Collection Development for New Teen Librarians Melissa Brinn

Collection Development for New Teen Librarians Melissa Brinn, Cherry Hill Public Library mbrinn@chplnj. org Megan England, Atlantic City Free Public Library megan. n. england@gmail. com Laura Leonard, Hillsdale Public Library laura@myhillsdalelibrary. org

First things first: Learn your Library! � What is your collection development policy? � What model do you use? ◦ Librarian selection? Centralized ordering? Standing orders? Patron-driven ordering? � Will you order on a certain schedule? � What is your budget? ◦ During what months do you actively order (i. e. January - October 31)? How will you split up the budget over that time? � � Meet with other staff to find out what ages/reading levels your collection will cover. Breadth vs Depth

Discovering Young Literature � Review ◦ ◦ ◦ Journals – the bread and butter School Library Journal VOYA Booklist Publisher’s Weekly Kirkus Reviews Audio. File (for audiobooks)

Reviews: a closer look VOYA Kirkus Reviews School Library Journal

More things to consider… � Think about “fit” ◦ Some genres don’t play well in certain communities � What about non-book materials: magazines, audio books, e-books, games, movies, music? � Strive for diversity: reading level, subject, viewpoint, characters, format. � You can’t have it all -- don’t beat yourself up! NOPE.

Other sources to consider � Websites ◦ ◦ YALit. com Forever Young Adult Buzz. Feed Books [www. buzzfeed. com/books] Hypable, specifically the books fandom page http: //www. hypable. com/books/ � Listservs – YALSA_BK Barnes and Noble website & Amazon � Tumblr � ◦ yahighway, heyteenbookshey, weneeddiversebooks, gayya, author- and library-run Tumblrs � Magazines – Teen Vogue, Entertainment Weekly � Blogs

Discovering Young Adult Nonfiction � The teen librarian’s greatest struggle! � Your strategies will depend on the purpose of your collection. � YALSA lists ◦ Excellence in Young Adult Non. Fiction ◦ Quick Picks ◦ Outstanding Books for the College Bound � GSTBA ballots � VOYA lists ◦ Pure Poetry – April issue ◦ Nonfiction Honor List – August issues � Some strategies suggested by fellow librarians: ◦ Check the shelves at Barnes and Noble ◦ Internet to the rescue! ◦ Lean on your vendor

Let’s get personal � Fun/High interest non-fiction: shelved in the teen area � Research non-fiction: inter-filed with adult NF � Test prep and college guides: special area

Let’s get personal (Melissa) � Here’s how my teen NF collection breaks down, more or less: ◦ High-interest (Minecraft books, This Star Won’t Go Out) ◦ Leisure material (self-help, memoirs/biographies, beauty/lifestyle guides, drawing books, magazines, humor books, etc. ) ◦ Test guides and college preparation ◦ Study guides (Sparknotes, etc. ) ◦ Research materials – this includes “tough stuff” titles

The Flip Side: Collection Management � Also � Just ◦ ◦ known as weeding! (Or deselection) as important as acquiring materials A teen collection should be current and fresh Frees up space for all those new dystopia series Helps you to see the gaps in your collection You work in a library, not an archive � It’s a good idea to weed on a schedule ◦ CREW manual is available free online– MUSTIE (Misleading, Ugly, Superseded by newer Trivial, Irrelevant, Elsewhere) ◦ Collection. HQ or other software

Tricky stuff � Challenges ◦ Lean on your policy – it is your defense in this situation! ◦ Research the procedure for a challenge now ◦ Challenges may come from the person or the point of view you least expect. � Self-Censorship ◦ After a challenge you may feel as though your collection is under scrutiny. ◦ Sometimes your personal convictions may differ from the content or message of a title. ◦ Don’t let these factors prevent you from purchasing a book that you feel is a good fit for your collection.

Graphic Novels � 4 ◦ ◦ main categories: Big company superhero titles Other graphic novels Graphic nonfiction Manga

Big Company Superheroes � Marvel (Avengers, Thor, Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man) � DC Comics (Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Arrow, The Flash, Green Lantern) � You cannot possibly collect all of it. Let it go. � Put out a “Favorite Characters” board or box � Keep an eye out for big events (“The New 52”) � Movie Tie-ins � Find a comic-loving teen volunteer

Big Company Superheroes � Teen-specific titles: ◦ DC Comics: Teen Titans ◦ Marvel: Runaways ◦ Marvel: Young Avengers <3 <3 <3

Other Graphic Novels � Includes major non-superhero titles, indie presses, smaller presses, etc. � Dark Horse Comics (Star Wars, Buffy, Firefly/Serenity, Avatar) �Image Comics (The Walking Dead, Saga) �First Second (All the things!) �Check NYT bestsellers

Graphic Nonfiction � Where do you shelve it? � Memoirs (Persepolis, Maus) � History (March: Book One) � Literature Retellings � …and more! Ever expanding. � NYT Bestseller list, Amazon, and your local bookstore, plus VOYA & SLJ

Manga � Always laminate! (Megan yes, Laura no) � NYT Bestsellers � Go to bookstores armed with your phone camera � Omnibus editions � What’s popular on Crunchyroll, Amazon, Anime News Network � Recommended by ACFPL: � Recommended Reprints: ◦ Naruto, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, Hana-Kimi, Psyren, Black Butler, Fairy Tail, One Piece, Devils & Realist, Say I Love You, Nisekoi False Love, Puella Magica, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular ◦ Sailor Moon, Rurouni Kenshin, Inu Yasha, Card Captor Sakura, Tokyo Mew

Video Games � Age restrictions? � What systems do you collect for? � Sources: ◦ ◦ Amazon. com Metacritic IGN. com Gamestop � Read Amazon reviews for glitches � Cross-platform titles � Digital purchases for teen areas � Avoid: Movie Tie-in games, obscure sports games, games with extra hardware requirements

Diversity in our Collections � � Window books and Mirror books Community statistics are important, BUT… Diversifying the publishing industry starts with our $$$. Be aware of diversity when weeding, booktalking, purchasing, making displays, etc. Diversityinya. com Weneeddiversebooks. org Gayya. org Lee & Low Books All on Tumblr & Twitter!

Diversify your purchasing � White Cisgender privilege in YA lit Click here for more things to think about re: balancing your LGBTQ+ collection.

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