Introduce yourself

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Why is RA for teens important?

• Build lifelong readers
• Home run books can make a big difference
• Teens who read become adults who read
• Reading fills three crucial, overlapping needs
• Connection Read to feel youre not alone
• Escape Read to take a mental vacation
• Information nonfiction AND fiction informs about
  hobbies, history, issues, other cultures, etc

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Why is RA for teens important?

• Safe risk taking
• Low risk way of exploring risky behavior or
  unfamiliar ideas belief systems that differ from
  their parents or peers, sex, interracial romance,
  homelessness
• Improves school work
• Readers have better vocabularies and improve
  their critical thinking

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How is teen RA different from adult RA?

• Basic concept is the same
• A conversation about books where the patron
  leaves with something that they want to read
• Balance of power is different
• Not naturally a peer-to-peer relationship
• Authority doesnt have to mean preachy
• Librarians dont just make change!

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How is it different?

• Be clear in the language we use
• There is a sex scene rather than Its kind of
  spicy.
• The teen brain v. the adult brain
• Facial expressions, subtleties are processed
  differently.

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How is it different?

• Teens have a shorter reading history than adults
• Teens may never have been asked about their
  reading preferences
• Prefer more plot description and info about who
  the character is than general mood related appeal
  factors.
• The cover really matters!

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RA for YA in 5 easy steps
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1. Be welcoming

• Make eye contact.
• Smile genuinely when they walk into the area.
• Relax!
• Check the tension in your jaw, your shoulders,
  your posture. (Teens are like dogs, they can
  smell fear!)
• Use your body language and word choice to
  demonstrate that you are happy to help.

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2. Listen carefully and ask questions to clarify

• Focus on the person, not the problem
• Dont always settle for the first response. Ask
  clarifying questions.
• Do you like a lot of action? I guess.
• What can I help you find? History books.
• If this was an adult asking a reference
  question, would I proceed any differently? Pull
  out your tried and true reference interview
  skills!

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3. Respect your teens interests and opinions

• Working with parents may change the equation.
• Really stumped by the request? Ask more
  questions.
• Bloody horror, gritty urban, gossipy fluff,
  flowery unicorns, whatever - just help them find
  it!
• Suggest further or alternate reading when you
  feel the reader may want more.

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4. Draw on as many resources as you can

• Dont limit yourself to the teen collection or
  the fiction collection.
• Use databases, reference books, Internet to
  search. Find your favorites beforehand.
• Bring them along for the ride! Let them join you
  on the search - it helps them learn and humanizes
  you!

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5. Just do it

• We are the adults. We need to start the
  conversations!
• Were used to talking with strange adults,
  theyre not.
• Get out from behind the desk, take a walk, and
  give it a try. They dont bite!

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Any questions?
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I never know what to ask!

• Adapt your familiar patter to meet the needs of
  your teen patrons. Ex What are you in the mood
  for is not as useful with teens.
• Think ahead to be prepared. Anticipate needs
  based on trends.
• Not a script, but think about what info you want
  when forming your questions.

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General questions

• Purpose IS IT HOMEWORK?
• Doesnt mean it cant be enjoyable
• Get as much info about the assignment as you can
• Reading/comfort level
• Ask age/grade level
• Do you like to read or not so much?
• Last book you read (but be careful)
• General direction
• Fantasy/realistic/nonfiction etc

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Character questions

• Is character important?
• If looking for plot, not as much
• Relatable character? Someone different? Rich
  famous?
• Character helps define narrative style
• Lots of dialog? Novel in verse? 3rd person?
• Narrow down genres
• If they like dragons, then street lit is not
  going to work

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Plot questions

• Determine general mood
• Lots of action? Humorous or serious romance?
• Find themes and keywords
• Especially helpful in homework RA
• Sometimes teens have firm ideas of the story they
  want to read which can be accommodated or give
  you something to build on
• Complexity
• Are multiple plot lines appealing? Flashbacks?
  Straight narrative?

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Pacing Questions

• How dense should the book be
• This may matter more to teens than adults.
• Find formats to seek out or eliminate
• Books with dialogue, poetry tend to read faster
• What type of reading experience do they want?
• Lazy vacation read or assignment due yesterday?

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Frame Questions

• Narrow within genre
• Funny book? Funny how?
• Find topics that cross genres
• A Great and Terrible Beauty (gothic Victorian
  fantasy set in a boarding school)
• Looking for Alaska (edgy and contemporary, set
  in a boarding school)
• Useful for teens who arent sure what they want
  (and especially for parents)
• Have a hobby/sport/interest/favorite movie?

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The elephant in the room
www.ra4ya.pbwiki.com
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Pitching a book to a teen

• Use more plot description.
• It has really vivid descriptions of Florence and
  a lovely, gentle tone, plus a sweet romance may
  work for adults but teens will more likely want
  to know what happens.
• Give them concrete information
• who is the main character
• when does it take place?
• What happens?

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The pitch

• Use appeal factors they can relate to.
• Relating to a third party connects them to the
  book.
• Reference appeal factors that the teen mentioned.
  
• Indicate how the one youre suggesting is similar
  to what they have described.
• It shows that you were listening and gives them a
  touch point for deciding if theyll take it home.

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The pitch

• Never, never, never lie.
• The goal is to establish trust in the
  relationship.
• If you dont know, say so its ok!
• You dont have to have read the book to pitch it
  (but it does help).
• If they really want something scary, dont make a
  book out to be scarier than it is just because
  you want them to take it. If the romance is
  chaste, dont sex it up because it sounds better
  that way.

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Making your exit

• When youre done talking about the book, put the
  book down dont make them take it from your
  hand.
• Keep it open ended - for this time or next time.
  
• I wont be offended if you dont like these.

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Thank you!

• Good luck with your future Teen Readers Advisory
  interactions.
• Try one before you leave work today!

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Any questions?

• Please email me with any questions that come up
  later teenreadersadvisor_at_gmail.com