Jones began with a brief discussion of what a young adult is. One definition that I really liked was this: "Someone who no longer wants to be considered a kid, but who is not yet an adult." He pointed out some of the barriers to serving teens effectively: they are loud, they travel in packs, etc. He noted, though, that teens who come into the library want only two things: solutions to their problems and good feelings. On that note, he said that the best marketing program you can do is to tell a teen, "Thanks for coming. See you next time."
The objectives that Jones gave for his presentation included determining the best practices for serving young adults in libraries. He began with this topic by listing ten key service areas and giving examples of best practices for each one. One best practice that was highlighted was having graphic collections, by which he meant graphic novels, comic books, magazines, and Cliffs Notes. He recommended that all of these materials be in the YA section. In the area of programming, he pointed out that student art shows are a great idea all the time because they get the parents involved so you know people will actually show up.
Jones stressed youth involvement a great deal. He pointed out that this can be done very simply with a suggestion box or by asking questions of the kids who come in a lot. Kids love to give their input, and we should be able to let them. The important thing is to ask their opinions, then thank them for helping out. If you take a suggestion about a book, display the book with a thank you to the person who recommended it.
In discussing the perfect YA area, Jones discussed the "five p's": Potential Audiences, Products, Price, Place, and Promotion. He recommended a YA area that showed youth involvement. Each shelf needs end space for face out display. These displays can be done by anyone, but it is best to have a group of teens who update them. The purpose of the YA area is to promote the collection. Although Jones stressed creating for your community, not copying, he did say that there is one thing that every one of should do if we haven't already: buy and display the WWF Know Your Role poster from ALA.
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