ABOUT THIS BOOK

Foreword by John M. Budd; with contributions from Denise E. Agosto, Jeanie Austin, Michael Cart, Mary K. Chelton, Karen Coats, Kate McDowell, Cherie Givens, Mary Ann Harlan, Kafi D. Kumasi, Wendy Schaetzel Lesko, Mike Males, Paulette Rothbauer, Lucia Cedeira Serantes

How should LIS envision its young adult users? Now showcasing an even more rigorous debate about the theory and practice of YA librarianship than its first edition, this "provocative presentation of diverse viewpoints by leaders in the field" (Catholic Library World) has been updated and expanded to incorporate recent advances in critical youth studies. A comprehensive, evidence-based treatment that offers LIS instructors, students, and practitioners a valuable tool for aligning YA services to more fully reflect our diverse populations of young people, this collection delves deeply into such topics as

the historical roots for current theories and practice;

how intellectual freedom, storytelling, library collections, and other service topics can connect with the library's notion and vision of young adults;

diverse YA identities, including critical race theory;

competing perspectives on young adults’ rights in libraries;

envisaging YA librarianship from a teen-centered perspective;

youth identities and the school library; and

moving beyond coaching to copilot with young adults.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Anthony Bernier, PhD, is professor at California’s San José State University School of Information. As a critical youth studies scholar, Dr. Bernier explores the administration of library services with young people as his primary field of research. The iSchool has awarded him Distinguished Service, Outstanding Professor, and Outstanding Researcher Awards. He received two National Leadership Grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (on library spaces for young people), one from ALA’s Diversity Research Committee, and another from the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) in support of his research on first-generation graduate students. He also served a four-year term on ALA’s Committee on Accreditation, chaired several national professional and academic associations, was recently elected chair of ALA’s Library History Round Table, and currently writes the regular “YA Strike Zone” column for Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA). A practicing YA specialist librarian and administrator for 15 years, he designed the first purpose-built library space for teenaged youth, the Los Angeles Public Library’s acclaimed Teen’Scape, and produced nationally recognized youth outreach and programming models. Dr. Bernier’s doctoral dissertation at the University of California examined changing notions of public space in twentieth-century America.

REVIEWS

"From a pedagogical standpoint, as an LIS instructor teaching in two states outlawing the teaching and discussion of CRT in public schools including universities, I appreciate how this text allows instructors to present research important to youth services librarianship in this era ... In states where CRT can be applied to LIS instruction, such chapters will prompt discussions related to the systematic oppression of marginalized youth in institutions. In states limited by bans on CRT, these chapters will be available for students with a mind toward social justice and equity to discover. Regardless, this is a discussion that deserves to be had as we strive to comprehend how marginalized youth are best advocated for in our profession."
— Journal of Education for Library and Information Science

"[A] thoughtful and challenging collection."
— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword to the First Edition, by John M. Budd
Preface: Young Adult Services at the Crossroads, by Anthony Bernier
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Making the Case for Transforming, by Anthony Bernier

Part I: Betweenness
Chapter 1. Envisaging Young Adult Librarianship from a Teen-Centered Perspective, by Denise E. Agosto
Chapter 2. Diverse Identity in Anxious Times: Young Adult Literature and Contemporary Culture, by Karen Coats
Chapter 3. Students or Learners? Conceptualizing Youth in School Libraries, by Mary Ann Harlan

Part II: Intellectual Freedom
Chapter 4. Misfits, Loners, Immature Students, and Reluctant Readers: Librarianship in the Construction of Teen Readers of Comics, by Lucia Cedeira Serantes
Chapter 5. Identity at Odds: The Sometimes Conflicting Viewpoints about Young Adults’ Rights in Libraries, by Cherie Givens
Chapter 6. Situating Youth Voice: Moving from Understanding to Action through Critical Theory, by Jeanie Austin

Part III: Confronting Convention
Chapter 7. Crossing Over: The Advent of the Adultescent, by Michael Cart
Chapter 8. Storytelling, Young Adults, and Three Paradoxes, by Kate McDowell
Chapter 9. “The Library Is Like Her House”: Reimagining Youth of Color in LIS Discourses, by Kafi D. Kumasi

Part IV: Emergent Roles
Chapter 10. Beyond Coaching: Copiloting with Young Adults, by Wendy Schaetzel Lesko
Chapter 11. LIS’s Vision of Young Adults: Some Historical Roots for Current Theories and Practice, by Mary K. Chelton

Part V: From Citizenship to Membership
Chapter 12. Tribalism versus Citizenship: Are Youth Increasingly Unwelcome in Libraries?, by Mike Males
Chapter 13. Imagining Today’s Young Adults in LIS: Moving Forward with Critical Youth Studies, by Paulette Rothbauer
Chapter 14. Moving Beyond YAs as “Citizens”: The Promise of Membership, by Anthony Bernier

Conclusion: Membership’s Promise for Praxis, by Anthony Bernier

About the Editor
About the Contributors
Index