Caring for the Tween

Growing Up Too Fast by Jennifer Pierce is an article which focuses on the implications of a society where girls are experiencing onset of puberty earlier than in the past. The article argues that this places the girl at risk, increasing the chances of breast cancer and upping the occurrence of teen suicide. One of the key contributers to this early onset is "melatonin, which plays a role in regulating puberty, is affected by television viewing and computer use"(Pierce, 2008, p.62). Pierce goes on to mention that reduced time in front of a screen and more time with the family, and particularly having a loving father in the home, increases melatonin levels which contributes to a much later puberty onset and reduces aforementioned risks. My first thought was, "what does this have to do with libraries?" I decided to write about this article, however, because if the research about the effect of screen time and melatonin levels is accurate then librarians can have a significant affect on the health of these tweens by encouraging more time reading individually and as a family. Not only are libraries, and reading, important for moral health (Soltan, 2007) but for physical health as well. Well developed reading programs, which effectively engage tweens and teens, have the potential to significantly affect the physiology of youth in a positive way.

Pierce, J. B. (2008). Growing Up Too Fast. American Libraries, 39(11), 62.

Soltan, R. (2007). Fairy Tale Characters Breathe New Life: A Fantasy Book Club Approach for Tweens. Children & Libraries, 5(2), 34-39.

Libraries = Moral development?

Fairy Tale Characters Breathe New Life: A Fantasy Book Club Approach for Tweens by Rita Soltan is an article that seeks to make the case for using fantasy literature, including classic fairy tales, to communicate moral principles or "life's deepest truths". Soltan presents several classic fairy tales as well as revised fairy tale stories that parallel the original to offer a large quantity of content to be accessed during book club discussions. I find myself agreeing with the premise of what Soltan is wanting to accomplish with the book club. Too few people view morality as a "truth" which is something to be adhered to. Soltan continues by laying out a schedule for the book club including spoken readings, literary analysis and comparisons, etc. I like the plan that she has laid out, but I find that it is much easier to have this ambitious plan than it is to actually implement it. Brannon talks about the difficulty of holding the attention span of both teens and tweens (p92), which means that Soltan's idyllic progression of book club meetings and discussion might be a difficult task indeed. A librarian who truly connects with youth will have success with such a program. If, however, more popular tween novels are used as an example of moral compasses then there may be ore original buy in from the youth.

Briannon, S. (2009). Dozens of Teens/Tweens in the Library at One Time? Why Not?. Texas Library Journal, 85(3), 92-93.

Soltan, R. (2007). Fairy Tale Characters Breathe New Life: A Fantasy Book Club Approach for Tweens. Children & Libraries, 5(2), 34-39.

An Amazing Article!

The article is Tots to Tween by Madeline Walton-Hadlock and it is quite impressive. I have read a lot of articles. Most discuss the challenges faced by the newly define age-group of tweens as affronts to the traditional library. I have found few articles that take on the challenges of the tween age-range as something to be embraced and conquered rather than something to be avoided or suppressed. This article definitely views the potential of libraries providing wonderful educational content as a needed reality.

Walton-Hadlock mainly talks about how technology can be used not only to snare the curiosity of the tween to bring them into the library, such as video game consoles, but also shows how technology has been used as a main topic of instruction within the library. She talks of utilizing technology, but shows that there has to be guidance, goals, purpose and oversight when implementing technology based programs. The library should take the role of showing the tween the potential that technology has at enhancing the reading experience, learning experience and work experience. The computer instruction sessions, for example, are a useful resource to involve tweens in learning the potential of technology in learning.

Why do we always want it our way?

Sian Brannon authored and article titled Donzens of Teens/Tweens in the Library at One Time? Why Not?. She details the experience of a new library and its daily saturation with large amounts of tweens and teens. She presents some interesting challenges in the article. The foremost is the flood of tweens into the library and the means the staff must take to keep them under control. She talks of failure after failure with various programs, due to the Hawthorne Effect mentioned by Lesesne (2006, p68), and notes that ultimately the most effective method for engaging and occupying the kids is, well... engaging them. Their staff members have an "ALL HANDS ON DECK"(p93) approach to getting to know the tweens involving getting out into their midst, engaging them, answering questions and policing. She ended the article talking about how the most effective thing they had done was get to now the students. She also mentioned that the only activities they offered which were consistently popular were access to the internet and a video games.

There is no mention in the article about them finding our what they should offer from the students themselves. She expresses frustration with how low the interest is in all the activities the library provides. It baffles me that programs weren't determined by feedback from the students themselves. Kids like games and the internet, which they luckily found, which is obvious. The challenge of being a successful library is cultivating interest in the truly priceless things the library can provide. One library in San Francisco is enthralling teens with computer software training(Whelen,p21). How is this library cultivating interest? What activities do the youth want? How can that be tied into libraries? How can they achieve buy-in from the youngsters? I don't have the answers, but I am confident that feedback from the youth is the first step in successfully pushing lifelong interest in reading.

Briannon, S. (2009). Dozens of Teens/Tweens in the Library at One Time? Why Not?. Texas Library Journal, 85(3), 92-93.

Lesesne, T. (2006). Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Whelen, D. (2002). Chinatown Zine Lures Teens to Library. School Library Journal, 48(12), 21.

Betwixt and Between - a review

The article is called Betwixt and Between: Tweens in the Library by Crystal Faris. I actually find this article to be quite informative and intellectually stimulating. The presentation of age ranges for tweens, the advertising strategies towards tweens, and data gathering companies' methods provides an interesting insight into who the tween is. I find it particularly interesting the emphasis on the estimate of how much tweens are worth. It seems that many focus on the potential profits of these tweens, even to the point of questionable ethical practices, rather than a way to positively connect and assist this age range of youth through these difficult years. Faris mentions the GIA or Girls Intelligence Agency, who "cultivates nearly forty thousand tween girls who are influencers of their peers"(p.44). These girls apparently "set the standard" for what is popular to wear and do. The GIA employs these young girls to throw parties that serve the purpose of finding out which products the girls invited are interested in. Although I see this as a insulting violation of trust and privacy I am not naive to the fact that many people exist to make money. But is this negative social engineering? Is this negatively influencing girls to be preoccupied with what to wear and do rather than what to become?

Lesesne references in Naked Reading an article in Newsweek magazine that emphasizes the Five C's: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. She then presents a list of books which portray characters who demonstrate these attributes. This is what tweens need from libraries and society in general, not parties teaching an objective "standard of cool".

Faris, C. (2009). Betwixt and Between: Tweens in the Library. Children & Libraries, 7(4), 43-45.

Lesesne, T. (2006). Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.