Step up to the plate: providing teens with controversial materials is easier than you think.(Teenage Riot)

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT A LIBRARY'S MAIN MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCESS to information. But what happens when a young adult librarian wants to supply materials that address controversial themes like sex, suicide, and teen pregnancy?

I developed a plan to encourage teens and the community to talk about these important issues by organizing a 10-day event at my library that examined the inner lives of young people. Inspired by David Levithan's book, The Realm of Possibility (Knopf, 2004), a collection of poems by 20 teens, the program included a PG-13 play called The Wrestling Season, a visit from Levithan, a teen art exhibit, and a community resource fair.

Although …