The Internet Public Library

Helping Girls Succeed

The purpose of this guide is to inform educators, counselors, parents, and librarians of the wealth of resources available that address the unique needs of preteen and adolescent girls. The 1990s has witnessed an explosion of media attention and social interest in fostering the growth and development of young women. By the time many young girls reach adolescence they show a profound lack of self-efficacy and optimism about their own futures. Adults are now looking for tools to help girls develop healthier attitudes and behaviors that will lead to successful adulthood.

A plethora of online resources and a specialized publishing niche contribute to this pool of information on self-esteem, sexuality and body image issues, empowerment, education and parenting strategies, and creative activities for girls. This guide presents some of the outstanding resources currently available on this significant topic. What is not included are the many nongender-specific resources geared towards teens and adults. Also this guide does not delve into the many biographical resources that are available, although many of the sources do contain the voices of today's youth.

This guide is divided into two main sections: resources for girls ages nine to 16 and resources for adults who care about girls. No attempt was made to indicate which resources are geared towards younger girls versus older ones as many issues, such as puberty can occur at any time during that range, thus making a source that is not necessarily appropriate for one nine-year-old, appropriate for another. Many of the resources for girls can easily be relevant and useful for adults and vice versa. Again, this is not clearly delineated in the guide, although Web sites for girls with pages directed towards adults are listed in both sections. Annotations are provided throughout the guide to help users determine what they might find most useful.