Becoming a Media Mentor: A Guide for Working with Children and Families

What are media mentors, and what role do they play in the library? How do librarians engage families to support their children's information and literacy needs while acknowledging the rapidly changing world of "media" that we now live in? This well-written and useful volume answers these questions and more by building on the knowledge gained from LittleeLit.com and a white paper published by ALSC, "Media Mentorship in Libraries Serving Youth." According to the authors, "a media mentor supports the literacy, information, and media needs of children, teens and their families." The first part of the book flows from research to practice. For example, chapters provide insights into current research, the importance of professional development, how to interact with the community, diversity in media mentorship, and three ways to be a media mentor. A feature in each chapter called "Voices from the Field" gives readers the chance to hear directly from practitioners doing this kind of work. The second part highlights three types of media mentorship and gives a dozen specific examples, from app curation on Pinterest to circulating maker kits to a more involved teen intern program. One of the appendixes (there are three) is a rubric on evaluating apps and new media for young children.