About the course

Youth (Children and/or Young Adult) Services is an area of professional library practice centered on serving the informational, recreational, educational, and cultural needs of children, young adults, and their caregivers within a public library setting. This diverse area includes library services to youth ages birth up to nineteen. Students most suited to this area of emphasis are those that enjoy working with a wide range of youth and their caregivers, interacting with diverse clientele, engaging in creative activities (such as puppetry, traditional and digital storytelling, dramatic play, poetry slams, spoken word, etc.), and planning literacy-related programs. Some youth services librarians only work with teens, others only work with children, and still others work with both age groups. SLIS Alumni concentrating in this area of emphasis have been employed in the following roles: Coordinator of Youth Services, Outreach Librarian, State Library Youth Services Consultant, Education Librarian, Young Adult Services Coordinator, Children?s Services Manager, Children?s Services Associate, Branch Manager, Library Director, and Children?s Author.

　　Youth services librarians generally possess three broad categories of professional skills: collection development and readers? advisory, service and program planning and management, and community outreach. Collection development and readers? advisory skills embody a broad, working knowledge of children?s and young adult print and digital materials, an ability to use specially-designed collection development and reference resources to develop a rich collection of these materials, and an understanding of the reading interests of contemporary youth. Service and program planning and management skills exemplify an understanding of how to manage the day-to-day operations of the youth services department in a public library, how to determine the informational needs of diverse youth and develop appropriate library services, and how to create engaging library programs that connect contemporary youth with library collections via booktalking, read-alikes, hands-on activities, etc. Finally, community outreach skills include the ability to connect library collections, services, and programs to the larger community, local nonprofit organizations serving youth, and specific populations that may be unable to physically visit the library. Within all three categories of professional skills is an underlying ability to reach and serve culturally diverse populations. Scholarships - View all scholarships Internships

　　

Start dates and prices

Course fees are indicative and should be used as a guide. Speak to a counsellor to get an accurate price.

　　Duration: 4 Semester(s)Fees: US$62,920

Intake	Location
Fall (August), 2024	Tuscaloosa
Fall (August), 2025	Tuscaloosa

　　

How to apply

Entry requirements for University of Alabama

An applicant whose credentials meet the following minimum requirements may be considered for regular admission:

　　A grade point average of at least 3.0 overall for the last 60 semester hours in a degree program, based on a 4.0 system AND

　　an acceptable score on one entrance examination (minimum test scores: 300 on the revised GRE test, or 1000 on the GRE general test, or a score at the 50th percentile on the MAT) OR

　　a prior graduate degree completed within the last five years OR

　　five years of demonstrated experience in the field

　　An application consists of the following items:

　　Application Form

　　Statement of Purpose

　　Application Fee

　　Transcripts

　　Admissions Test Scores

　　Three (3) letters of recommendation, for applicants who have been in school in the last 5 years, at least two (2) letters must be academic references.

　　Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The minimum score for admission to a degree program or for non-degree admission is 550 on the paper-based TOEFL or 79 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT). International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The minimum score for admission to a degree program or for non-degree admission is 6.5.

　　Each international application must hold the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree from an accreditedinstitution to be eligible for graduate admission. The applicant must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 overall.

　　

English language requirements

　　6.5

　　Overall IELTS band score

　　Book IELTS

　　About IELTS

　　Practice and prepare

　　TOEFL Internet based overall score: 79.0

　　The next application deadline is 15 December 2024

Further information

Career outcomesIf you aren’t eligible for the above entry requirements, you might want to explore pathway options at University of Alabama. If you want to find out more, please speak to our counsellors.

　　Pathway options to study at this institution

　　

Reviews and rankings

World ranking

　　601st / 1250

　　THE World ranking

　　

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