YALSA's National Guidelines and Position Papers

YALSA Guidelines I Research I Position Papers I Related Resources I Guidelines from Beyond YALSA

YALSA is your source for national guidelines, competencies, position papers, and benchmarks to aid librarians, library workers and libraries in better understanding the components of an excellent teen services program.

YALSA Guidelines

Core Professional Values for the Teen Services Profession (also available in PDF) Adopted on June 27, 2015.

Teen Programming Guidelines (also available in PDF) Adopted on March 4, 2015.

Teen Services Competencies for Library Staff

Teen Space Guidelines (also available in PDF)

YALSA's Public Library Evaluation Tool

Research Guidelines and Tools

National Research Agenda, 2017-2021

YALSA's Research Bibliographies

Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults

Henne Research Grant

Midwinter Paper Presentation Travel Stipend

YALSA Position Papers & Reports

Reports

• The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: a Call to Action
• Case Studies: Real-World Examples of How Libraries Are Re-Envisioning Teen Services
• Transforming Teen Services for and with Teens through Continuing Education

YALSA's position papers are authoritative guides that make recommendations on important issues in teen librarianship. Current, board-approved papers include:

• Adopting a Summer Learning Approach for Increased Impact: a YALSA Position Paper by Beth Yoke with contributions from Linda W. Braun. Approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, April 2016
• The Importance of a Whole Library Approach to Public Library Young Adult Services: A YALSA Position Paper by Linda W. Braun with contributions from Sarah Flowers and Mary Hastler, Approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2011
• The Library's Role in Protecting Teen Privacy: A YALSA Position Paper by Mary K. Chelton, approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2017
• The Benefits of Including Dedicated Young Adult Librarians on Staff in the Public Library by YALSA with Audra Caplan, approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2009
• The Importance of Young Adult Services in LIS Curricula, by Don Latham, approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2009
• The Value of Continuous Teen Services: A YALSA Position Paper Presented by Izabel Gronski. Approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, April 11, 2018.
• The Value of Young Adult Literature, by Michael Cart, approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2008
• The Need for Teen Spaces in Public Libraries, by Kimberly Bolan, approved by the YALSA Board of Directors, January 2008, and updated in March 2016.

Related Resources

Issue Brief: Libraries Help Keep Teens Safe Online (PDF)

Issue Brief: Adolescents Need Libraries (PDF)

Issue Brief: Libraries Help Teens Build STEM Skills (PDF)

Library Bill of Rights & related documents (see the menu on the left side of that web page for links to the related documents)

Roots and Branches: YA Services Past, Present, and Future (speech by Mary K. Chelton, available as mp3 or PDF)

Teens First: Re-imagined Library Services for and with Teens

Other Guidelines of Interest

• For school library standards and guidelines, please visit AASL's Standard and Guidelines page.
• For an international perspective, please see IFLA's Guidelines for Library Services to Young Adults (PDF).
• Visit the ALA web site for additional standards and guidelines relating to libraries.
• The Competency Index for the Library Field from Web Junction may also be useful.