Yesterday I was talking with some friends and colleagues and at one point someone was telling us about her experience doing work on her iPad and she said, “I was using the Side by Side app.” “What,” I said, “What’s the Side by Side app?” I found out that Side by Side gives iPad users the ability to look at more than one window at a time on the iPad screen. It’s the type of app I’ve been looking for for a few weeks.
I’ll admit it, it can be hard to keep up with all of the apps coming out that could be of use to librarians working with teens. I try very hard to stay on top of the best and the most interesting, but obviously, I don’t succeed 100%. Yet, I think I’ve come up with a pretty good system for finding a lot of useful apps. Some tools I use are:
- Mashable, Read Write Web, and KQED MindShift are three blogs that don’t just focus on apps but often posts will mention, highlight, or review apps. I make sure not to just pay attention to the apps that are specifically related to youth or education and libraries. I also pay attention to apps that aren’t seemingly teen or library related and think about whether or not there is a connection between the app and the work of teen librarians. Don’t forget local and national newspapers too for this same kind of information. I read the New York Times technology section looking for information on new apps or new types of apps and think about how these perhaps non-educational apps can have an impact on work with teens.
- My professional learning network (PLN) on Twitter, other virtual PLN environments, and face-to-face networking. I’ll ask my PLN what apps people are using or if someone has a recommendation for a type of app. It’s these kinds of conversations that can lead to learning about a particular type of app that I might not have even known existed.
- Both the iTunes app store and the Android MarketPlace have education sections. I spend time looking at the apps that have just been released and apps that are getting good reviews. I find it really useful to see what’s new and get a sense of what’s popular with users. That gets me thinking about what might work in libraries and what teens might be interested in.
- YALSA App of the Week is published on this blog every Wednesday. It’s a great place to find out about apps and read about what librarians working with teens think about apps and how they can support teen services. Several times I’ve read the YALSA App of the Week column and learned about something new.
- Teens are a great resource for learning about apps. I know not all teens have devices on which apps work, however many do and by talking to teens directly it’s possible to find out what they use, what they like, and why.
It might not seem important to keep up on apps if you aren’t a user of a device that supports them. However, some teens in your community are probably using apps and in order to serve them successfully it’s a good idea to know what’s out there. Also, it’s a good idea to prepare. Digital devices and apps are not going away. They are going to grow in importance in libraries. If you start to learn now you’ll have to do a lot less catch-up in the future.
Do YALSA Blog readers have other ways of keeping up with apps? Post your how to keep up with apps advice in the comments.
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