Teen Pregnancy Programming in Libraries

Statement of Problem

Just under 1/3 of all teenage girls in the U.S. will get pregnant.

Sex is generally a “taboo” topic According to the IL Dept. of Public Aid

Teen Parent Services, 4,100 women under 19 need public aid due to unwanted pregnancy.

Illinois’ teenage birthrate is 60 / 1000, higher than the national average of 56.8 / 1000

Statement of Solution

The library is a neutral informational facility where both pregnant teens and their parents can gather information privately.

Conducting a program in the library would promote public awareness of the problem as well.

The program would provide education and options for future teenage parents.

Description of Project

Target audience: teenage parents, future teenage parents, and their parents (or other family members).

A pathfinder of books / resources (with a map of their location) will be available for all participants.

Ongoing, once-a-month program. A different counselor or a professional whose focus is teen pregnancy will be at each session to facilitate.

3-5 Best Information Sources

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists http://www.acog.org/

Medline Plus from the US National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

The Illinois Department of Human and Health Services http://www.hfs.illinois.gov/

The Rural Assistance Center’s Guide to Teen Preganancy http://www.raconline.org/info_guides/teenpregnancy/

The American Pregnancy Association http://www.americanpregnancy.org/links/#TeenPregnancy

Issues and Concerns

Controversial topic Appropriation of funds to underserved /

challenged group Library staff education Objective materials selection Evaluation of groups and agencies by

the head of teen services.

Budget

A/V Equipment held by library 1 staff member per program (greet and

close) Approximately $150 per speaker each

month $30 each month for pizza, pop, and

paper goods Registration required

Timeline

Promoted through:› Library website› Social networking tools› Newsletter› Flyers & signs in the library and speakers’

agencies and hospitals (also free clinics)› Local high school nurses and health

educators› Press release to the public newspapers

Bibliography Alpern, Michele. Teen Pregnancy. Chelsea House Publishers, 2002.

Beyer, Kay. Coping With Teen Parenting . New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 1995.

Brunelli, Jean. Your Pregnancy and Newborn Journey. Buena Park: Morning Glory Press, 2004.

Endersbe , Julie . Teen Pregnancy: Tough Choices . Mankato: Capstone Press, 2000.

Lawton, Sandra Augustyn. Pregnancy Information for Teens: Health Tips About Teen Pregnancy and Teen Parenting . Detroit: Omnigraphics, Inc. , 2007.

Ojeda, Auriana. Teenage Pregnancy (Opposing Viewpoints Series). Farmington Hills: Greenhaven, 2002.

Reynolds, Marilyn. Too Soon for Jeff . Buena Park: Morning Glory Press, 1994.

Thompson, Sharon. Going All the Way: Teenage Girls' Tales of Sex, Romance, and Pregnancy . New York: Hill and Wang , 1996.

Weill, Sabrina Solin. We're Not Monsters: Teens Speak Out about Teens in Trouble . New York: HarperTeen, 2002.