Young Adults

1
Young Adults

• Dr. Betty Marcoux
• LIS 566
• Fall Quarter 2004

2
Definition

• Age first was for secondary only now tends to
  embrace middle school ages
• Access issues are still related to age concerns
• Relevence of resources/literature Krashen is
  convinced by survey information that YAs DO read
  but need encouragement to do so.
• 1994 23 of all library patrons YAs between
  12-18 yrs old 11 library staff have a YA
  specialist. Growing in popularity in terms of
  library use and hang out place.

3
Definition

• An adolescent is a human being on a journey in
  that great, amorphous sea called adolescence.
  (Holland, 1991)

4
Definition

• Adolescence is the period of transition from
  childhood to early adulthood, entered at
  approximately 11-13 year of age and ending at
  18-21 year of age the exact time period,
  however, depending on such diverse factors as the
  surrounding culture and biological development.
  (Santrock, 1981)

5
Questions to ask about yourself compared to YAs
today

• Who were your best friends in junior/middle and
  high school?
• What kinds of clothes did you wear?
• What did you LIKE to do after school?
• What kinds of books did you read or like to read?
  Did you read?
• Did you use your library at school and/or public
  library when you were a teen? Why?

6
Top 10 changes affecting students1960-1995

• Dysfunctional families increase
• Technology
• More crime, violence, poverty
• More diversity and changing communities
• Mass media influences have grown
• Authority/traditional values questioned more
• Faster paced society less sense of community
• Workplace changes higher literacy demands
• Recognition of different learning styles new
  kinds of education
• Peers even more influential than before on values
• Stratton, J. How students have changed a call
  to action. Arlington, VA ASCD, 1995

7
Concerns about Young Adults

• Tribe apart marginalizations
• Net generation born after 1977 (Tapscott, 1996)
• 1960s TV becomes widely available beginning of
  global community
• 1970s Internet begins
• 1980s PCs, digital media, video games widely
  available
• 1990s Internet widely available, TV digitized,
  technologies converging
• National Youth Agency manifesto
  http//www.nya.org.uk/Templates/internal.asp?NodeI
  D90831 and anti-social behavior response
  http//www.nya.org.uk/Templates/internal.asp?NodeI
  D90783ParentNodeID88951
• Increase in this population
• 2009 1.3 million additional secondary students
  (Jones, 2002)
• 2010 more young adults in USA than ever before
  (Aronson, 2002)
• Climate of change only books not impacted by
  the digital age are the easy readers (Dresang,
  1998)

8
7 Developmental Needs of Young Adolescents
(Center for Early Adolescence/UNC-Chapel Hill,
1990s)

• Physical activity
• Competence achievement
• Self definition
• Creative expression
• Positive social interaction with peer/adults
• Structure clear limits
• Meaningful participation

9
YA questions

• What happens to a YA as a result of reading or
  being involved in information in a formal
  atmosphere?
• How can the professional facilitate this
  opportunity?
• How can the professional contribute to this
  action?
• How does one navigate the YA landscape as it
  evolves and manifests itself in a variety of ways?

10
YA literature issues

• Through 1930s literature more categorized as
  juvenile or adult
• Adolescent literature often perceived as less
  than
• 1970-1980s need to represent this market began to
  be noticed
• Channel 1
• Society more youth oriented
• YAs willing to spend own money on these issues
• Quality YA literature found primarily at school
  or youth sections of public libraries
• Canon very recent best books categories for YA
  literature even newer (1967 first list made)
  now a flood of interest in writing for this age
  group.

11
YA Information Service Philosophy

• Conventional wisdom puts most teens at risk
• Misperception that warps public attitude
• Diverts attention and resources away from those
  teens really needing help
• YALSA list of competencies for library services
  for teens http//www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/profdev/ya
  competencies/competencies.htm
• Accountability/evaluation/advocacy/ empowerment

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Commentary on YAs today

• Americas young adults are the most at-risk
  generation in our nations history. (Cart, 1996,
  p. 164)
• Do you agree or not? Why?

13
YA Publishing trends

• NOT traditional collection development
• Tend to be tradition but also non-traditional
• More than reading novels
• In the business of making teens good people
• Difference between publications for young adults
  and publications of young adults
• Needs based

14
YA criteria to consider

• Quality
• Honors
• Recognition of some sort
• Appeal
• Topical
• Cultish
• Interest
• Recommended by teens
• Significant to teens
• Culturally interesting to teens
• Their type of publication
• Their culture
• Relevant to teens
• Topical relevance
• Attractive
• Available to teens
• Where can they get it and for how long, how much