Sex, Brains, And Video Games » (New Edition)

How do we best reach our teen patrons? Young adult librarians and others who serve them constantly strive to better understand this often unpredictable audience. In this insightful guide, Jennifer Burek Pierce provides a fascinating look at today's teen through the lens of neurological, psychological, and educational research. Putting this research in the context of library services, she challenges librarians to question their assumptions about teen patrons and provides new answers based on research findings. Much as early literacy research informed library services to our youngest patrons, Sex, Brains, and Video Games outlines what others who work with adolescents have learned from their professional activities and how that knowledge can encourage new priorities and partnerships in youth services.

Use this research to: Help sort out fact from fiction about adolescent brain development and sexuality, Equip staff to understand and sensitively interact with teens, Foster understanding about teens, technology, and multitasking, Incorporate teen-friendly services and activities into the library.

With further reading suggestions rounding out each chapter, this provocative guide offers school, public, and academic librarians further ways of thinking about young adults and the services provided for them.

VOYA

The average public librarian works with teens on a daily basis, but it does not necessarily mean that they know how to properly serve that age group. Pierce tries to dispel many myths on how to work with teens in the twenty-first century. The book is broken up into several topics, the first of which explores the teen brain. There has been much research in recent years on how the brain develops, and knowing this information might help librarians to better understand teens. The other sections discuss technology, sex, and multicultural diversity with teens and libraries. The author provides an overview of each topic along with excerpts from leading experts in the field of teens and libraries. The technology section provides great statistics about teens and usage, as well as how teens are influenced by video games, which is very helpful information for teen programmers and how they can focus on working video games into their programming. At the end of each chapter, Pierce gives an in-depth list of further reading that includes Web sites, along with detailed notes. The book is a good reference for teen librarians but an even better guide to potential library students who will soon be entering the field. Reviewer: Robyn Guedel

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     1
Myths and the American Teen     13
Taking On the Teen Brain: Scientific Perspectives on Adolescence     21
The Wired Generation: Connections and Limitations     50
Teen Sex: Facts and Fictions     86
Living in a Multicultural World: Diversifying Perspectives on Adolescence     110
Concluding Thoughts on Working with Teens in Libraries     120
Index     125