Public library Web sites for young adults: Meeting the needs of today's teens online

Abstract This article probes the motivation of librarians to develop public library Web sites for young adults. What young adult information needs did they target? Were teenagers involved in creating and updating the site? How was the site promoted to teenagers? What barriers had to be overcome in the creation and maintenance of the site? Connections are drawn between the findings of this study and research about teens and their Internet use. Related implications for Web-site development are discussed, with an emphasis on the need for librarians to not only acknowledge teens' developmental needs but to take into consideration their expectations of Web technologies.

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