LIS 5193 – Information Resources and Services for Young Adults, Dr. Buffy Edwards, Spring 2019
Course Goals:
- Understand developmental characteristics and information needs of young adults
- Understand young adults’ information behavior, learning, and reading
- Become familiar with contemporary young adult literature, digital media, technologies
- Understand students’ need of 21st-century skills
- Understand 21st-century trends in youth services
Learning and Skill Objectives:
- Understand competencies required by information professionals working with young adults
- Identify developmental characteristics and information needs of contemporary young adults
- Assess the information needs of young adults from diverse populations
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of information resources for young adults, from literature, to digital media and technology, to hands-on materials
- Select quality information resources for young adults using professional tools
- Develop a professional learning network for lifelong learning in the area of youth services
- Read and evaluate a variety of contemporary young adult literature from different genres
- Explore new technology and apply it to engage teens to learn, create new knowledge, pursue personal interests and passions, and participate in the community
- Design teen programs and activities that engage youth in libraries
- Analyze 21st-century trends in youth services in relation to society as a whole in order to understand current approaches and hypothesize about future directions
LIS 5193 prepared me to serve young adults in library and school settings. I gained understanding of the age group and their developmental characteristics (Goal 1.1, 1.2, 1.5). I now better understand how to access and serve their needs (Goal 1.1, 1.2, 1.5). LIS 5193 provided me with knowledge of quality literature and materials as well as resources and links that review materials for young adults (such as YALSA award lists, Booklist review journal, and Kirkus Reviews) (Goal 3.4). I am now aware of critical 21st-century skills (such as collaboration, problem-solving, innovation, etc.) and how programs and activities can support these skills (Goal 1.3, 1.6, 1.7).
LIS 5193 required practical assignments such as a booktalk. The booktalk allowed me to assess the interests and needs of a young adult. I was also able to assess some academic content needs for the child (Goal 1.1, 1.3). I researched quality literature to introduce to a young adult and presented it in a way to raise interest and inspire the child to read (Goal 1.6, 2.3).
Finally, LIS 5193 required a final project surrounding design thinking for teen services. The course emphasized the need for teens to complete meaningful projects and tasks that promote service to those other than themselves. For this task, I designed an activity based on the interests of teens (nature and helping the environment). Through prototyping and feedback, I was able to plan a program that led to successful learning and inspiration concerning environmentalism (Goal 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 2.1).
Maegan Heath 