Teen Read Week, Oct. 19-25

["Catharine D. Wolf" <hwolf@FRONTIERNET.NET>]

What is everyone doing about Teen Read Week, October 19-25?

I'm trying to get the high school to recognize D.E.A.R. time.  Too soon =
to say what will come of it; but I think that high school students might =
enjoy it (provided that they choose their own reading matter, of =
course).  It would also go to show the value that the entire faculty =
places on literacy.  It would also help with those 25 books the Regents =
want our students to read every year.

I also hope to beef up the paperback collection.  I'd like to have =
students survey each other in September as to reading tastes and then =
buy used titles that met their specifications (provided they also meet =
mine).  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to introduce them that week?  Or =
the week before?

I'm visiting local bookstores, a most pleasant task on a warm day, to =
talk to their merchandising staff about teen read week. =20

I've also been trying to interest book suppliers in giving out posters, =
as they do for children's books.  Why don't they give out posters for =
the teenagers' interests, too?  I really noticed that when I went to ALA =
in June-brought back pounds for the elementary librarians, ounces for us =
at the secondary level.

I wish I thought a book fair would work out for us, but I have done it =
often enough at the elementary level to know that there is a tremendous =
amount of work involved for what I fear would be unsatisfactory sales.  =
The reasons:  1)  Elementary kids all like much the same things (a few =
hundred titles will do it) but high school kids have developed a lot of =
individuality and their tastes are not at all similar (they need Barnes =
& Noble all whole).  2)  Parents buy a lot of the books for the =
elementary kids, but parents don't come to school with the teens (nor do =
they fall in love with the books their kids are apt to choose (sci fi to =
electronics, etc.).

I think whatever we all do, the more of us do *something*, the greater =
the multiplier effect. =20

See www.ala.org/teenread for more information.

Best-

Holly Wolf
Librarian, Palmyra-Macedon High School
hwolf@frontiernet.net

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