Read a report by Negin Dahya and Jin Ha Lee on the role of virtual reality in public libraries.
Study funded by Washington State Libraries, Office of the Secretary of State, and Oculus.
What We Do
Researchers in the Digital Youth Lab explore the transformative potential of new and future technologies in young people’s lives. Drawing on a variety of methods and disciplinary perspectives, our work encompasses topics such as co-designing new technologies, youth well-being, computing education, developing literacies, and learning across settings. Spanning global contexts, our research addresses the role of digital media and information technologies in relation to access and equity for youth and their communities.
Katie Davis guest edits special edition of journal on adolescent development
Digital Youth Lab researcher Katie Davis guest edited a special issue of the Journal of Adolescent Research on young people's development in an age of social media. Read it here.
'How the iSchool explores youth tech use through phones, fanfiction, and more'
Read about our research in this November 2019 article in the UW Daily, quoting Digital Youth Lab faculty Katie Davis, Amy Ko and Jason Yip. "Where I start with all my research is really take the time to understand what [youth] are doing, why they’re doing it, and what it means to them," Davis says in the story.
Beverly Cleary Professorship
In fall 2016, Professor Michelle Martin joined the iSchool as the Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor in Children and Youth Services. This endowed Professorship was created to honor the work of renowned author and librarian Beverly Cleary, who graduated from the iSchool in 1939.
Digital Youth Lab News
Aragon, Davis explore fanfiction’s ‘Secret Garden’ in new book
The internet can be a dark and scary place, especially for teenagers. But in fanfiction communities, teens explore their creative sides and work together to improve their skills, usually without fear of ridicule. In “Writers in the Secret Garden,” Cecilia Aragon and Katie Davis shed light on this phenomenon and explain how mentoring that occurs in fanfiction could apply in other settings.
Patterns of compulsive smartphone use suggest how to kick the habit
Researchers conducted in-depth interviews to learn why we compulsively check our phones. They found a series of triggers, common across age groups, that start and end habitual smartphone use. The team also explored user-generated solutions to end undesirable phone use.
Children's Literature Association honors Michelle Martin with Mentoring Award
The Children’s Literature Association’s Mentoring Award recognizes Information School Professor Michelle Martin’s work encouraging and nurturing scholars in the children’s literature field. Martin focuses primarily on helping young scholars of color, particularly African American women, when they seek support and advice.
IMLS grants will support work on co-design, video game archiving
Information School researchers recently won a pair of 2018 National Leadership Grants for Libraries, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Assistant Professor Jason Yip and Associate Professor Jin Ha Lee will team up on one of the projects, a three-year, $353,000 effort to involve people from different generations in co-design sessions at libraries.
Amy Ko earns prestigious 10-year award from ICSE
Information School Associate Professor Amy Ko has earned a 10-year most influential paper award from the International Conference on Software Engineering, one of the premier conferences on software engineering research.