From School Library Journal
How do you measure the quality of your library's service to teenagers? How can you best create productive relationships with teen patrons? How do you help staff overcome ephebiphobia? Jones and Shoemaker tackle these questions and others. In the first half of the book, Shoemaker concentrates on turning the school library media center into "library heaven," while in the second half Jones addresses the challenges and rewards of working with young adults in the public library. Librarians who are already dedicated to serving young adults might find some of the philosophical material inspiring but not very useful. However, these sections are essential reading for anyone who is not already a strong advocate for YA services. The book also provides plenty of training ideas, sample surveys, action plans, job descriptions, library policies, and interview questions. One chapter will be particularly helpful to anyone faced with designing a new school library media center or rearranging an old one. Shoemaker addresses issues such as signage, traffic patterns, furniture, and displays, all with an emphasis on providing better service. Jones takes more of a marketing approach, drawing on business models and "lessons from the mall." Overall, Do It Right! should be a welcome addition to the professional collection of any library that serves teenagers.
Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Public and school librarians will appreciate this learn-by-example guide that takes a customer service approach to serving young adults. Less comprehensive than Jones's Connecting Young Adults and Libraries (Neal-Schuman, 1998), this title nevertheless provides a solid foundation and some practical ideas for improving YA services. After an impassioned introduction by Mary Kay Chelton, YA guru Jones begins the book with a guided visualization to encourage readers to recall what it was like to be an adolescent. Shoemaker (library media specialist, South East Junior High, Iowa City, and editor of Neal-Schuman's "teens@the library" series) then proceeds to cover YA services in school libraries, putting forward his own library as a model of "how to do it right." He covers a surprising amount in a short space, from the role of administrators to training staff and interacting with students. Many of his insights and examples also will be helpful for public librarians. In the latter half of the book, Jones focuses on public libraries. He shows how the different "visions" in the American Library Association's Planning for Results can be applied to YA services, devotes an entire chapter to his mandate to buy more magazines, and includes a somewhat misplaced chapter on the "Big Six?" method of research inquiry without clearly explaining its applicability for public libraries. Some librarians may question some of the recommendations (which often come across more as commandments), but the process of questioning can go a long way toward improving service to young adults. Libraries owning Connecting Young Adults and Libraries still will benefit from the customer service model employed here; other libraries with a commitment to YA services should consider this title a first purchase. Rachel Quenk, Thomas Memorial Lib., Cape Elizabeth, ME
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
