Teens: prepare to 'Laugh Out Loud' at the library
BY LISA _BARRINGER Special to Florida Weekly

This month, some youths will be able to get away with giggling aloud at the library.

In fact, the Lee County Library System is inviting teenagers to break their silence during Teen Read Week (Oct. 14-20). The goal is to get young adult patrons to "LOL @ your library" - this year's theme of the national teen reading initiative.

The Young Adult Library Services Association - a division of the American Library Association - instituted Teen Read Week 10 years ago to promote reading as a fun pastime for teenagers in hopes of boosting reading scores. During the special week, libraries and public schools across the nation will encourage teens to read humorous books, watch light-hearted movies or digest any form of literature that evokes laughter. Locally, there will be several opportunities for Lee County adolescents to laugh out loud at free library programs such as "Reverse American Idol," "Butt Pillows," "Duct Tape Mania" and "Open Mic Night."

"The programs during Teen Read Week are designed to introduce our young adult patrons to teen literature in a fun way," said Voncile Williams, library program coordinator. "This is the week for teens to get in touch with their funny side and LOL at their neighborhood library."

Locations within the library system will also provide a booklist of popular paperbacks and funny fiction suggested for young adult readers.

"All of these books will appeal to teens because they are funny and involve characters and situations that are familiar to many teens," said Heather Phillips, young adult reference librarian at Lakes Regional Library in Fort Myers. "With so much pressure on teens to read for AR (Accelerated Reader) points and to read for classes, it's nice to be able to offer them books that are just fun to read. Books that might help remind them to make time to read for fun. Hopefully these titles will help them LOL."

To obtain a schedule of Teen Read Week programs within the Lee County Library System, log on to www.leecounty. com/library or visit the nearest library location.