What Teens Know@PVLD Creative Learning & Collaborative Community for Peninsula Teens Good morning, I’m Kaitlin Menear and I’m a young reader’s librarian in the Palos Verdes Library District. Over the past year I’ve been working on a project called What Teens Know @ PVLD. It’s a video production club where the teens learn about all aspects of filmmaking or I guess I should say, videomaking while creating PSAs for the library. Kaitlin Menear Young Readers Librarian II Palos Verdes Library District

The Challenge The Palos Verdes Library District serves a primarily affluent and high-achieving teen community. Our library is full every day after school with teens studying, socializing, sometimes volunteering but I really wanted to find a new way of connecting teens to the library. My goal as a librarian for young people is to situate library as a vital and relevant in their lives.

The Vision Morever, I believe that the role of libraries, particularly in relationship with children and teens, is one of educator. But not just providing databases and research books. Instead I believe the library is uniquely positioned to educate by promoting creative learning and a collaboration. We are the lucky people who get the opportunity to help children and teens love to learn.

The Plan So I used the LSTA Grant to purchase a video camera, laptop and editing software and started the PVLD Teen Filmmaker’s Club. The purpose of the club is to provide peninsula teens with an opportunity to learn about filmmaking and use their creativity to help the library. The teens would earn volunteer hours for the time they spent working on PSA’s that promote the library’s programs and services.

Yikes! I had no idea how to do this. I had never made a video before and I had only used editing software in the most cursory ways. Beyond that there was no really concrete evidence that it would work. It was a risk. But it felt like something I could do, something that should be done and something that no one else was doing.

The Steps Survey School Visits Research Equipment Purchase Planning Marketing

Expectations My goal for the club was to have 50 kids I wanted to finish 5 videos I wanted to meet 3 times a month I wanted it to have an easy drop – in feel – I had this vague idea that there would be lots of kids coming when they could since they are so busy

Reality Instead of 50 participants over the summer I had 5 we finished 1 video (and the second is nearly done) We meet twice a month It is the same kids every week doing everything together and they are really really dedicated.

A Little Help from my Friends Also, editing is hard. So I got a lot of help from my dear, handsome longsuffering husband, and then from a local tv station manager who taught an amazing editing workshop to my kids.

Initial Outcomes 100% of the teens involved reported that taking part in the filmmaker’s club made them feel more connected to the library 100% of teens involved reported that taking part in filmmaker’s club helped them acquire and improve skills related to filmmaking 75% of teens involved reported that taking part in filmmaker’s club encouraged them to take part in other library activities There’s some that just won’t come no matter what.

Other Outcomes Boys! 17out of 40 developmental assets! We’ve also been able to film 3 non-film club programs at the library this summer and we’re making them available through youtube and our local cable station.

Long Term Plans The teens are continuing to enthusiastically make videos for the library and work on their own shorts to enter in a film festival in the spring and the film club attendance has doubled in the last month so we’re going to need more equipment. And I’ve got to say that I’m hoping at some point to hear and oscar acceptance speech that says, I’d like to thank my library.

Risk Take a risk, follow your instincts – you’re a professional, so try new things.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pvld http://www.facebook.com/pvlibrary Check out our Videos! http://www.youtube.com/user/pvld http://www.facebook.com/pvlibrary If you want to see our current video or any of the new ones we create check on pvld’s youtube channel and “like” the facebook page.