LMITNSU

Teen Blogging in Public Libraries
Based on responses from a PUBYAC inquiry December 2005
Teens these days are blogging in My Space, Live Journal, Blogger, Blogspot and others, where they have freedom of speech. Concerns to consider with a public library blog: Should the blog be monitored for content and who will monitor it? Would teens use the blog, especially considering that the content may be censored by a librarian?
Annotated Webliography
The following links are blogs started by librarians or authors.
http://yabookscentral.blogspot.com/
Written by YA authors. Sponsored by Blogspot.
http://fairfaxlibraryteens.blogspot.com/
Started in Oct. 2005 there are no comments by teens yet, acts more as an announcement billboard. Sponsored by Blogspot.
http://www.teenlibrarian.com/blog.html
News and information for librarians who work with teens put together by Miranda Doyle, a San Francisco librarian. Sponsored by Blogger.
http://www.blurty.com/users/librarina
Put together by Tweens Librarian, Chrissie Morrison at East Greenbush Community Library, New York. Sponsored by Blurty. *
http://goddesslibrarian.blogspot.com/
Put together by theYA Librarian at East Greenbush Community Library, New York.
Sponsored by Blogspot. *
http://jocolibrary.blogspot.com
Public library in Lawrence, Kansas. Sponsored by Blogspot.
http://www.ci.hickory.nc.us/library/blogs.htm
Hickory Public Library, North Carolina **
Virtual book clubs and other good stuff
http://ramp.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ (Click on Discussion groups)
Discussion boards for teens that are not monitored but there are a set of guidelines and some moderators.
http://www.atlanticlibrary.org/
Teen virtual book club
www.ipl.org/teen/
Teen Division, Internet Public Library
And, also from IPL, their teen blog link:
http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/browse/rw2000/
yahelp.suffolk.lib.ny.us/virtual.html
Vast listing of many libraries that have websites devoted to teens.
* Chrissie Morrison’s comments about blog activity:
“I have just started a blog for my tweens, and the YA librarian here also has a blog for her teens. The thing is, though, that we do not use the library’s website. She does hers on blogspot, and I do mine on blurty. I have only had one response to a post so far, but I know that some kids are just reading and not posting their own comments. Our YA librarian has even had authors respond to her posts! I think that the blogs, as we do them, are good tools to help kids who don’t know what to read.
There is a separate spot on the teen website for kids to post about books they have enjoyed — but they currently e-mail the YA librarian and she adds it to the website. She said that she is probably going to just make it an actual blog soon, but she hasn’t decided yet whether that would work best for her.
Chrissie Morrison
Tween Librarian
East Greenbush Community Library
East Greenbush, NY”
**Tamara Kraus’s comments about blog activity:
“I work in a moderate size library that serves approximately 150,000 people in the city and surrounding area. We recently added blogging to our website, www.hickory.gov/library. We have several types of blogs, including blogs for children, teens, adult fiction, and business, and the director does a blog also. The response has been abysmal, and we are very disappointed. The blogs have been publicized quite well, but if anyone reads them, they certainly don’t respond. Maybe we are not cool enough for the teens. We keep blogging on, however, and hope for the best. Good luck to you.
Tamara Kraus
Hickory Public Library
Hickory, NC”
Compiled by Crystal Niedzwiadek, 410-887-1919 Hereford branch, Baltimore County Public Library, MD