Services for Youth

6 hour class (Spring)

A. Reference

B. Readers' Advisory

C. Programming

D. Marketing

Upon completing this class, students will have knowledge of:  

•  the stages of childhood and adolescent development
•  ethical issues involved in reference service, including confidentiality, objectivity and limitations on interpreting information provided to youth
•  effective reference interview skills, including the analysis of requests and the design of search strategies
•  techniques to establish a welcoming atmosphere and actively encourage children’s and young adults’ participation in library programs and resources
•  the skills needed to fulfill information requests through access to the general collection, digital and community resources, and other libraries and agencies
•  the characteristics of basic types of reference tools
•  the wide range of potential information resources, including the general library collection, reference materials, community resources and the resources of other libraries and agencies
•  effective reader's advisory interview skills including the clarification of patron's interests
•  reference and readers’ advisory tools specifically tailored to children or youth
•  cooperative efforts between the public library and the school library and how those efforts can enhance services
•  the development of a children’s and a young adult collection, including award winning materials, classic materials and age appropriate materials
•  the use of programs to stimulate reading skills in children and youth the development of library programs based on community needs
•  the planning, presentation and evaluation of library programs for youth
•  programming resources available both locally and statewide
•  techniques for marketing library service