The Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development (PLPYD) initiative, sponsored by The Wallace Reader's Digest Funds, challenged public libraries to work with youth to develop innovative high quality educational and cultural enrichment programs for low-income youth during non-school hours. This $6 million grant sought to introduce positive youth development to public libraries and encouraged libraries to explore a wide range of community partners to create a web of support for youth who were given new roles, opportunities and supports by their public libraries.
PLPYD encouraged public libraries to listen to youth, to take seriously the recommendation that libraries become cooler, to create innovative youth jobs and to work together to realize both the mission of the library and the personal and educational goals of young people. Success was measured in outcomes for young people as well as library outputs.
Nine public libraries participated in the project and ULC was funded to provide technical assistance and program coordination for the initiative. The initiative began with one year planning grants (for planning year results, please see American Libraries article "The Coolness Factor: Ten Libraries Listen to Youth") and was extended with three year implementation grants. Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago conducted the national evaluation of this work.
ULC anticipates three publications to emerge from this work. The first is a monograph, produced by Karen Pittman and The Forum for Youth Investment designed to discuss the learning of the grant; the monograph is available at the link above. The second is a Toolkit produced by ULC, which contains the tools and best practices established by the nine PLPYD sites. This is available by calling ULC. The final publication is a book, Teens and Libraries Building Communities Together, written by Elaine Meyers and Virginia Walter and published by ALA. The book, an overview of youth development in public libraries, will be released in October 2003. Each of these publications has been generously funded by the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds.
"Public libraries are highly committed to serving young people. Through the Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development Initiative, we hope to help libraries optimize their potential to reach the children and teens most in need of their services."
--Wallace Reader's Digest Funds President, M.Christina DeVita
Brooklyn Public Library
Enoch Pratt Free Library
Fort Bend County Libraries
Free Library of Philadelphia
King County Library System
Oakland Public Library
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Tucson-Pima Public Library
Washoe County Library System
Board Susan Roman, Executive Director of ASLC
Sheila Murphy , Senior Program Officer, Communities Program, Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds
Gloria Primm Brown, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York
DeAnna Banks Beane, Project Director, YouthALIVE!
Diane Frankel, Program Director, The James Irvine Foundation
Carla Hayden, Director, Enoch Pratt Free Library
Patrick Jones, Youth Programs, Houston Public Library
Ginnie Cooper, Director, Multnomah County Library
Joey Rodger , President and CEO, Urban Libraries Council |
