More Than MySpace: Teens, Librarians, and Social Networking

Lupa, R. (2009). More Than MySpace: Teens, Librarians, and Social Networking(Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series). Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.

Social networking is a thing of the future and the editor, Lupa does a good job of proving this point. The book opens up with an introduction by the editor explaining why this book was compiled. It is divided into nine chapters, with each chapter being written by an expert in the field of teens and social networking, a couple of the chapters are written by Lupa herself. The chapters range in length anywhere from five to twenty-five pages. The argument and point that they are all trying to make is that “Web 2.0” and technology are here to stay. Instead of fighting it and looking at all of the negatives that most adults associate with social networking and the internet, we should really try to reach out to this generation, which is different than the one we grew up in and as educators should focus more on trying to make our lessons more relevant an practical to today’s generation. Every single chapter offers suggestions and reasons why social networking is something both public and school librarians should utilize. Since all of the chapters are interrelated, they intertwine beautifully to reiterate the point that Lupa made in the introduction. It is a very easy, straight forward read. It offers tips, websites and bibliographies in all of the chapters. In addition to all of the insightful information located within the chapters, it also offers a list of the top 20 social networking sites among teens, according to a 16 year old boy, complete with a description of each site and the homepage URL. A glossary of technical terms used throughout the book that are used to describe social networking is also included. Plus, multiple pages of additional resources to conduct further research. This inspiring book is a must for any librarian who works with the youth of this technological age.

I sat down and read this book in one sitting. I have always been a big advocate of technology in the classroom and trying to incorporate it into my lessons. After working with tweens and teens for the past several years and seeing how dependent they are on technology this book really clicked with me. I will be honest that I’ve always wanted to do more, but never felt I had the resources or the time. I’m starting a new job as a librarian this next year at a school whose curriculum is based on research and technology. This book really made my mind work overtime. As I was reading I was taking notes and writing down websites from each chapter. I came up with some ideas that I am going to see if I can incorporate into the library. For example, I would like to not only have an interactive website, but also help all teachers create a ning, so that if they choose they can use it as a tool in the classroom for students to post their assignments. I plan on asking my district coordinator and my principal if this is an option. I chose ning because who can be allowed access to it can be controlled by the teacher. Plus, since it has a layout similar to Facebook and MySpace it would be very easy for the students to navigate and learn how to use. These are just a couple of the ideas that I would like to incorporate at my new school. I checked this book out from the public library, but I will definitely be investing in it and putting it on my professional development shelf not only for my personal reference, but also the rest of the staff.