YA service innovators Linda W. Braun, Hillias J. Martin, and Connie Urquhart explain how to be smart about taking risks without shying away from them.

YA service innovators Linda W. Braun, Hillias J. Martin, and Connie Urquhart explain how to be smart about taking risks without shying away from them.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Risky ThemeChapter 1 The What and Why of Risk Taking in Teen ServicesChapter 2 Risk-Worthy CollectionsChapter 3 Risk-Worthy Collections: What Authors Have to SayChapter 4 Risks in Programming: A NecessityChapter 5 Technology: A Risk Worth TakingChapter 6 Selling Risk to Administration and ColleaguesChapter 7 Risky Career MovesChapter 8 Teens as Risky Role ModelsAppendixesA Meet the Risk TakersB Risky Decision Making: Assessing Risk ReadinessC Risky Decision Making: Is This a Risk Worth Taking?D Forty Developmental Assets for Adolescents Ages Twelve to EighteenE Resources That Support Smart Risk TakingF YALSA White PapersG Young Adults Deserve the Best: YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving YouthIndex

Do we add that edgy urban novel to our teen collection? Should we initiate social networking? What about abandoning Dewey for a bookstore arrangement? Change is risky business, but librarians must be prepared to initiate change to best serve teens. YA service innovators Linda W. Braun, Hillias J. Martin, and Connie Urquhart explain how to be smart about taking risks without shying away from them. They offer concrete advice forLaying the groundwork for change in key areas such as collection building and programmingIncluding technology components as part of traditional services, such as booktalks, information literacy instruction, and book discussion groupsEffectively gaining support from administrators and colleaguesA resource list highlights articles and websites about risk in libraries, risk management, and teens and risk taking. In addition, appendixes offer YALSA’s competencies for serving youth and YALSA’s white papers, which discuss the importance of teen literature, the need to include young adult services in library school curricula, and the need for dedicated space and teen services staff in public libraries. Real-world examples of risky change in action from librarians and authors of YA lit enrich this exploration of a topic rarely discussed in depth, but central to YA services in school and public libraries today.