TEENS AND THE PUBLIC LIBRARY MEGAN PROCTOR INLS 500 SPRING 2013

TEENS: WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE? Teens are generally defined by librarians as youths ages The terms teens, teenagers, and young adults are all used interchangeably to refer to this group in public libraries. Teens, on average, comprise nearly one quarter of all public library patrons. They come from various economic, cultural, religious, societal, etc. backgrounds and have different information needs and wants.

THE PROBLEM? TEENS, FOR A MULTITUDE OF REASONS, ARE NOT USING THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

THE REASONS Teens don’t feel welcome in the library (staff behavior, strict noise and food rules, lack of YA space, etc). Teens don’t feel that public library services (programs, collection, technology, etc.) meet their specific and distinct needs. Teens see no need to use the public library when they can access pertinent information at school or on the internet. Public libraries must compete with other activities that attract and distract teens. Teens just don’t know much about what public libraries have to offer beyond books.

POSSIBLE BARRIERS FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES Budget pressures: There just isn’t enough available money to improve teen services! “Teen collections and services are the last to be instituted and the first to be cut” (Conway 38).” Librarian Shortages: The number of available staff is not adequate enough to meet the needs of all the library’s teens. Existent Conceptions and Attitudes: Librarians often identify teens as being “problem patrons” because they disrupt routine library expectations and practices. Lack of Understanding about Teenagers: Librarians often lack background knowledge and training that would help improve their interactions with teens: adolescent development, diversity considerations, and societal issues affecting teens.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? Public libraries strive to meet the needs of their users and to promote well-informed citizens and lifelong learners. As 25% of the library population, teens deserve the same level of respect and opportunities given to other library groups in order to achieve these goals. Young adults face great personal and educational challenges daily. Libraries provide them with positive, safe environments that can offer them interactions with well- educated, caring adults. Studies show that the more “assets” (positive experiences, opportunities, and personal qualities that all youth need in order to become responsible, successful, and caring adults) young people experience, the less likely they are to engage in risky behaviors (Jones 50). It is, thereby, to the benefit of the education system and overall larger community to work with the public library to provide resources and support for its’ teens.

SO, WHAT CAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES DO? Get The Word Out: Show teens how the library is relevant to their lives. I.Use Web 2.0 tools to raise awareness about what is going on in the library (Facebook, blogs, websites, tags). II.Outreach to local schools and collaborate with school librarians and community youth organizations. Make Teens Feel Welcome in the Public Library. I.Provide professional development opportunities for staff about serving teens (adolescent theory, teens and society/diversity, curriculum learning). Above all, encourage librarians/staff to respect teens! II.Create youth development programs to encourage teen involvement and make them stakeholders in the library (teen employment, volunteer opportunities, youth advisory board, teens tutoring teens, teen website/newsletter, etc.). III.Make YA sections more teen friendly by allowing socialization, food, colorful, comfortable and spacious room, technology access, and having desired resources.

SO, WHAT CAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES DO…? Meet Teens Needs, Whatever They May Be. I.First and foremost, they must identify the needs of their teen community. Young adults often want to see more up-to-date technology, more desired resources, a nice space dedicated to teen use (away from the children’s section), better and more relevant teen programs, etc. II.Find grant money. Libraries may not have money in the budget for all the things teens want/need. If they can receive grant money or find community members willing to support them, then librarians can meet as many of their needs as possible. III.Build relationships with local stakeholders. Who are the individuals that have a strong interest in the well-being of the community’s teens? Some examples include library trustees, schools, social service agencies, youth organizations, local businesses, foundations, and government representatives. IV.Get teens involved in the planning process for improving services. The more librarians know about teen wants and needs, the better they can serve them and the more likely librarians are to generate interest in their young adult program! V.Finally, libraries can remain open-minded! Teens are a part of the public and their needs must be met, whether or not librarians agree with their interests.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bernier, A. (2009). A space for myself to go: Early patterns in small YA spaces. Public Libraries, 48(5), Conway, S. (2005). Young Adult Public Library Services: An Overview. Rural Libraries, 25(2), Echols, S. M., & Terrile, V. C. (2012). They don't leave their lives at the door, but neither do we: changing our minds about changing teens' behaviors. Young Adult Library Services, 10(2), Fisher, H. (2003). A teenage view of the public library: What are the students saying?. Aplis, 16(1), Horn, L. P. (2011). Online marketing strategies for reaching today's teens. Young Adult Library Services, 9(2), Howard, V. (2011). What do young teens think about the public library?. The Library Quarterly, 81(3), Jones, P. (2007). Connecting young adults and libraries in the 21 st century. Aplis, 20(2), Minudri, R. (1999). The top 10 things you need to know about teens. School Library Journal, 45(1), Mylee, J. (2010). An exquisite paradox: making teens and young adults welcome in public libraries. Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services, 23(3), Snowball, C. (2008). Enticing teenagers into the library. Library Review, 57(1),

NOTES ON ARTICLES CITED Please note that the above mentioned sources consider articles from the perspective of young adult/teen librarians and/or public library affiliates. The articles included are from either American, Canadian or Australian publications and consider both rural and urban public library settings. Though several articles include quantitative and qualitative data, others are conceptual or opinion based.