The ‘first of its kind’ app enables users to discover notable titles tapped by the Young Adult Library Services Association
A tool designed to enable access to the best literature for teens is now available for Apple devices. A project of YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association), the Teen Book Finder lets users discover titles from the past three years of the organization’s lists and awards, all from their iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
The app was among a select group of public policy-related tools demoed at the Congressional Internet Caucus Technology Exhibition January 25 in Washington, DC. It’s the first such tool of its kind, according to Stephanie Kuenn, YALSA’s Web Services Manager and project lead on the app. “There really weren’t great ways for people to find books for teens on a smartphone.”
Designed for use by teens, librarians, parents, and teachers, the app enables access to quality reads, searchable by author, title, award/list, year, and genre. All books selected for the Teens’ Top Ten are included, and a randomly generated list of books will refresh daily on the home page for serendipitous discovery. A Find It! Button, powered by the OCLC WorldCat Search API, will display the nearest library where users can pick up the book.
You can also create a list of favorites on the Teen Book Finder and share what you found via Twitter or Facebook.
The app was funded with a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. Its creation was a partnership between YALSA, which handled the back-end data, and Ora Interactive, a Chicago-based developer.
An Android version of the app is planned for a later 2012 release.
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