1. PUBLIC LIBRARIES & TEEN
COLLECTIONS
KamilahWentworth
LIS 748.99
February 23, 2014

2. 2012 PLA PLDS Survey on YA
Services
 Survey mailed to 9,206 public libraries in the
US and Canada.
 1,832 public libraries responded
 1,469 libraries completed theYA services
questions.
 That’s 82% of 1,832 respondents that offered
specializedYA services

3. 2012 PLA PLDS Survey on YA
Services continued…
 2011 FiscalYear Expenditures
 Total of expenditures of all respondents onYA
collections $47,453,083
 2011Total ofYA Materials Circulated by
Respondents
 64,577,181
 2011TotalYA Services by Respondents
 177,413YA Programs
 2,896,898 youth attended the programs
 About 45% of public libraries accountedYA
materials separate.

4. Teens reading habits
 Misconceptions of teens reading habits
 Teens don’t read at all
 Teens only read adult books
 Teens don’t have time to read
 However, here are the top reading choices of
teens:
 57% Books
 12% Books in Series
 30% Magazines
 6% Comic or Graphic novels

5. How to draw teens into the
library
 Variety is a key factor when developingYA
collections
 Libraries must continue to meet teens’ reading needs
by purchasing:
 Current materials
 A wide variety of magazines
 YA librarians can provide materials that
accommodate the reading habits of their users.
 EBooks are also a favored format of teens.
 In 2010, 6% of sales
 In 2011, 20% of sales
 Benefits of having an eBook collection

6. What Teens Are Really Reading
 Emerging trends:
 Hybrid genres
 Character driven novels
 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
 Steampunk and dystopian literature
 Graphic novels
 Consistent trends:
 Urban or street lit
 Books that transcend gender and cultural barriers
 Harry Potter series
 Falling trends:
 Chick lit
 Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
 Clique by Lisi Harrison
 Vampire books
 Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
 TheVampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

7. Marketing Teen Collections:
The REAL Challenge
 Social media
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
 Tumblr or blogs (general)
 YouTube
 QR Codes
 Shelfari
 Teen Advisory Boards (TABs)
 Websites with space for teens

8. Teen Collections…
 To have a strongYA program requires:
 Adequate funding and staffing
 Up-to-date collections
 Especially a separate budget forYA materials
 EBooks are great addition to teen collections
 Ongoing continuing education of staff
 Marketing
 Use methods (social media platforms) to get teens
attention
 Advertise the collection more