Transcript Slide 1

Teens and Librarians:
Everybody Wins
Karen Brooks-Reese
Teen Services Coordinator
Teen Services by the Numbers
• 78% of 8-18 year olds nationwide have a
library card.
• 57% have used a public library in the last
month.
• ¾ of Americans think it is a high priority for
libraries to provide a place for teens to study
and congregate.
• 26% of teens say they would use the library
more often if it had a space just for teens.
“Teens are increasingly becoming
library immigrants in a land of
library natives.”
- Mary Madden
Pew Internet & Digital Life Project
The Library:
An adult perspective:
A teen perspective:
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• Can’t think – too quiet!
• Books are outdated – I’d
rather use the internet
• Nosy adults
• Obnoxious little kids sticking
their noses into my business
• Impossible-to-follow rules
• Uncomfortable – nowhere
to sprawl, put my feet up…
Quiet
Good books
Helpful librarians
Cute little kids at storytime
Reasonable loan rules
Comfortable
2,422 Teens participated in Teen
Summer Reading at 38 libraries.
They read 11,522 books, 98,127
minutes, and 41,976 pages.
Teen District Services provided each
library with posters, bookmarks,
electronic documents to reproduce
and PRIZES.
241 entries to the Ralph Munn Creative Writing
Contest were received from high school students all
over Allegheny County.
101 pieces will be published in the Ralph Munn
Chapbook, and each library will receive a copy to
add to their collections.
A Eulogy for American English
By Dani Zionts Lyon
Inside my head, I called myself the “savior,”
a messianic angel, fantasized
about the day I would myself proclaim
the English language mine, romanticized
that trivial profession I endured:
lexicographer. I thought myself—
the God of Grammar—with my pen ensured
the English language. An exquisite life.
The day I went too far, I killed a child,
Hyphen, the misbegotten son of ampersand.
My ego-trip unbreathed him, my pen, wild,
tore him from homes in fig-leaves, log-jams.
The written word has turned to mush—soon gone,
I’ve mangled it, yet English marches on.
Poetry
• 1st: Dani Lyon, CAPA
• 2nd: Katie Doyle, CAPA
• 3rd: Victoria Simon, West
Allegheny
Creative
Nonfiction
• 1st: Richa Bhasin, Moon
• 2nd: Jacob Rosati, Upper St. Clair
• 3rd: Amanda Nichols, CAPA
Short
Fiction
• 1st: Elizabeth De Lyser, Baldwin
• 2nd: Anna Quinn, Montour
• 3rd: Faith Beck, Upper St. Clair
• 128 Gift Books sent to teen
librarians to add to their
collections in past week
• Advance Reader Copies (ARCs)
available to borrow
• Weeding and collection analysis
assistance available!
• Teen Services Meetings
– Bimonthly, rotating
locations
– Opportunity to:
• Share ideas
• Discuss teen literature
• Network with other teen
librarians
– Training component at
each meeting
• Booktalking
• Podcasting
• Graphic Novels
– New for 2009: Themed
meetings
• Training and Workshops
– Teen Summer Reading
– Audioconferences
• Gaming in Libraries
• Serving Teens in Busy
Branches
– Adolescent Brain
Development Workshop
• October 28th
• Session 1 for all staff
• Session 2 primarily for teen
services staff
• Where do tweens (ages 8-11 or 9-12, usually) fit into
library services?
• Tween Task Force, made up of children’s and teen
librarians from throughout the county, will:
– Explore best practices for tween services
– Develop resources for use by libraries throughout the
county
– Offer tween services training workshop
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
Can’t think – it’s too quiet!
Does it need to be that quiet all the time? Could
the library allow a bit more noise after school, or
create a teen space where noise is permitted?
Some studies show that teens (especially boys)
actually work better with auditory stimulation.
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
Books are outdated – I’d rather use the internet
Today’s teens have never known a world
without the internet. Is it any wonder they’re
more comfortable online? Be familiar with
useful databases, and be able to pair those with
books. Don’t forget to explain why the internet
isn’t always the best resource!
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
The library’s full of mean, nosy adults.
Encourage your staff to think of teens as people
first and teens second. They should be friendly,
but step back if a teen doesn’t need or want
help. They should ask questions and engage in
conversation and not assume that just because
somebody is under 18 that they’re up to no
good!
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
The obnoxious little kids are always sticking
their noses into my business.
If you’re going to the effort to offer teen
programs, make them teen programs. Younger
kids might want to join in, but teens aren’t going
to want to participate if the program is full of
little kids. Consider making certain chairs or
computers “teen only” at certain times of day.
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
I can’t follow all those rules.
Most libraries are full of unnecessary rules that
are designed to stop specific behavior, not the
actual activity. Why can’t teens share
computers? Why can’t they play games?
Usually it’s a noise issue – so wouldn’t a better
rule be “keep noise at a minimum”?
Strict loan rules with fees attached can be very
difficult, especially for teens who don’t have
their own income. Consider exploring a “fine
alternative” program or something similar.
What Else Can We Do?
The Library: a Teen Perspective
The library’s uncomfortable. There’s nowhere to
sprawl and I can’t put my feet up or my head down.
When was the last time you saw a teenager
sitting upright in a chair and enjoying it? Look
into furniture like “poofs,” ottomans, diner-style
tables – if you really want teens to use it, ask for
their help in picking it out!
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Develop lifelong library users.
Active, willing volunteers.
Build community support
Teens’ parents are voters – and so are they.
What Teens (and teen librarians) Need from YOU
• Understanding that offering excellent services
to teens is as important as offering services to
children or adults.
• Support (monetary and moral) for teen
librarians who want to try new things.
• Release time for teen librarians to attend
meetings and training workshops.
• Additional training needed?
• Program ideas?
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Contact Information
Karen Brooks Reese
Teen Services Coordinator
412-578-2599
[email protected]