2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: From Summer Learning to Summer Leading at the Auburn Public Library

by

The Auburn Public Library, northeast of metro Atlanta, currently serves a population of about 8,000 city residents, but is located in one of the most rapidly expanding areas in the state. Our small library draws in an average of 1,000 patrons per month just for its free programs, and is planning to expand later this year. As one can imagine, this number doubles or even triples during the summer months, and being able to hire interns to help handle the workload is a lifesaver!

Summer intern Christina Miller.

Thanks to Dollar General and YALSA, we were able to hire a part-time Summer Intern for eight weeks. We advertised the position for about a month via social media and at the two local high schools before conducting interviews. We received over 20 applications and interviewed 17 teens before deciding on Christina Miller, a 16 year-old rising high school senior, for her first paying job. Christina has grown up in our library, volunteering with us since she was 12. She came to the interview incredibly prepared with pages of notes and dressed more professionally than we had ever seen her, a sign that she was taking this opportunity seriously. We knew that she was the right choice for this position.

Summer intern Christina Miller.

Christina helped us with a little of everything over the summer. We offered a program every day of the week, including a free lunch program for youth 18 and under. She helped hand out summer reading prizes, take pictures, shelve, and interact with patrons at the information desk. But where Christina really shone was in helping lead teen programs. Our teen programs, for teens aged 12-19, took place on Thursday nights. One of our more popular programs that we repeated several times is Virtual Reality. We have a 40-inch TV set up in our teen section and an Occulus Rift system hooked up to it. Christina assisted with the setup of the device and by the end of the summer, she could operate it better than any staff member! She helped download updates, choose games, and we stepped back and let her run the show with the other teens. She was fair, making sure everyone got turns and keeping the audience engaged in the fun. She also ran her first-ever Dungeons and Dragons campaign sitting in the Dungeon Master chair to a group of seven very excited teens (we almost had to throw them out of the library at closing time).

 

Having an extra person to help during the summer was amazing, but seeing Christina step up and lead programs was an extraordinary experience. We provided her with tools and opportunities, and she performed beyond our highest expectations. We labeled our teen summer learning program a success for many reasons (higher participation, higher attendance), but watching Christina bloom with confidence was a highlight of the summer. Thank you, Dollar General and YALSA, for allowing us to be a part of your program – it changed lives. 

 

Bel Outwater is the Library Manager for the Auburn Public Library, part of the Piedmont Regional Library System serving Banks, Barrow, and Jackson counties in northeast Georgia. Working in a library combines her two passions: reading and helping people. She is obsessed with penguins, sloths, dinosaurs, and too many fandoms to count. 

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Ford Memorial Library

by

At the Ford Memorial Library we are striving to provide tech education and resources to teens and young people in our rural area. With the recent expansion of our building we have been able to implement more tech infrastructure including a much faster network and internet connection, as well as our new mobile tech lab (pictured). This summer we have run a number of programs and activities to facilitate the goal of increasing tech literacy among our local youth.

Teens sit in a classroom for a presentation. Teens work on laptop computers.

Our teen intern, Harrison, was a key part of that process this summer. We hired him initially based on his previous customer service experience and interest in technology. We believe he shares our vision for bettering tech infrastructure in the area, and in addition to helping us with programs we also allowed him space to pursue his own projects. He created a video for our YouTube channel, taught a class on iOS, and did a considerable amount of research and outreach to help us bring an electric vehicle charger to our new parking lot.

From Harrison:

In my time at the Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, I have gained a plethora of knowledge. While participating as the Teen Intern at the library I took part in activities associated with our Summer Reading/Learning Program. During this endeavor, I managed time that involved setting up, cleaning up, as well as managing start and end times with the movement of youth groups. I also developed science-related activities for youth groups regarding astronomy. Further, at the end of the Summer Reading Program, I creatively displayed literary works and coordinated their movements on our shelves. Additionally I set up and moved technological equipment such as those used for photography, videography and gaming. Likewise, I put this equipment to use while taking photos, recording videos, and setting up and logging gaming equipment for patrons. In conjunction with technology, I assisted patrons using their devices as well as those owned by the library. Additionally I assessed the uses of technology both from a modern point of view as well as from an archaic point of view. Furthermore I gained insight into consumer relations and customer service. This was achieved by taking phone calls from patrons and local libraries and completing actions that are required to assure a seamless experience among our surrounding communities. 

My personal project was to bring an electric vehicle charging station to our area. This project was something that was of interest to not only myself, but to some of the other library staff. This involved researching options as to the companies that would make both logistical and practical sense to work with for our current plans for what the end product to this project would be. After assessing companies to work with, I chose one and began our endeavor towards a solution to this lack of a charging station in our centrally located area. It started with an email to the company, which led to an organized business call with the company to assess costs as well as rebates which our non-profit library could benefit from. This led me to discover the tasks of a business in operating alongside companies to gain a desired outcome. This led me to contact the director of the library and start the process of getting a quote as to the installation of a charger in the parking lot of our library. This was a great learning opportunity for myself in order to gain insight as to the operations of a business.

 

Luke Hodde is an IT Specialist at Edith B. Ford Memorial Library. 

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Sparking Interest in Teen Interns

by

Through the Dollar General and YALSA Internship Grant we were able to create an internship program at our public library this summer. This was the first time we were able to offer a summer internship and it was very well received, both by library staff members as well as in the community. With the help of additional funding, we were able to hire three interns who each worked a total of 75 hours over the summer months.   

Our teen interns were juniors and seniors in high school, who had all participated in youth programm

ing at the public library for many years. It was helpful to have teens who were library users, participating in our internship program, because they already enjoyed many aspects of the library and blended easily into our work culture. Since we recruited library users, it was easy to find youth who were interested in participating, both through our teen programming and through word of mouth. It was also easy to keep them interested in the job throughout the summer, because they had invested interest in the tasks that they performed.   

A teen stands behind a table at a Summer Maker Fair.

B.F. Jones Memorial Library Summer Maker Fair

Because all of our interns had other commitments, such as jobs, activities and summer vacations, it was helpful to have three interns that could be rotated on our operating schedule. Rotating three inters meant that we could be more flexible with their scheduling, which worked well for all of us. It also gave us the opportunity to connect with several youth and gave them the chance to earn money, learn about their community and find out more about their public library.  

B.F. Jones Memorial Library Summer Maker Fair

B.F. Jones Memorial Library Summer Maker Fair

Since we expanded our funds, we were able to have our teen interns on site throughout the summer. This gave them the chance to really be a part of our Summer Learning program. This also gave us extra help for larger programs and provided the teens with the opportunity to collaborate on special programs, such as our end of summer Maker Fair. Our teen interns worked closely with our library staff on outreach programming as well as programs and events that we offer through our Summer Learning program. Some of the things they worked on were prepping STEM challenges and craft projects, assisting youth during programming, creating advertisements for events, shelving and organizing the collection, and assisting with special collection projects. They were also available to help with our Summer Food and Fun program, which we facilitate through our local YMCA and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. This is a free meal program that provides youth, ages 0-18, with a daily snack and lunch in our children’s department, during our Summer Learning programs and events. 

B.F. Jones Memorial Library Summer Maker Fair

B.F. Jones Memorial Library Summer Maker Fair

All of the tasks that our teens performed gave them a chance to experience a cross section of how our public library operates, as well as a glimpse into the community that we serve. We also gave our teens the chance to express their opinions about the projects they put together for library programs. These things all helped to keep their interest sparked throughout their internship. 

 

Kristen Janci is a Youth Coordinator at B.F. Jones Memorial Library.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Tips and Tricks to Make your Internship Program Successful

by

For the second year in a row, the Walkersville Branch Library, a small rural suburb located just North of Washington, D.C., hosted their annual Summer Lunch Program. With free lunch served daily for an average of 85 children and teens, we needed not only a friendly face to welcome our hungry families, but one who had the organization and quick-thinking skills to jump in wherever needed, even after the last juice box was given away.

From the last week of June through the first week of August, “Ms. Lydia” greeted our families, served up a quick lunch, signed up families for our Summer Challenge, and assisted with program preparation and administration. We were truly grateful for her service and assistance throughout some of our busiest times at the library.

However, we learned some things too. Managing a teen intern is very different then managing a regularly employed library staff member. 

So, here are our TOP 8 TIPS for those libraries interested in hiring a teen intern in the future:

  1. Require those interested candidates to drop off their application at the library. While email or online submission is easiest for those who are applying, requiring a quick visit to the library gives you an immediate snapshot into the individual on a relaxed basis. Did they drop off the application and run? Did they hang out to snag a library card? Are they a familiar face? 
  2. Offer an opportunity for those not chosen to receive some feedback on their application and interview. Not only is it valuable for them, but it forces us to step outside of our comfort zone and provide constructive feedback.
  3. Be honest with the amount of time that you are expecting from the intern. Teens don’t reside in a vacuum, and it can be frustrating to find out that their caregivers are expecting them for a family vacation that may take place in the middle of their required work time. 
  4. Set boundaries with your teen intern in the workplace.  If the teen gets a lunch break, will they feel welcome to take it in the break room?
  5. Be Specific about their daily job tasks and goals. Make sure to always have plenty of additional work to do if you find your intern completes their tasks in a more than timely fashion. 
  6. Welcome them when they arrive, and thank them when they leave. Yes, they were hired to do a “job” but learning the concepts of workplace creation are equally as important as the job they were hired to do. 
  7. The exit interview is just as important as the entrance interview. It can provide you with valuable information for the following year’s internship.  
  8. Work with the Workforce Development or Job Coordinator at your local school. They will know    the ins and outs of the work permit (should your state require it), and they will also have information about comparable internships and jobs in your area.  

 

Betsey Brannen is the Children’s Services Supervisor for Frederick County Public Libraries – Walkersville.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Grant benefits library, teens

by

“I feel like I accomplished something today.”
– A summer teen intern after a particularly busy day of STEAM programming

Our library received a YALSA Summer Teen Intern Grant this year. We used the $1,000 grant award to provide a $500 stipend to each of our two summer teen interns assisting us with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) programming. Before our summer’s start, we laid out the follow goals or learning outcomes for our interns:

  • Participate in a real-world job seeking situation, including completing an internship application and sitting for an interview with our library’s interview committee;
  • Gain greater self-confidence and self-esteem while improving on social interactions in a work setting with people of all ages;
  • Enhance customer service skills by working with a diverse group of people with varying needs;
  • Improve problem-solving skills as STEAM activities require analytical thinking;
  • Gain work experience which will be helpful later when competing in the job market; and
  • Gain a greater appreciation for, and (we hoped) an interest in STEAM learning.

At our library, we have been emphasizing STEAM programming for children and teens for the past few years. This year, we found in the beginning that our teen interns had little experience working with the kind of STEAM resources that our library offers, but they quickly learned and began to appreciate them.

During their time with us this summer, each of our interns worked 50 hours assisting with STEAM programming, each interacting with library staff members and hundreds of children, teens, and adults. As we revisit our pre-summer learning outcomes for our interns today, we believe (and they believe) we were mostly successful in meeting these goals together. In the exit survey we asked interns to complete, they responded favorably to the question, “In which areas do you believe this internship has helped you,” checking off most of the above outcomes and adding some of their own that we hadn’t included, such as developing more patience. We are pleased with this outcome.

We’ve been fortunate enough to receive a YALSA Summer Teen Intern Grant on three occasions within the past couple of years. During the years, our approach to this grant and our interns has changed. In the very beginning, our interns were here to help us, we thought, (i.e., setting up a room, handing out program evaluations, and other necessary, but menial tasks) and to get a paycheck for themselves. 

The truth is that we as a library staff can handle these tasks on our own; this program is to benefit these teens. Our interns have much to offer and are not here solely for a paycheck. I refer to the above quote as evidence of this point. Yes, the stipend is nice and appreciated by our teens, but they also want to be engaged in meaningful work, and they appreciate the opportunity to interact with others, to learn new skills, and to be productive. 

These days, and for a long while, our summer teen interns (when we are fortunate enough to have them) help our staff members lead our STEAM programs, and they also provide us with valuable feedback on our programs and how we can make them better for people like themselves. Our library and our interns both benefit from this experience.

In closing, we offer some parting comments from our interns on the impact of their internships: 

  • “I learned that I’m a people person and that people flock to me. It made more positive and helped me to learn more about people.” 
  • “I realized I am a good multi-tasker and am an easy-going person. I have good patience with people’s requests and communicate well. I also realized I am an open-minded person.”

 

Katina Gaudet is an Area Librarian at Lafourche Parish Public Library – South Lafourche Branch.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Teens Leading Teens – The Power of Empowering Interns

by

This summer, The Bill Memorial Library of Groton, CT was fortunate to employ two teen interns through funds provided by the YALSA Teen Intern Program and Dollar General.  Over the course of the summer, our two interns were given a number of tasks that enriched our summer learning program for participants under age 10. These tasks included helping our youngest patrons with crafts, playing our summer learning game with younger students, and crafting a Cultural Banquet from beginning to end.  While we fully expected this intern program to be enriching for our summer learning participants and are interns alike, we didn’t foresee the greatest benefit of the program – the chance for our teen interns to lead other teen volunteers and gather important skills as future leaders.

Each year, we have a number of teens ask to volunteer during our summer learning project.  As any teen services coordinator knows, young volunteers can be a blessing and a curse. Volunteers are just as likely to be eager and passionate about helping the library as they are likely to be reluctant or forced by a parent to help out in their spare time.  We have certainly encountered this in past summers at the Bill Memorial Library. This year, however, was different. This year, we had teen interns that we tasked with overseeing these volunteers. And the result was both unexpected and rewarding.

As soon as we placed these younger, sometimes reluctant, volunteers in the charge of our older, passionate teen interns, we saw an immediate change in their engagement level.  Our young volunteers were suddenly eager to assist and began to see the benefit in assisting the library. The task of “volunteering at the library” was no longer a burden for these teen volunteers.  Suddenly, it was a worthwhile project that gave them a purpose and direction in the doldrums of summer. The older teen interns sparked a fire in these young volunteers that we as adults and authority figures could not start ourselves.  It was as if these young teens saw their older peers taking ownership of their newfound responsibility and said, “I want that too.” What we as staff witnessed was the growth of our young volunteers under the tutelage of their older peers, and what this meant for us was that we were watching a new generation of impassioned teen interns sprout up right before our eyes.  We also watched as our teen interns gained a level of confidence in empowering their peers and honed important leadership skills that will serve them later in life.

Bill Memorial Library interns Sam and Anika sit on the front steps.

Bill Memorial Library interns Sam and Anika.

Perhaps the greatest piece of knowledge we gleaned from our time with our teen interns was this: the ability for teens to empower their peers is invaluable and should be fostered whenever possible.  Our teen interns will be the next generation of leaders, and it is our hope that those teen volunteers will be the next generation of teen interns. The continuation of this cycle will ensure the ongoing enrichment of our summer learning program, our library, and our community, and this realization would not have been possible without the YALSA Teen Intern program.

 

Kate Bengston is a Teen Programming Coordinator at Bill Memorial Library.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Gadsden Public Library

by
Teens at the Gadsden Public Library made slime with the help of staff, a teen intern, and volunteer.

Teens at the Gadsden Public Library made slime with the help of staff, a teen intern, and volunteer.

The interview and Hiring Process
The GPL chose 3 interns to work for us this summer ( two of which were paid from the YALSA/ Dollar General grant, the other was paid with money from fundraising). These young adults were chosen after filling out an application and also being interviewed. The process allowed us to choose teens that would gain the most experience from working at the library, but also mesh well with the YA department. There were around 15 applicants, and the ones we chose were the applicants that interviewed the best.

Considerations:

Teen intern leads a discussion on flying drones.

Teen intern leads a discussion on flying drones.

  • Prior experience was not necessary
  • They had to go to school within the county district
  • They had to have multiple references.

Interview Questions included: 

  • Why are you interested in this internship?
  •  What do you want to do / where do you want to be in 5 years? 
  • What is one of your favorite books? 
  •  What are your strengths/weaknesses? 

The interview process allowed us our first glimpse of the interns’ personalities. We found out what classes they enjoyed, what books they loved, and what their interests pertain to.  This insight helped staff when determining to schedule the teens.

  • One intern loved flying a drone and also had experience with telescope.  He was scheduled to help with STEM/ Tech programs and space programs.
  • Another intern loved social media. She was scheduled to take photos and videos of event and come up with captions for the visuals.
  • The other intern wanted to help with children’s programs and we adjusted her schedule to spend some time in that department. We were happy to provide an opportunity for her to learn, especially because she is interested in education.
Two teen interns pose before the annual Harry Potter Birthday Program held by the Gadsden Public Library

Two teen interns pose before the annual Harry Potter Birthday Program held by the Gadsden Public Library.

Training Teen Interns
The interns were required to participate in a training day to gain a better understanding of what it is like to work in a library. The interns and volunteer toured all areas of the library, including closed stacks, met staffers, observed programs, learned basic policies and learned about professionalism.

  •  Their training involved talking about the importance of the library (more than just books!), knowledge of other departments, as well as shelving time.
  • The teens also had to learn the programming schedule because they were required to assist Teen Zone staff during programs. Because our library has teenagers in the library all day long, the GPL provides passive programs which keep all teens busy and active no matter what time of day they arrive.  The GPL also provided free lunches and snacks on the weekdays. Then there were also ‘big’ programs every day which included altruism, art, STEM, gaming, and more. The interns had to engage with the other teenagers during the programs and also assist staff with setting up and cleaning up of materials. 
  • The interns were scheduled for 5 hours a week; two 2.5 hour shifts, and scheduled during our busiest time of the day.

Read More →

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Suffolk Public Library Career Fair

by

Suffolk Public Library hosted a Career Fair for six teens and one summer worker who were chosen to participate in our Teen Summer Internship Program made possible by the grant from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and the Dollar Tree Foundation. We wanted to do this because our internship consisted of a continuing education element as well as a practical element. The teens really enjoyed using the O*Net Interest Profiler in one of their earlier activities to see how their interests related to their career goals. The interns were fascinated to learn which areas of the United States employed their chosen career field, expected income, and the technology skills related to their future paths. We wanted to further ignite this spark, by inviting individuals to speak at the career fair to the teens about their businesses and jobs aligning with career paths that were highlighted during the career profiling session. This internship took place in a high poverty area with limited resources. Working in such an environment gave the teens an opportunity to see individuals, who hailed from the same, achieve their career goals. The teens were able to interact with these individuals and explore their success.

This event was rather casual, as we wanted the teens to feel comfortable asking any questions. We began the career fair as a group enjoying hors’doeuvres in a meeting room.  Then the teens went to a separate room and each individual speaker came into that room, sat down, and had a conversation with the teens. If we could do it over again, we would get a bigger room, have each speaker set up a table and have the teens walk around a little bit  and ask them questions in order to get them up and moving. However, space was an issue this time. We would not change the causal manner in which the program was done so that the teens would feel comfortable and be relaxed.

Teens sit around a conference room at the Suffolk Public Library Career Fair.

The speakers included a local high school teacher, an owner of an art business, a law school student, a construction worker, and a manager at the library. We also had a wonderful opportunity for the teens to send questions in advance to a scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many of our male teens that hang out in the library are interested in sports so through some connections we were able to provide them with an opportunity to get real answers from someone who works for a team in the NFL. They asked all types of things from “What do players eat?” and “How often do they practice?” to “How did Donovan Cotton become a scout?” Library staff who worked with the teens during the internship asked community members to volunteer their time to speak with the teens.

What did they learn?
The unanimous response was that you can have fun doing something that you love.

When asked what we could have done differently?
The teens suggested that we could have invited even more guest speakers to the Career Fair.

 

Tiffany Duck is Manager of Library Locations at Suffolk Public Library.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: YALSA Grant Makes Big Impact at Montclair Community Library

by

From improving teen summer reading volunteer training to increasing visibility and enhancing teen programs to raising funds, the YALSA/Dollar General Summer Teen Intern Grant made a big impact this summer at Montclair Community Library, one of Prince William Public Library System’s 11 branches located just 30 miles outside of Washington, DC.

Our grant had three components: develop an interactive training element for teen summer reading volunteers, plan and execute a fundraiser for Montclair Community Library, and produce a teen outreach video. Rob Solka, Librarian I and Teen Volunteer Coordinator, and I conducted 29 interviews to choose the two teens that would be awarded $500 each for 50 hours’ work.

Teens sit around a table working together.

Teens hard at work on the outreach video.

First, the teens developed a popular scavenger hunt to highlight the summer reading program and Montclair Community Library. They also created a role-playing component to help teens handle situations that might happen during their shifts. “The surveys after the training said the scavenger hunt was the best part because it was so much fun,” Solka said. “We will definitely do it again next year.”

Selected teens Katelynn L. and Sally D. also led teens on other projects. This provided individual professional development for them and also helped build the Montclair teen program since the projects were fun and memorable for teens participating.

Four teens pose in dance outfits in front of a rock wall.

Teens dressed up for the Rhythmaya program.

“We got our own project and got to be creative about it,” Sally said in describing the best part of participating in the grant. She was in charge of leading the outreach video that featured other teens. She added, “I liked working with everyone. You guys were really nice.”

Sally offered a unique perspective: she had never been to the library before being selected as one of the two interns. She was unaware of all the great resources that the library makes available to the public, but promotional efforts for the grant opportunity paid off.  “I learned about what the library has to offer for sure. OverDrive, hoopla digital. I didn’t even know the Digital Media Lab existed,” she said.

Four teens pose in front of a green screen.

Teens pose in front of a green screen in the Digital Media Lab.

Sally said she heard about the grant three different times before she decided to apply. “First, my English teacher told me. Then my school librarian told me. After that, I heard it on the school morning announcements,” Sally said. The Prince William Public Library System regularly coordinates and collaborates with Prince William County Public Schools and other schools in the community.

Katelynn, an active Montclair teen volunteer, was also selected and led a fundraiser selling doughnuts that raised $174.50. “The fundraiser was my favorite because of the experience it gave me. I’ll be able to use the skills I gained here in the future,” Katelynn said. She said she developed time management, leadership, and sales skills. “I always felt that I worked better alone. This helped with group project skills. I think it strengthened those.”

Solka, Katelynn, and I will be joining Tiffany Duck from Suffolk Public Library, the other library in Virginia to receive the YALSA Teen Intern Grant, to present “YALSA Teen Intern Grants: A Tale of Two Libraries” at the Virginia Library Association this October.

“I’m honored to have been given this position. I really enjoyed it,” Katelynn said.

 

 Robin Sofge is the Youth Services Supervisor at Montclair Community Library.

2019 Teen Summer Intern Program: Teens engaging children through inquiry-based play

by

In my rural community, opportunities for teen employment are limited mostly to food service, yard work, and babysitting. When I applied for the YALSA/Dollar General Teen Summer Intern Grant, my goal was to offer meaningful employment that would allow teens to share their skills and passions with younger children. By employing interns in this way I could have helping hands during summer activities and provide a deeper learning experience for school-age participants.

I advertised the position through the guidance office of our local high school, who kindly emailed the details to all students. We also posted the opportunity on our library website, bulletin boards, and social media. With my program goals in mind, I needed candidates who genuinely enjoyed spending time with younger children. I also hoped for applicants who had experience with hands-on STEAM activities and who could take a leadership role during activities. Several applicants had leadership experience through Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, which has sparked my interest in reaching out and partnering with these community groups. Most of my interns had experience with the Technology Student Association at the high school, which might be another source of future collaboration.
Read More →