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EXCEL: A certificate programme in
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8. Collection Development for Young Adults
ASSIGNMENT 1
Your assignment for this module is to:
describe the young adults in your community
identify the implications of this information on your collection
Step 1: Collect general information on the young adult population in your community
If possible, include the following information about young adults in your community:
current and projected population/age breakdowns
location of schools (e.g. near the public library?)
clubs and extracurricular activities for young adults
Add any other pieces of information that you can find about young adults in your community. Write a half-page summary describing what you found. Note your sources of information.
Step 2: Interview the four young adults identified in the earlier activity in the module.
Get the four people to talk about themselves. Examples of topics you could discuss include: recreational and leisure activities, importance of friends, importance of education, reading habits and how the library could serve them.
Ask them to complete the questions on the next page (we have provided four extra copies of the questionnaire for your use). Summarize the four interviews into a written description. Be sure to include the answers to the survey questions.
Step 3: Discuss the implications for your library collection.
Using information you acquired through the earlier activity; the general information about young adults in your community; and the results from the interviews with four young adults in your community, write a half page summary of the implications for the library collection.
At this point do not be concerned with your current collection or budget but rather describe the implications for the young adult collection, including changes you would like to see in this area of work.
The time-consuming part of this assignment will be the information collection. Submit your written summaries from all three steps to your tutor by the date given on the schedule accompanying this course. This assignment should be approximately 2 pages in length. Be sure to put your name on each page.
Young Adults User Survey*
(to be used in Step 2 of Assignment 1)
1. Do you have a library card?
Yes _____ No ______
2. Pick a number from the scale to describe how often
you visit the library to do the things listed below.
1=frequently
2=sometimes 3=seldom 4=never 5=not applicable
__ complete homework assignments
__ checkout materials to use for homework
__ checkout materials to read for fun
__ checkout materials to read for information
__ checkout CDs or cassettes
__ checkout video-tapes
__ meet and talk with friends
__ attend a library program
__ study
__ other
3. Pick a number from the scale to describe the
following at this library.
1=excellent
2=good 3=okay 4=not so good 5=poor 6=not applicable
__ choice of books
__ choice of magazines and newspapers
__ choice of CDs and cassettes
__ choice of video-tapes
__ staff helpful finding materials for homework
__ staff helpful finding books to read for fun
__ library programs
__ young adult area
4. If you don’t often use the library, why not?
__ unable to get to the library
__ not enough time/too much else to do
__ nothing that interests me
__ don’t need it
__ bad experiences in the past with library staff
5. About you:
male ____ female ______
__ age
__ grade
*Adapted from Jones, Patrick. Connecting young adults and libraries: A How-to-do-it Manual. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1992, page 26.
*end*