Edith Abbott Memorial Library Celebrates Picture It! @ Your Library® for Teen Read Week ™! 

PRESS RELEASE:

Edith Abbott Memorial Library will celebrate Teen Read Week™ (October 16-22, 2011) with special programs aimed at encouraging area teens to read for the fun of it. Thousands of libraries, schools and bookstores across the country will hold similar events centered on this year’s theme, Picture It! @ your library®, which encourages teens to read a variety of materials, including graphic novels, movies, books about photography, and more.
Teen Read Week™ is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association.
“Teens have more activities to fill their free time than ever — web videos, social networking sites, video games, afterschool activities, athletics —and increasingly high expectations in the classroom,” said Celine Swan. “It’s important that we show them that reading is something that’s fun and relaxing that they can do for free. And that reading for fun can translate into better performance at school.”
In addition, Swan hopes to show parents and other concerned community members what they library can offer by hosting special programs during Teen Read Week™. The library will hand out special promotions throughout the week that promote our library databases available at www.gilibrary.org. We will also kickoff our Teen/Tween Super Heroes Read Online Bookclub. Teens can log on to our web site click on Litkeeper, setup an account, and enter the number of minutes they have read. Teens that read 30 minutes each week may enter their name into a drawing and also can attend a party at the end of December. On Saturday, Oct 22nd at 2:00 P.M. the library will offer a “Picture It “craft for teens. All programs are for teens ages 11-18.
Saturday, October 22nd from 3:00-4:00 P.M. we will also have an Open House for teens and adults showcasing our library databases such as OverDrive, Tutor.com, and Mango Databases and answering questions. Best Buy will be available to help answer questions about the Kindle and other eBook readers. You can signup to win a free Kindle donated by Best Buy that will be given away in November
“Many families have learned to make do with less as a result of the economy and have flocked to the library,” Swan said. “Teen Read Week™ is a great time to make sure teens and their families know about all the free services the library can offer them and to reach out to teens who aren’t regular users and encourage them to come see what they can find here.”
Parents of teens are encouraged to celebrate Teen Read Week™ at home, as well. Swan offers these ideas:
• Visit the public or school library with your teen to attend a program or to check out books.
• Set aside time each night for the family to read.
• Give books or magazine subscriptions to your teen as a gift or reward.
• Share your favorite book with your teen.
• Go online with your teen to learn about new books or authors. A good place to start is YALSA's Booklists and Book Awards page, www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.
• Join a book discussion group at the school or public library.(Super Heroes Read from our web site www.gilibrary.org)
Teen Read Week™ is held annually during the third week of October. An updated sponsors and supporting organizations list can be found at the Web site, www.ala.org/teenread. For more information please contact Celine Swan at 385-5333.