YALSA's Teen Advisory Group Site (TAGS) - helping teens make their mark on libraries

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) has launched a new online resource for libraries and teen advisory groups. Whether in the planning stages of forming a group for the first time or working with a group that has been active for decades, the Teen Advisory Group Site, TAGS (http://www.ala.org/tags/) has something for librarians and the teens with whom they work.

The TAGS Spotlights highlight individual advisory groups, their activities, challenges, and successes. The Spotlights change monthly so that every 4 weeks it’s possible to read something new about what TAGs are doing around the country.

TAGS also includes a Resources section that supports the varied informational needs of TAG advisors. This section is divided into four categories and includes books, Web sites, and articles on topics such as startup and recruitment and TAG activities. You'll also find links to organizations with which librarians can work on TAG projects. A form on the site gives visitors the chance to suggest additional materials for the resources section.

The TAGS Committee will continue to work on developing content to meet the needs of TAG advisors and teens. In the coming months a database will be added. TAG advisors will have the chance to add information about their group to the online database via an online form. The database will assist in connecting visitors to TAGs that have worked on a particular project, librarians that have expertise in setting up TAGs, or with a TAG in a particular area of the country.

Each of the current and future features of TAGS is designed to give librarians the expertise and information they need in order to successfully integrate youth participation in their libraries.

For more information on YALSA , please visit www.ala.org/yalsa, contact the YALSA office by phone: 800-545-2433 x 4390 or by e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.