by Heather Booth
If you saw our recent post on what your teens will gain when you bring them to the BFYA Teen Session at Annual 2013, you may have been wondering, “Sure, that’s great – but what’s in it for me?â€*
Publicity. What’s that? Local teens are speaking on a national level? Call in the press! This is a great opportunity for you to snap cool photos of local teens with famous authors, pull pithy quotes from their speeches, and share your teen’s McCormick Place Adventure with your Facebook fans, local social media, and neighborhood newspapers. When people see your library’s teens highlighted in this way, it’s going to reflect so well on your teens, your institution, and you.
Respect. It takes some guts, a whole lot of energy, and tremendous leadership skills to shepherd a group of teens around the convention center, but just think about what a great leadership opportunity it’s going to be! Your supervisor will know, once each sweet teenaged head is dog tired and tucked into his parent’s passenger seat at the end of the day, that you are a librarian to be reckoned with. You really can pull off a tricky event with grace and efficiency.
That Special Something. Why did you get into teen librarianship in the first place? It probably wasn’t so you could pore over weeding reports or negotiate departmental vacation time. And maybe it wasn’t even about the books. Maybe tech is your thing, or community building. But certainly you’re doing this job because you get a thrill out of giving teens what they want, seeing them elated at a success, and connecting them with resources that meet their needs, interests and passions. Bring them to McCormick Place and you will get that thrill in spades. It’ll revitalize you, pull you through the breakneck pace of summer reading, and give you a success to remember fondly when you hit a rough patch down the road.
Also you get a free Exhibits Only pass for Saturday the 29th. So that’s cool, too!
*Actually, teen librarians are so roundly awesome, you probably weren’t wondering what’s in it for you. So – surprise! There are benefits for you too!
