You are but IM: connecting young adults and libraries in the 21st Century
March 24, 2006
4:00-5:15
Patrick Jones
Outreach Department, Hennepin County Library MN
Tricia Suellentrop
Teen Services, Johnson County Public Library KS
Michele Gorman
Teen Services Manager, ImaginOn: the Joe and Joan Martin Center for The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburgh County NC
http://www.connectingya.com
The ten values we share.
1. Youth Development
2. Developmental needs
3. Development assests (www.search-institute.org)
4. Youth advocacy
5. Youth participation
6. Collaboration
7. Information Technology
8. Adolescent literacy
9. Learning and Achievement
10. Equity of access/intellectual freedom
The ten trends that drive us.
1. Digital Divide and Diversity
2. Format Explosion:
3. Information Literacy
4. New Spaces
5. Outcome Measurement
6. Outreach in the Community
7. Programming Returns
8. Teen Volunteers/Interns
9. Youth Development
10. Youth Involvement Plus Programming.
Squeeze 850 pages into an hour
Handouts will be available on the website within 48 hours
ImaginOn.org
Teenage Riot is a new column to address the need of teens located in School Library Journal.
Value 1
This is truly the thing you can’t change
happening inside their heads and bodies
The only thing you can do is change to meet them
Brain research show teenagers are works in progress
Remember there is a reason. Its what is going on in their brain.
Their brain is changing. When Brian is pruning you use a different part of brain to make decisions
They use the emotional part of their brian.
We need to be aware of this and that we cannot change this.
We cannot have the same rational conversation with an 11 year old as a 16
embrace teenagers being teenagers.
Easy to say, hard to do it.
Value 2
“we are professional people that don’t know people but we know what’s wrong with them”
Value 3
Research of search institute what works is a positive approach
What to they have? and build on it.
Value 4
It is important , it is a important journal
the idea is that teens are not at the table, and it is your job is to be their voice.
Value 5
Youth and participate
as advocates we need to give them voice
we need to give them voices back
give them opprotunites to take action, to make signifigant meaningful involvement. Be prepared to act on their suggestions
You need to be able to justify the answer no.
After a month they will look on the shelf for the items you listed
Need opportunity to make meaningful connections
Value 6
by teens for teens
Collaboration is important
Keep teens in mind when meeting with partners
it is a way to extend resource, get library at table, get publicity,
You have the best results because you get people thinking
You develop all the assests,
Everybody gets on board and heading in the save directions
communication (ask for something)
put in a little effort get a little back.
Combining ideas and make whole new ball of wax
You can put in a lot of effort and you get a lot out of it
Value 7
Information literacy is important.
Not because they need to know how to use Google
I want to make young people empowered
asset building in action
What better way to start collaboration
It is important and it is easy (Keith Curry Lance)
All of the stuff is cheap
Value 8
Repetitive text=Series books
It is a continuum. There are different things they read. related to how they are growing.
They are going to get through the stages, they want information. They want to figure out about the world.
That’s where they are.
As technology as increased, their need for reading has increased
We need to have people that are providing good service who read what they are reading.
As the body changes we change the formats.
Board books meet the developmental needs of babies
Large print meets the aging needs of seniors.
Kids learn differently and achieve differently.
Value 10
If learning and achievement is part of our job. the reality is
Intellectual Freedom is the right to information regardless of what I think you what you think.
Serving everyone at all ages, babies, children seniors business professionals and TEENS
I don’t’ have to like it but I have to provide access to it.
We change our attitudes to meet the intellectual needs of individuals
Ten Trends
3:30 in a public library. You want not problems : Padlock
It happens in someway because you have been there since 8:30 you are tired, you have had to deal with computer, toddler, seniors, and cell phone guy.
Remembere
Accept
Project
Remember what is was like to be 15
Accept they are going to act a certain way
Project Treat the teens as if they were you at 15
Ten Trends that drive us
Best Practices. We don’t have to re-invent the wheel, look for others. they may have tried and failed and learned about it.
All websites will be on handouts if I miss one
This is risk taking.
Digital Divide and Diversity.
Old school low income no access to technology
New divide to Digital immigrant and native
we need to meet them where they are
live in their world
learn their language
experience technology
IM, Blog, Chat, Flicker, ALA’s discussion group
Listen to a podcast. (Pod Princess)
Myowncafe.org
not static, its interactive
ImaginOn has bluescreen for editing
IM reference. Homer township library has had it for years
MySpace account
Denver public library went live with eflicks Download video for free and watch on own time
Format explosion
Graphic Novels
Video Games
Anime
Audiobooks on ipod shuffles preloaded no digital divide
Programming
Ann Arbor Video Game library
Austin-On the Edge Book Club (all those topics teens want to read about and talk)
Blow things up at the library. Camp Chaos. Make rockets, catapults, slime… lots of Science was going on
By teens for teens with teens
Information literacy
Build reference desk as pod in the middle of room
Teens can stand right next to librarian.
when a desk in between we convey I’m qualified to find the information, and that they are qualified to watch you
Give them access
Student Web Instructions For Teachers (SWIFT) teach teacher to teach students info literacy
Texas Information Literacy Tool (TILT)
Where’s the information (IPL) Learn how to be a skilled researcher
Space
Most valuable commodity
People get upset about it
What do they see when they walk in
Are you willing to carve out a space for them?
One librarian spelled out Teen with PVP pipe then put it on the wall.
Tricky is space vs service. Make sure they can get service (Reference)
Success
Output
highest circulation is Teen,
Old school
we need OutCome
Change the way of thinking
50 Teens at a book discussion group, it’s a failure because you can’t possibility engage all 50 in deep discussion
What did you learn
What did you do
Outreach
If they know your face they are more likely to come in.
Get out, beat the bushes.
Teen Read Week- get into school with it
Banned Books Week
Summer Reading Program (I heard discussion about whether a nation wide accepted program would make this easier)
If they never see anyone from the library, why would they go into the library.
Don’t count the school out for collaboration.
Laramie County Connecting young Hispanic girls
Teen Volunteers
Meaningful
Nobody wants to shelve books, clean books,
For teens it is important to learn how to work with adults, negotiating the work place environment, Work where the adult doesn’t have to like you
A little bit is letting loose teen control.
Many things we can do to engage them. Do more than fluff task.
As you are calling volunteers, recognize the types of kids. Quiet kids may like cutting die-cuts, but the chatty girls would make great greeters for a program
It has to be win-win.
They do tremendous stuff if you let them do it.
Do teen programming, get list of clubs, and let them come up with programs. \
“And the best thing was I didn’t have to do anything”
But that’s not true you have to let go control
Library pays librarian to make the community a better place. It’s not about how many books we check out, but how much we learn.
Do programs with teens not for teens
It is accepting, it is letting go of the control, You have to live with what they do
We are telling them that “I trust you” that is huge.
Think outside of the YA box
If you have a teen advisory Council. THEY NEED TO ADVISE YOU.
Listen to them
You can have volunteers, movie groups, and more
show them that librarians are a fun place
Let them join library board
put teens on friends of the library board
Library interns let them work with IT, show them collection development, Cataloging.
Include them in focus groups, get their feedback
Peer tutoring
Website design
Use their skills and allow them to be meaningful involved
Virgina Beach Public Libray (teen library board member)
Arlington Public library (TAG school and public library )
ImaginOn (new puppet troup)
Minneapolis (Teenzine)
East Icelip (YA Drama Group)
Johnson Library (interngenreational Programing)
Think outside the box
Take risks
Make it matter
Listen to them
Give them a voice