The James Kennedy Public Library will be celebrating Teen Read Week 2012 during the week of October 14 – 20. The Library joins thousands of other libraries, schools and bookstores across the country that are encouraging teens to celebrate this year’s theme, “It Came From the Library—Dare to Read for the Fun of It!®." Teen Read Week is the national adolescent literacy initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association.

It seems that today’s teens seem to have less and less free time, and there are increasingly more activities for them to take part in with what little leisure time they have. That is why it’s important to encourage teens to set aside some time to read. Literacy is a topic of both local and national concern, and falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens today are a serious issue. Studies show a regular reading habit increases reading proficiency, and we at the library agree.

Recognizing that Teen Read Week is a time to celebrate reading for fun and encourage teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms —books and magazines, e-books, audiobooks and more — the library will have ballots available for area teens to vote for their favorite books. Ballots will be available at the circulation desk and in the Young Adult section of the library. Voting will start October 1 and continue through October 14. Favorite books will be on display October 20-31.

Another way for teens to be involved with their library is through TACKL. TACKL is the Teen Advisory Council of the Kennedy Library. This volunteer group suggests books and programming for their age group, and volunteers to help with youth and senior programming. They are a vital part of our library volunteer community, and have a lot of fun helping out. Participation in this group would count as community service for NHS or college applications. TACKL is currently recruiting new members. If you or someone you know age 13-18 would be interested, pick up an application at the library, or print one off of our website at www.dyersville.lib.ia.us.