INTRODUCTION In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study1 that documented the rise of teen suicide between 1975 and 2015. In 1975, 1,289 males and 305 females aged 15–19 years died by suicide. In 2015, the number of deaths by suicide in the same age group increased to 1,537 males and 524 females. In the last 43 years, the number of suicides increased by 31 percent among males, whereas death by suicide among teens girls increased by 5 percent. Given these staggering statistics, suicide has now become one of the major leading causes of death among teens. Why? Studies have shown that bullying, violence, and mental illness are some of the causes. Teen librarians and staff are tackling more complex and complicated issues that the world has ever seen before. Given the rise in poverty and unemployment and the increase in violence and hostility against margin- alized groups of teens, teen librarians and library staff are now faced with a new challenge that changes what it means to be a librarian. According to “The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action,”2 published by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), libraries are being called to help teens reach their potential by preparing them for future. Furthermore, libraries are taking a stand to fight the injus- tices that are affecting teens today. In other words, librarians are not just advocates for literacy but advocates for teens.
Previous Page Next Page