Site of the Month: Haverhill (MA) Public Library Teen Cybercenter
Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 6/1/2003
Beth Gallaway, Haverhill Public Library's young adult librarian, has a definite goal for her Teen Cybercenter site—she wants it to be a jumping-off point for young adults who are searching for information. "I think teens want to find reliable and trusty information quickly without wading through junk," she says.
Meeting Local Teens' Needs: Gallaway (egallaway@mailserv.mvlc.lib.ma.us) runs a "Teen Poets Society," a "Pizza and Pages" book group, and a Teen Advisory Board. All of these groups are highlighted on the Web site, which sports a logo designed by one of her teen volunteers. The site also includes schedules of library programs for teens. Gallaway hopes to soon expand the listings to include a calendar of community teen events.
More Marketing: Gallaway also reaches out to teachers. In the past year, she has linked several customized lists of Web sites to help middle school students with their assignments. She plans to start the 2003–2004 school year by talking to more teachers about lists of assignment links, and visiting more classrooms to let teens know the Web site is available.
