Collaborating with Teens to Build Better Library Programs, Part 1

Preview:

Citation preview

December 2012

part #1

Beyond attendance or circulation numbers…Participation and collaboration with teens

from passive to active…

POLL QUESTION #1:Who is out there? Which best describes you:

I work primarily with teens

I “do it all” including work w teens

I am a school librarian

I’m the Director of the library

I’m the “lucky” person “designated” to work with teens

I am a Library Science Student

I am in a room full of people interested in teen services!

Teens want to be involved at their library…

This week…Foundation•Teen participation•Why teen participation & libraries•“Ladder of Teen Participation”

Teens in your community•Library’s reach

Programmingteen involvement in program development and

implementationdiscovering and fostering communities of interest

Teen Leadership Councils and groupsvolunteers formal/ casual/

off-site opportunities

From inward to outward…Teen library programming

is not an end unto itself; without service context does not move

the library toward the realization of goals,

which must include “actively involving teens in the planning and implementation of services and programming for their age group (YALSA/RUSA).”

What?What is youth participation?

Why?vs.

What?

“… is the involving of youth in

responsible, challenging action that meets genuine needs, with opportunities for planning and/or decision-making affecting others in an activitywhose impact or consequence is extended to others...”

--The National Commission on Resources for Youth in the United States, 1975

Teen Participation

http://www.amarillomagonline.com/article/239

Teen collaboration* may be

something you have to advocate for….

* or basic service

Teen Services…

Becoming core in the traditional library landscape

•Entitlement•Possibilities•Expectations•Necessities

Why?Why is youth participation important?

Why is teen/library collaboration important?

… for libraries… for teens

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4815206453_4565d99438.jpg

Why is teen/library collaboration important?

… for teens

Gain: developmental assets cultural & social competenciesmeaningful participation

Play decision making rolesTake ownership of the libraryValued & respected by communityCivic engagement

Why is teen/library collaboration important?

… for libraries

•Useful, relevant, and appealing to teens•Teens take ownership•Less inward more outward focused•Community of asset builders•Legitimately involve teens•Opportunities to build greater organizational

capacity & credibility

DevelopmentalAssetsFramework

LanguageEstablishedPartners Use

http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapubliclibrary

YouthParticipation Model

ExpressEvaluateArticulate

Assess how your library is doing now and help set goals for the future.

Roger Hart created a model for thinking about youth participation as a continuum of activities.

Rung #3adult initiated action; shared decisions with youth

initiated by adults but the decision making is shared with young people

Rung #2youth initiated and directed actions

young people initiate and direct a project or program. Adults are involved only ina supportive role

Rung #1youth initiated actions, shared decisions with adults

initiated by young peopleand decision making is shared betweenyoung people and adults.

What’s your impression?

Most teen related services/activitiesat your library are currently…

#1 youth initiated actions, shared decisions with adults

#2 youth initiated and directed actions#3 adult initiated action;

shared decisions with youth#4 youth are consulted and informed#5 youth are assigned but informed#6 tokenism#7 decoration

Possible indicators ofteen/ library collaboration…

http://tametheweb.com/2008/08/28/library-fail/

NOT!

POLL QUESTION #2:

Have you ever planned a library program for teens and no one showed up??

(I have.)

“How do I get teens to show up for programs at the library?”

inward to outward& teen programming

is for teens

From inward to outward…

from the web….

from the web….

teen programming is for teens

““We are not teens… We are not teens… but we think we are.”but we think we are.”

Know the teens you serve… and not just the teens you see…

Know the community you serve…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cyndipix/2850529664/in/photostream/

teens you see every day

school groups

outreach

homeschool groups

school counselors

school librarians

comic book store

gaining teen participation…

This is all stuff you may suspect (know!) already…Questions to ask yourself...

how does your library currently engage teens?

how does your library approach attracting teens to the location?

what do teen find whenthey visit your library?

participation… to collaboration

TLCs

“Regulars”

Communities of Interest

Volunteers

Questions?Questions?

Teen Leadership CouncilIngredients:

Teens

Staff advisor/ facilitator

Meeting (consistency!)

Responsibilities & decision-making that affect broader group

      EMPOWERMENT

Community Values Youth | Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.

Youth as Resources | Young people are given useful roles in the community.

Service to Others | Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.

             

in an asset framework

      SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

Planning and Decision Making | Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.

Interpersonal Competence | Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.

Cultural Competence | Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Sense of Purpose | Young person reports that "my life has a purpose."

     

asset framework

TLC developed programming

teen library board member

"Here I was -- a 17-year-old at meetings with adult professionals. But people treated me with respect, and they respected my opinion."

Teen Leadership

“The more we increase the active participation and partnership with young people, the better we serve them. And the more comprehensively we work with them as service partners, the more we increase our public value to the entire community.”

– Carmen Martinez, Director Oakland Public Library

http://sparkaction.org/node/27408

Youth show their support local libraries at Thursday's Council meeting, which may be impacted with the mayor's budget cutshttp://oaklandlocal.com/sites/default/files/i/citycouncil2.jpg

Teen advisory group

city-wide / local / independent

http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/links/teens/index.html

Formalized

Proximity&

Interest

proximityMonday Nights @ CentralWhat are we doing tonight??

Consistency

More casual / spontaneous

Based on interests of evolving group

Play a “local” decision making role

Emphasis not on “hosting” programming for peers – but implementing ideas for group

Collaborating with “The Regulars”

The perfect storm of “we want to cook”.

Communities of interest

A “community of interest” is a group of people who share a commonpassion.

Based on what you know is popular…

What do you think might be a “teen” community of interest?

(answer via chat)

anime/ manga

San Japan Reading Room

anime/ manga

San Japan Reading Room

Communities of interest• do not rely on what you think you know (or the things YOU like… or the thing you think teens like…)

• know what’s going on in your community

• tap into gaps

• rely on teens to tell you

• add “library-ness” (mission value)

venue of interest

QUESTION #3:

Does your library have teen volunteer opportunities?

task based teen volunteersproject based volunteers

Make it official! & Spontaneously on the spot! Assessment of interests be open to nontraditional

shelving decorate teen spacereviewing items working on teen blog.. (more on these later!) 

task based teen volunteers

Focus on what teens are gaining…

task based teen volunteers

pitfalls...  not having enough for a teen volunteer to do...

colleagues who are not comfortable with teen volunteers doing anything…

not having staff to train/supervise teen volunteers

teen volunteers

project based volunteers

How Chuck Norris ate Teen Tech Week…

…and zombies invaded Teen Read Week.

Foster and facilitate…

Find resources

Develop partnerships

Grow users

Build community

Advocate

Formalize

Your role:

Formalizing teenparticipation/ collaborationas a success measure

Making it part of your teen service mission and vision.

Programming Policy

SAPL - Teen Program Development Guidelines:

•Teen Library Program development will NOT be passive – with the Library in the role of “creator” and the teen patron in the role of “attendee.”•Teen Library Programming will NOT originate from:

•the interests of library personnel •library staffs’ or community members’ perception of the interests of teens •library staffs’ or adult community members’ presumption of what is “good” for teens.

Teen Library Programming WILL originate from:•Teens with library staff assuming the role of facilitator and guide during the process •Teens will actively participate in program development, implementation and play a role in the decision making process.

Programming Policy

Getting to baseline: (homework.)

Of the population served by the library, approximately what percentage is made up by teens (13 to 18)?

Look at demographic/ economic information about the community you serve. What picture forms about your typical user?

In your library database determine how many teens have “active” library cards.

How many students attend the high school closest to your location?

Based on the size of the teen population vs. the number of active teen library cards – is there potential to increase teen library usage?

In the last year how many teens attended library programs? How many teen programs were offered?

You need to know…Does your library keep separate statistics on the number and attendance of teen programs?

Does your library have a separate budget for teen programming? If there is a budget – what is the funding amount based on?

How do you report teen programming activities to: your supervisor, administration, library board?(like statistics, narrative, or both - or other)

How are teen programming decisions made in your organization?

Are there teen programming guidelines/ policy/ centralization?

How do teens find out about teen library programs/ activities?

jenniferjoan@gmail.com

Questions?Questions?

R.I.P.“Adele”

Peace to you as you roll in the deep.

Ultimate ownership – the clean-up

Recommended