1

LI802

Collaborative Learning Project

Leslie Cryan

Are there Gender Differences in Young Adult Information Seeking?

Reference Question #1

In my observations, teen girls are more willing to use an index, or jot down possible titles or subject headings and then go get the material. It seems guys want the quickest and easiest route to the information.

Welch 2007, p.180

Research Shows that Young Adult Men:

• View the library as ineffective in meeting their

information needs• Tend to have immediate information needs due to

“last minute” projects• Are reluctant to ask for help searching Welch 2007, p.180

• Dislike the search process and appreciate “shortcuts” Welch, 2007, p.180

• Prefer non-fiction to fiction books• Prefer magazines/comics to books• Use more “hits per minute” on computers and can be

more effective web searchers than women Roy, Taylor & Chi, 2003

Research Shows That Young Adult Women:

• Express more positive views of libraries success in meeting their information needs Agosto, 2007

• Like narrative fiction better than non-fiction

• Are more patient with the research process Welch

2007, p.180

• Take responsibility for gathering sex and reproductive health information

• Use less “hits per minute” than men in web searching, tend to read more webpage content

Roy, Taylor & Chi, 2003

Young Men and Women use the Library differently

• They have different methods of seeking information and different preferences

• They have different feelings about asking for assistance

• They desire different reading materials

• They have different “life concerns” • They have different attitudes about the

library environment and are often treated differently

Reference Question #2

How Can You Engage Young

Adults in The Library?

Young people read, seek, use, transfer and interpret information well beyond the boundaries of life’s “concerns”... Not all of their literacies help solve “problems” or make a serious decision. In other words, they also seek joy.

Anthony Bernier from

Chelton & Cool, 2007, p.xx

Attracting Teens to the Library

• Teens want to find multiple copies of popular books in good condition

• Teens prefer a bookstore atmosphere- welcoming spaces, not morgues!

• Teens want volunteer opportunities• Teens want access to technology and

training• Teens do not think libraries are cool,

but are willing to help them change Meyers, 1999

The attitudes of library staff do influence the attraction of young adults to public libraries.

Bishop & Bauer 2002

Attracting Boys to the Library Mike McQueen http://www.guysread.com

• Encourage FOOD! • Provide comfortable seats• Make it look cool• Provide materials that boys like• Develop relationships• Involve parents• Start library programs boys like (Free

Pancakes!) Mike McQueen, 2009

Teen Programs

In the past we offered numerous programs, and the turnout was usually zero to two or three kids…This past summer we started a teen council, ... and we have about eight members. They have now started to decide what kind of programs they want. Our first program was origami, and we had thirty to forty kids out.

Bishop & Bauer, 2002

Successful Teen Programs Patrick Jones- www.connectingYA.com

• Teen Lock-ins• Mother/daughter or Father/son book

club• Poetry and short story contests• Teen Art Show• Teen suggestion box• Teen Library “zine” • Poster Design Contest• PSAT Night with teacher from Kaplan

Successful Teen Programs (2) Patrick Jones- www.connectingYA.com

• Battle of the Bands (held outside)• Pizza and Games/Movie Night -after hours• Buddy Programs reading to young children

or seniors in nursing homes• Henna Tattoo -Crafts• Teen Coffee House- one night per week• Games Night-board and video

Teen Programs Best Practice• Get E-mail addresses of any teen who attends teen

program• Develop programs with other teen-serving agencies:

Juvenile Detention Center, programs for teen mothers, or GED/ESL classes

• Film teen library “spots” (in cooperation with local cable access channel)

• Partner with local Parks and Recreation for mutual program advertising

• Send library card applications to local school media centers, mail cards to students

• Allow teens to manage teen or children’s programs

Evaluating your Young Adult Library

• A short survey can be an effective method of determining your YA libraries’ needs. Mikowski, 2003

• A focus group or advisory panel consisting of teens can enlighten staff to teens library needs. Walter & Meyers, 2003, p. 111

• Teen programs should include “outcome targets”, or objectives for evaluating a programs level of success. These should include more than just quantitative data and may involve talking to patrons! Walter & Meyers, 2003 p. 91

Reference Question #3

Is Gaming a Good Option for Young Adult Libraries?

The primary goal of a library’s YA space is to provide information to teens, in whatever form it is packaged. By overlooking games, librarians ignore a huge segment of the teen population.

Wilson, 2005

Gaming and Learning

• Gamers consistently outperform non-gamers in tests of attention span and information-processing time. After 1 week of gaming, non-gamers scores on standard visual tests improved. Johnson 2007

• The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) endorsed video games as a potential means for teaching “higher-order thinking skills, such as strategic thinking, interpretive analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change.” Johnson 2007

• Laparoscopic surgeons who played games for more than 3 hours a week made 37% fewer errors than their non-gaming peers, thanks to improved hand-eye coordination and depth perception. Johnson 2007

Gaming in The Library• Scordato (2008) states,” The first thing to recognize about

American video game culture is that it's not a niche consumer group and hasn't been for a very long time.”

• Gaming appeals to more than just teens: 76% of American heads of households play computer and video games. The average age of a game player is 33 and has been playing for an average of 12 years. Scordato, 2008

• Sanford (2008) highly recommends the placement of video games in public and school libraries, believing libraries have the perfect structure to support this new complex, non-linear and fast-paced type of learning. Sanford applauds the idea of the “new library” that recognizes the strong connections between “learning” and “play.”

Where Gaming Meets Literature

• Manga titles such as Hack and Kingdom Hearts are a good fit due to some online gaming crossover.

• Online Role Playing and video games are the subjects of Gloria Skurzynski’s Virtual War Chronologs, Conor Kostick’s Epic and Rune Michaels’ Genesis Alpha

• Novelizations of popular video games such as the Halo series, Doom and Resident Evil are still popular

• Popular Gaming magazines such as Playstation, Games for Windows and PSM

Welch 2008

Reference Question #4

What are the Best Readers Advisoriesfor Young Adult Libraries?

• ALAN: The Assembly on Literature for Adolescentshttp://www.alan-ya.org/

• Teen Librarianhttp://www.teenlibrarian.com/

• YALSA: Young Adult Library Services Association

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm

Best Readers Advisories (2)

• A librarians guide to manga and anime:http://www.koyagi.com/Libguide.html

• Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Librarieshttp://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm

• Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists!http://www.readingrants.org/

• Guys Readhttp://www.guysread.com/

Other Useful Sites

• Internet Public Library for Teenshttp://www.ipl.org/div/teen/

• Patrick Joneshttp://www.connectingya.com/publications.html

• Mike McQueen-Getting Boys to Readhttp://www.gettingboystoread.com/

References

Agosto, D.E., Paone, K.L. & Ipoock, G.S. (2007) The Female-Friendly Public Library: Gender Differences in Adolescents' Uses and

Perceptions of U.S. Public Libraries. Library Trends. (56)2, 387-401.

Bishop, K. & Bauer, P (2002). Attracting Young Adults to Public Libraries: Frances Henne YALSA/VOYA Research Grant Results.

Journal of Youth Services in Libraries. (15)2, 36-44.

Chelton, M.K. & Cool, C. (2007). Youth Information Seeking Behavior II. Lanham, Maryland, Scarecrow Press.

Johnson, S. & Schlesinger, V. (2007) This is your Brain on Video Games. Discover. Retrieved from

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/video-games/article_view?b_start:int=1&-C=

Jones, P. (2008) Patrick Jones, Presentations. Retrieved July 5, 2009 from http://www.connectingya.com/presentations.html

Machado, J., Lentz, B,. Wallace, R., & Honig-Bear, S. (2000). A Survey of Best Practices in Youth Services around the Country: A

View from One Library. .Journal of Youth Services in Libraries. (13)2, 30-35.

McQueen, M. (2009) Getting Boys to Read. Retrieved July 3, 2009 from http://www.gettingboystoread.com/

References (2)Meyers, E. E. (1999). The Coolness Factor: Ten Libraries Listen to Youth. American Libraries, (30)10, 42-45.

Mikowski, L. (2003). OLA. (9)3, 16-17.

Roy, M., Taylor, R,. Chi, M, T,H. (2003) Searching for Information Online and Offline: Gender Differences among Middle School

Students. Journal of Educational Computing Research (29)2 229-252.

Sanford, K, & Madill, L (2007) Understanding the power of new literacies through video game play and design. Canadian Journal

of Education. (30)2: 432(24).

Sanford, K. (2008) Videogames in the Library? What Is the World Coming To? School Libraries Worldwide (14)2, 83-88.

Scordato, J. (2008) Gaming as a Library Service. Public Libraries. (47)1 67-73.

Walter, V.A. & Meyers, E.E. (2003). Teens and Libraries: Getting it Right. Chicago, American Library Association.

Weisel, H. (2003). YA Resources 101. OLA (9)3 18-24.

Welch, R.J. (2007). The Guy Friendly YA Library. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Welch, R.J. (2008). From Platforms to Books? I’m Game. Young Adult Library Services (6)2, 30-31.

Wilson, H,. (2005) Gaming for Librarians: An Introduction. Voice of Youth Advocates. (27)6, 446-449.

Thank You!