Serving Homeschooled Teens and Their Parents (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series) [Paperback]

Maureen T. Lerch (Author), Janet Welch (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313320527 | ISBN-13: 978-0313320521 | Publication Date: May 30, 2004

Today more than a million students are being educated at home; and that figure increases at a rate of 7-14% annually. Homeschooling is a growing trend in our society, and public librarians are being called upon with increasing frequency to serve the needs of homeschooled students. So, just what are the needs of the homeschooled teen, and how can you and your library meet those needs? A former young adult librarian and a homeschool parent have joined forces to create this insightful guide and answer that question. After reviewing the developmental and social needs of teens, the authors demonstrate how those needs may be met in the public library setting. You'll find a wealth of ideas for adapting every facet of your library service for this growing population—from developing a homeschool collection to expanding services and creating special programs. You'll also find suggestions on how to market what your library has to offer to homeschoolers. You may even discover some new ways to employ the talents and time of these students and their families. Extensive resource lists conclude the volume, they will help you better serve home-educated teens and their parents.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

The concept of this book is wonderful: a guide for librarians on how to better serve their homeschooled population. However, this is not a quick "how-do-I-deal-with-this-issue" manual. It reads more like a textbook. The authors begin by explaining what drives many people to homeschool their children and go on to describe different techniques. Their advice tends to be as time-consuming as reading the book: examine your collections, talk to parents of homeschoolers, talk to publishers of curricula, and possibly bring the two together. Many of the ideas seem very expensive, such as buying curriculum-supporting textbooks and special college guides aimed at homeschooled teens, which need to be updated often. Librarians are urged to go to Friends groups or apply for grants to create curriculum collections for this often-limited audience. The volume does include several bibliographies, though, and the list of books about the subject would be helpful to parents/families new to the process. A list of homeschooling organizations by state is also included.–Marlyn K. Beebe, City of Long Beach Public Library, CA
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Book Description

Discover a wealth of ideas for adapting and applying every facet of your library service to the needs of this rapidly growing population—from developing a collection for homeschool students to expanding services and creating appealing programs for them.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited (May 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313320527
• ISBN-13: 978-0313320521
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,946,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reaching Homeschooled Teens, June 13, 2005

By 

Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Serving Homeschooled Teens and Their Parents (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series) (Paperback)

This book was written for library professional and support staff responsible for planning programs, collections, or services. The authors point out that many of the ideas presented here are not just useful when serving homeschoolers, but are also applicable when serving other teens and the general public. (summary by South TX Library System).
Discusses programming needs, collection development (including a core collection) and funding issues. Includes a sample grant application. Other books to help librarians cope with this audience include:
Homeschoolers and the Public Library
The Librarian's Guide to Home Schooling
Librarians' Guide to Homeschooling Resources
Guide to Homeschooling for Libraries
I do caution librarians not to be drawn in to actually teaching classes for this special audience. Remember your role as a source of materials for them, the same as for public school children.