Tune in @ your library
Monday, March 3, 2008 12:00 PM CST
Dunn County libraries will celebrate the second annual Teen Tech Week, March 2-8, joining thousands of libraries across the country who are celebrating this year’s theme, “Tune In @ Your Library.”
Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults.
The purpose of the initiative is to ensure teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries.
Teen Tech Week encourages teens to use libraries’ non-print resources for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals in the field of information technology.
According to a recent study by Harris Interactive, in 2005, 86 percent of youth aged 8-18 have a computer in their home, and 74 percent have Internet access in their home. On average, 8-18 year olds spend six hours and 21 minutes per day using media (including TV, video/DVDs/movies, video games, audio media, computers and print media).
Furthermore, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 71 percent of teens report that the Internet is their primary source for completing school projects. Yet multiple studies have shown that the majority of teens lack the critical thinking skills and technical expertise to use the Internet and other electronic resources effectively.
Teens need to know that the library is a trusted resource for accessing information and that librarians are the experts who can help them develop the skills they need to use electronic resources effectively and efficiently.
Teens can celebrate Teen Tech Week at any Dunn County Public Library by joining other area teens to:
1. Surf the internet and check your e-mail.
2. Visit your library’s web page.
3. Blog about a book, program, or technology.
4. Try out a book focused site like LibraryThing or Shelfari.
5. Add something to an article on Wikipedia.
6. Set up a podcast for a group or club you belong to.
7. Check out some video games, DVDs or music CDs from your library.
8. Create an avatar on Yahoo! Avatars.
9. Practice your HTML skills on your MySpace.
10. Create a YouTube video about your library or a favorite book.
11. Download a newspaper article from the day you were born.
12. Volunteer to help clean the computers and media at your library or to tutor library customers who are new to using computers. |
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