Local teens will be tuning in at the library as the St. Tammany Parish Library celebrates Teen Tech Week March™ 5 through 10. They join thousands of other libraries and schools across the country who are celebrating this year’s theme,Libraries are for Creating ®, to raise awareness about how libraries create a space to extend teens’ learning beyond the classroom where they can explore, create and share content.
Teen Tech Week is a national initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technology, especially they types offered through libraries. Teen Tech Week encourages teens to take advantage of the technology at libraries for education and recreation, and to recognize that librarians are qualified, trusted professionals who can help them achieve greater digital literacy.
Teens are encouraged to celebrate Teen Tech Week for the entire month of March. Jennifer Rifino, Teen Services Coordinator, hopes to attract a wide variety of teenagers and increase teen technology literacy locally by offering a series of events including:
- An online focus of “The Top 5 Non-Print Services @ The Library,” where a different service will be featured each weekday on the website’s online events calendar and the teen webpage. Be sure to check for surprise contests!
- Get Punched @ the Library: Bookmarks with a punch card featuring tech/digital library resources will be distributed to teens ages 12 to 18 throughout the month. Get 5 punches by the end of March for a chance to win an iTunes gift card!
“Teen Tech Week is a way for librarians and educators to collaborate with and educate teens about technology,” says Rifino. “Over the last several years the library’s role in increasing digital literacy has become more and more important, equal to that of reading literacy.”
These events are free and open to teens age 12 to 18. For more information on these and other library events, please check our website.
Teen Tech Week is held annually the second week of March. For more information, visit the Teen Tech Week website.
