Library Idea of the Week
November 10
Cathy Belben, Librarian, Burlington-Edison High School

Do you ever struggle to choose books that your readers will not only enjoy, but demand? Do ever regret choices that you've made regarding new book purchases?  I know I have a few duds collecting dust on my shelves.  While I'll never turn over all of my selecting to students, I have found a way to discover what they are interested. 

With each class that comes in multiple times for check-out, I vary the type of booktalking I do.  Besides the "stand and deliver" method, I also do a session with each class once a semester in which students visit 8-10 websites that review books just for teens (most of these sites also include adult books for teen readers, too).  The students fill out a sheet in which they identify 3 books they found on those sites that interested them. They then use OPAC to find out if our library already has them. If not, they indicate as much on the form, and I have my TAs compile a list of all of the books that we don't have and who is interested in them. I use this list when I go book shopping, and then send notices to the kids who requested them.  It's been a great way for students to 1) be introduced to some good sites that review new books; 2) practice using OPAC; and 3) have some say in the development of our collection.

Here is a list of the sites I had students visit:
Reading Rants: Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/
Teen Reads: http://www.teenreads.com/
Favorite Teenage Angst Books: http://www.grouchy.com/angst/
Teen Ink Book Reviews by Teens: http://www.teenink.com/Books/
Book Nook Reviews for Teens by Teens: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/4077/reviewsall.html
Teenspace: http://teenspace.cincinnatilibrary.org/books/newstuff.asp
Teenspoint: http://www.teenspoint.org/reading_matters/book_list.asp?sort=5&list=274
Readers' Club: http://www.readersclub.org/category.asp?cat=4