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Drawing from a talk she gave to an international conference in Seoul, South Korea, in July 2016, the author explores major changes in services for teens both now and those expected in the future. The two most important shifts are the increasing focus on what the librarydoesover what the libraryhasand the growing emphasis on information and information services in digital forms and formats. There are other future trends, but these are paramount. Libraries that keep up or move quickly to advance their work to fit such trends will do well; those that don’t, won’t. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents a brief overview of research relating to teens, libraries, and social media. It also summarizes a recent multimethod study of how public and school libraries fit into U.S. teens’ increasingly online information lives. The study results debunk five popular myths about teens and social media and reveal many positive ways that teens are using social media to connect with peers and adults and to seek and share information. The article concludes with a discussion of the role that libraries can play in designing services and programs to encourage teens to engage in positive social media use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study sought to collect data from teens and librarians about their preferences and recommendations for the effective design of physical library spaces for teens. Librarians and teens at twenty-two U.S. public libraries filmed narrated video tours of their young adult (YA) public library spaces. The researchers used qualitative content analysis techniques to analyze the video data and to develop a framework for guiding the design of effective YA public library spaces. In addition to providing specific recommendations for user-centered YA library space design, this study highlights the need for continued user input into the design and maintenance of YA public library spaces as teens’ needs evolve and vary across time and from community to community. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Library programming is one of the most important elements through which public libraries offer support for parents and families. Well-designed programming focused on implementing research findings can provide structured opportunities for socialization, education, and emotional support within families and among communities. Although family storytimes and book programs are fairly common in U.S. public libraries, fewer libraries offer programming to assist families in navigating the changing landscapes of digital media. In this article, we connect a research-based framework to the development of library programming based on projected social and learning outcomes. We recommend several types of programming models based on the framework for the development of a more intentional design of libraries and programming to support families and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]