Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development

Posted by on June 26, 2004

[posted from Promising Practices in After School]

This report documents work done in libraries around the country as part of the Wallace-funded Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development project. It includes lots of examples of the roles libraries can play in supporting young people, including during the after-school hours.

http://forumforyouthinvestment.org/papers/publiclibraries.pdf.

Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development: Lessons and Voices from the Field
(Yohalem, N. & Pittman, K., April 2003)

Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development: Lessons and Voices from the Field, published by the Forum in partnership with the Urban Libraries Council, captures key challenges and lessons learned from an innovative, four-year initiative sponsored by the Wallace-Reader?s Digest Funds that awarded six million dollars to nine library systems. The initiative provided an unprecedented opportunity for libraries to work collaboratively with youth and community partners to strengthen their understanding of and commitment to youth development. We hope the report helps put libraries on the radar screens of the range of systems, organizations and individuals across the allied youth fields as well as stakeholders in neighborhoods across the country that share an interest in partnering with and supporting young people.

Copies of this report may be purchased from the Forum for $6/copy. Please send an email to youth@forumforyouthinvestment.org or call 202.207.3333 to order a copy.