New Directions for Library Service to Young Adults. . - book review

Adolescence, Winter, 2002

YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION, with JONES, Patrick. New Directions for Library Service to Young Adults. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002. 146pp. $32.00 (p).

This book has an ambitious goal--to help libraries, with their communities, to strike a true partnership with young adults. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has teamed up with Patrick Jones to present a comprehensive framework for developing services to teens that are both collaborative and outcomes-driven. Laying down twelve goals and ten core values of YA service, New Directions inspires you to renew your commitment and start from scratch or revitalize your existing program; plan, develop, implement, and evaluate top-flight services to young adults; create a partnership with the young adult population in your neighborhood; boost the achievement and esteem of these young students; and allocate and cultivate resources to meet real needs. Eighteen real-life success stories show programs from around the country that have engaged their kids--in drama groups, in homework programs, in college planning programs--all with tangible ou tcomes. The appendix includes YALSA's key action areas and guidelines, adolescent developmental assets from the Search Institute, and standards for information literacy. All of these resources come together to help you foster a thriving young adult constituency and a new direction for your services.