selling fiction genre in North America. It has produced a wide array of subgenres, the

majority of which feature the mutual attraction and love of a man and a woman as the main plot, and have a happy ending.

This genre, much like fantasy fiction, is broad enough in definition that it is easily and commonly seen combined with other genres, such as comedy, fantasy fiction, realistic fiction, or action-adventure.

Mystery Mystery fiction, technically involving stories in which

characters try to discover a vital piece of information which is kept hidden until the climax, is now considered by many people almost a synonym for detective fiction.

These stories relate the solving of a crime, usually one or more murders, by a protagonist who may or may not be a professional investigator.

This large, popular genre has many subgenres, reflecting differences in tone, character, and it always contains criminal and detective settings.

The standard novel stocked in the mystery section of bookstores is a whodunit.

Chick Lit Chick lit is a term used to denote genre fiction within

women's fiction written for and marketed to young women.

It generally deals with the issues of modern women humorously and lightheartedly.

Although usually including romantic elements, women's fiction (including chick lit) is generally not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel genre, because in women's fiction the heroine's relationship with her family or friends may be equally as important as her relationship with the hero.

Fantasy Fantasy fiction features stories set in fanciful, invented

worlds, an alternate and more fanciful version of our own world, or in a legendary, mythic past.

Fantasy fiction stories generally involve magic, mystical elements, or supernatural creatures such as vampires.

The genre's relatively loose definition means it includes a large number of works in styles ranging from pseudo-mythological epics (Lord of the Rings) to more deliberately modern works (such as Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and includes works which also fall under other genres, such as horror fiction, comedy, action-adventure or Romance.

History Historical fiction presents readers with a story

that takes place during a notable period in history, and usually during a significant event in that period.

Historical fiction often presents actual events from the point of view of people living in that time period.

Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, nominally attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time presented in the story, with due attention paid to period detail and fidelity.

Bromance A bromance or "man-crush" is a close but non-sexual

relationship between two men, a form of homosocial intimacy.

Coined in the 1990s, the term has historically referred to a relationship between heterosexuals, but the term has gained currency in describing such relationships when one of the men is gay.

Editor Dave Carnie coined the term in the skateboard magazine Big Brother in the 1990s to refer specifically to the sort of relationships that develop between skaters who spent a great deal of time together.

Science Fiction Science fiction is defined more by setting details than by

other story elements. Science fiction by definition includes extrapolated or

theoretical future science and technology as a major component, and is often set on other planets, in outer space, or on a future version of Earth.

Within these setting details, however, the conventions of almost any other genre may be used, including comedy, action-adventure and mystery.

Science fiction is often referred to alongside fantasy fiction, magical realism and some horror fiction under the umbrella term speculative fiction.

Christian

A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.

LGBT

LGBT (or GLBT) refers collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

LGBT fiction range widely in sensitivity, topic, quality, and political and social insight.

The market for children's and young adult literature has expanded greatly in the last twenty-five years, and now a proliferation of materials is available to gay and lesbian adolescents, including comic books with gay characters.

Urban Urban fiction, also known as Street lit and Gangsta fiction,

is a literary genre set, as the name implies, in a city landscape; however, the genre is as much defined by the race and culture of its characters as the urban setting.

The tone for urban fiction is usually dark, focusing on the underside.

Profanity, sex and violence are usually explicit, with the writer not shying away from or watering-down the material.

In this respect, urban fiction shares some common threads with dystopian or survivalist fiction.

Undead

The explosive popularity of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer has sparked a desire for books with all things undead!

Horror

Horror fiction aims to evoke some combination of fear, fascination, and revulsion in its readers.

This genre, like others, continues to develop, recently moving away from stories with a religious or supernatural basis to ones making use of medical or psychological ideologies.

Sports

The jocks and libraries do have something in common.

Sports fiction is particularly appealing because it reflects our cultural experience so well.

Sports fiction can also be used with sports enthusiasts who have perhaps not realized that reading about a game can be as exciting as watching one on television or even playing the game.

Books Turned into Movies

Nothing can get teens to turn to a book faster than seeing it on the big screen.

Here are some good sources for keeping on top of what movies are being produced.• http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie/upcomi

ng.php

• http://www.comingsoon.net/movies.php

• http://www.imdb.com/Recent/USA

Manga Manga are comics and print cartoons in the

Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century.

The Japanese word manga, literally translated, means "whimsical pictures".

"Manga" as a term outside of Japan refers specifically to comics originally published in Japan. However, manga and manga-influenced comics, among original works, exist in other parts of the world.

Graphics A graphic novel is a type of comic book, usually with a

lengthy and complex storyline similar to those of novels. The term also encompasses comic short story

anthologies, and in some cases bound collections of previously published comic book series (more commonly referred to as trade paperbacks).

Graphic novels are typically bound in longer and more durable formats than familiar comic magazines, using the same materials and methods as printed books, and are generally sold in bookstores and specialty comic book shops rather than at newsstands.

Genre Nonfiction

Nonfiction has become the preferred genre for many teens.

Nonfiction may also be broken down by subject and reading interests.

Don’t forget great browsing book traditionally found in juvenile.• Ripley’s Believe it or Not

• Guinness Book of World Records

• DK nonfiction in a variety of subjects!

Adventure

Adventure nonfiction have the same appeal as their fictional cousins, with the added attraction of being true.

The protagonists face adversity and danger, extreme hardship, demonstrate bravery, endurance and fortitude.

May cover many subject areas including survival, war, espionage, and sports.

True Crime

True crime is a relatively new genre to YA nonfiction.

Has seen huge popularity due to TV shows like CSI and Veronica Mars.

A traditional true crime book focuses on an actual crime and examines the events, investigation, and the people involved.

All About Others Memoirs, autobiographies and biographies fall into this

category. Memoirs are a snapshot of certain events in a person’s

life and rely heavily on the author’s feeling and impressions rather than impartial viewpoints.

Autobiographies tell the complete life story of the author but are able to make use of primary and secondary sources to offer a wider perspective.

Biographies are the history of an individual’s life and use primary and secondary sources to ensure the events recorded are factual and as complete as possible.

History

Nonfiction history books recount events from the past relating to a thing, person, time, or country.

Readers are generally drawn to a particular time period or subject matter and will find a wealth of formats and styles to choose from.

These books describe a wide variety of people and places and inspire contemplation about how others lived.

Sciences Oxford English Dictionary: a branch of study concerned

with demonstrated truths, backed up by classified observations, with the possibility of gathering new truths.

Provides answers about Earth’s many mysteries and appeals to a reader’s curiosity.

Science nonfiction focuses on literature with scientific themes and may include:• Explanations of the natural world.

• Chronicles of scientific endeavors.

• Biographies of scientists and researchers who struggle to gain new knowledge.

Sports

Nonfiction titles in this area fulfill several purposes.

Readers may find information about a particular sport to make them better participants or educated spectators.

May find spories about sport stars and role models.

These books also feature heroes, high endurance, fighting against the odds, and lots of challenges.

All About You

This genre contains books that contend with physical changes and well-being, as well as the issues that teens deal with in their daily lives.

These books give teens the opportunity to learn what is happening in their lives and how to take control of their own situations.

How To

DIY is defined as those areas in which people are creating things for themselves without the aid of paid professionals.

The popularity is reflected in the number of reality TV programs.

These books provide the opportunity to learn something new and the satisfaction of finishing a project that results in something tangible

Arts

This genre includes books about art history, music and film history, reviews, and literature, as well as books about some of the artists and musicians we remember.

Readers will also find books about popular culture, folklore and legends.

Understanding the World

With the rise in modern media and the Internet there has been an increase in books published about consumerism.

May include books about popular culture, folklore, media and consumer culture, social concerns, and religions.

Strive to help teens get a better understanding of the world in which they live.

Different Formats

Movies

Movies are a great tie in to books. Consider TV series box sets and anime

series to make your collection very teen friendly (and the adults won’t mind either!)

Movies are rated in Canada by Canadian Home Video Rating.

Music Music is a huge part of a teen’s life. Use your local teens to help select the music

to purchase for your library. Listen to local radio stations to find the songs

on their play lists. Watch Much Music, MTV, Country Music

Channel for the same reasons. Parental Advisories – find out whether your

library policy allows these CDs to be added to the collection. Many recording companies also release a cleaned-up version of these CDs.

Games

Surprise the teens that think the library has nothing to offer them!

Need to assess the needs of your community before investing in this collection. Teens should have strong input.

PS3, Xbox, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP are the popular consoles right now.

Games are rated by Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Magazines

Survey your teens to see which magazines would be most popular.

Magazines all have websites and content can be looked at online.

Beware folding companies with the poor economic situation.

Tabloids anyone? Not just for the supermarket check-out.

Audio Debate There are a few formats to choose from now but all are

fairly expensive. Books on CD are readily available for most popular titles

and authors however, their multi-disc sets make them less user friendly for teens.

Playaways are very convenient for teens to just pick up and use however there are issues with battery and earbud replacement, longevity of the content and look of the players.

MP3s are probably the best option for today’s teens and are conveniently found on a single disk however, not all teens have access to MP3 players and the different manufacturers may not accept all MP3 formats.

E-book Readers An e-book reader is a device used to display e-books. It may be a device specifically designed for that purpose,

or one intended for other purposes as well. The term is restricted to hardware devices, not software

programs. The main advantages of these devices are portability,

light diffusion, and long battery life. It should be noted that any Personal Data Assistant

(PDA) capable of displaying text on a screen is capable of being an e-book reader.

One popular Christmas gift from 2008 was the Kindle.

Award Winners

Young Adult Canadian Book Award Michael L. Printz Award honors excellence in

literature written for young adults. Alex Awards are given annually to ten books

written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.

The William C. Morris YA Debut Award honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.

YALSA Booklists

Best Books for Young Adults Fabulous Films for Young Adults Great Graphic Novels for Teens Outstanding Books for the College

Bound Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult

Readers

Weeding

CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding) in Ten Steps• Make weeding a part of policy.

• Gather usage statistics of your library's collection.

• Build weeding into the year's work calendar.

• Gather the following materials on a book truck at the shelves to be analyzed:

• Study the area you will be weeding as a whole.

Weeding

• Inventory the library's holdings.

• Check the pulled books against any standard indexes and bibliographic resources in the library's reference collection or in databases available to patrons.

• Treat the books according to their slips.

• Replacement checking and ordering.

• Set up displays for low circulating, high quality books that would benefit from exposure.

Weeding Keep this section very current. Any item that has not

circulated within two years should be considered ‘dead’ and removed.

Discard YA fiction with outdated illustrations, story lines, or subjects.

Classics (such as The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier) are not subject to the copyright guideline but should be replaced with newer paperback editions.

Check for updated editions of popular classics like Forever by Judy Blume that have had terminology and situations updated for contemporary readers.

Discard any YA fiction that has been rebound and lacks attractive cover art.

BibliographyWorks CitedFraser, Elizabeth. Reality Rules! a guide to teen nonfiction reading interests. Ed.

Diana T. Herald. Westport: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.2006 Community Profiles - Census Division. 10 Mar. 2009. Government of Canada.

01 Apr. 2009 <http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CD&Code1=3538&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Lambton&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=&GeoCode=3538>.

Cole, Pam B. Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009.Gorman, Michele. Getting Graphic! using graphic novels to promote literacy with

preteens and teens. Worthington: Linworth Publishing, Ltd., 2003.Hahn, Daniel. ed. The Ultimate Teen Book Guide. London: A & C Black, 2006.Koelling, Holly. ed. Best Books for Young Adults, 3rd ed.. Chicago: American Library

Association, 2007.Larson, Jeanette. Texas State Library & Archive Commissions Web Site. 2008. 15

Apr. 2009 <http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/>.Pearl, Nancy. Book Crush. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2007.

Useful Websites Young Adult Library Services Association

• http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yalsa.cfm http://www.teenreads.com/ http://seeme4books.com/ http://www.noflyingnotights.com/ http://www.genrefluent.com/ http://www.overbooked.org/ http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/ www.guysread.com

Listservs

YALSA-BK http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/electronicresourcesb/websitesmailing.cfm

PUBYAC http://www.pubyac.org/ Children   child-l@accessola.com Teens      youth-l@accessola.com Ontario Library

Association members may join the children’s and youth services listservs by emailing Amanda Braun abraun@accessola.com

Contact Me Anytime!

Greer Macdonell 519 845-3324 ext 5230 greer.macdonell@county-lambton.on.ca www.lclmg.org