Library wins nat'l award for its Teen Tech Week OLD BRIDGE - The township's public library has a won a visit from popular young adult author Lauren Myracle as a prize from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The library was chosen for the award after producing the program that best exemplified "Get Connected," the theme for Teen Tech Week 2007. Teen Tech Week is a national initiative that was launched this year to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technology, especially those technology resources available in libraries. It will be celebrated in March of each year. The Old Bridge library staff worked with a nearby Apple store to present a session called "Podcasting Basics" for teens in grades six through 12. The Apple staffers explained what podcasts were and how to use them before walking attendees through creating one of their own. Using Garage Band software, Old Bridge teenagers incorporated music and pictures into the podcast, called the "Old Bridge Rant." Participants who also served on the library's Teen Advisory Board decided to create podcasts for all of the board's future meetings. Theresa Wordelmann, young adult librarian at the Old Bridge Public Library, credited YALSA's support of Teen Tech Week with helping her create her award-winning programming. "The events we hosted for Teen Tech Week were ones that would never have been planned without YALSA's sponsorship of this weeklong celebration," she said. The win took both Wordelmann and her teens by surprise. "Several of my teen volunteers were in the room when I found out and stared at me in wonder as I did a happy dance," she said. YALSA President Judy Nelson said librarians are an important resource to help guide teens in their use of technology. "Our Teen Tech Week contest winners prove that the technology has an important place in libraries and makes an impact in teens' lives," Nelson said. Myracle, whose visit to Old Bridge will be scheduled in the next several months, is the author of numerous young adult novels, including New York Times bestsellers "ttyl" and "ttfn." Her visit is compliments of Amulet Books, an imprint of Harry Abram Inc., a promotional partner for Teen Tech Week. Myracle's appearance will be scheduled at the Old Bridge Public Library in the next several months. The podcast will soon be available for viewing on the library's Web site at www.oldbridgelibrary.org/teens.htm.