Young Activists and the Public Library

Assisted by social media and other digital tools, today’s children and teens are energetic and active participants in a host of social causes, from climate change and gun control to voting rights and racial equity. Public libraries can facilitate their activism by providing trustworthy information and creating opportunities for young people to develop leadership and participation skills. A past president of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), in this book Walter demonstrates how libraries can foster greater civic literacy and civic engagement in young patrons. Using a research-based approach that incorporates case studies and interviews with young people and librarians, she:

offers a solid rationale for why libraries should get involved, discussing the ways in which youth activism can be supported by core values of librarianship;
provides an overview of key areas of activism, such as environmental awareness, school safety, and immigration rights;
highlights teen advisory boards and community service opportunities that provide outlets for teen leadership, also suggesting ways to extend these activities to younger children;
includes real-world examples of programs and initiatives that can be adapted for a variety of institutions; and
shares an extensive list of additional resources, spotlighting informative and inspirational books to share with young patrons that are also ideal for book talks and storytimes.

This book shows how public libraries can facilitate democracy by empowering the passionate activism of today’s children and teens.

Author Biography

Virginia A. Walter holds a BA in world literature, an MLIS from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in public administration from the University of Southern California. Before joining the faculty in what is now the Information Studies Department at UCLA in 1990, she had worked for more than twenty years in public libraries, most recently as children’s services coordinator at Los Angeles Public Library. She retired in June 2008 with the rank of professor emerita. She is the author of two books for young people, nine monographs, and more than thirty-five articles in scholarly and professional journals.