As my earlier post alluded to, I am currently in my third quarter of study at Drexel University in pursuit of my MLS. This quarter I am taking two classes, Information Systems Analysis and Resources for Young Adults. While the former has been a challenge, the later has really opened my eyes to what my future may hold. When I first began school, I wasn't sure which avenue of study I'd pursue. From my experience thus far in the public library I had a good feeling that is where I belonged but I wasn't sure where exactly I would focus. After taking this YA class, I believe I have found my calling.
Teenagers are the key to the future of our libraries. Yes, it is important to get children into the library from an early age. But if we lose those young readers in their teens, will they ever come back? Or will it be years later, when they have their own children? I believe we need to make teens feel welcome at the library -- to let them know librarians are here to help them. In the public library, the people who come in are there because they choose to be there. Instead of nit-picking the sometimes annoying but typical behaviors of teens, we need to capture all of that youthful energy and encourage them to become a part of the library community.
In the coming months, I hope to find ways to do just this. I am thinking about creating a Teen Advisory Board and a Teen-focused web page (a link from our main page or even a Myspace page) as well as holding more events geared toward young adults. In order to engage this generation, we have to look to the teens and their interests -- no matter how diverse they are from our own interests. They are our future and we must embrace them before we lose them!
2 comments:
I totally agree with you. It is very important to get teens into the library and hopefully keep them coming in. Yes, they can be annoying, but then again so can I! :) Teens are the future!
Teens are our future! And, often we just don't let them be teens here! We started a youth group this last September. It has grown from about six teens to more than twenty teens on a weekly basis. We're going on hiatus for the summer but are planning our first ever teen reading program. Hooray! To communicate with the group, we have a myspace which they coordinate (with supervision). I started the group by doing a survey on the kinds of things and events that they were interested in. We have been planning and holding those events. It's a great group---very energizing and full of great ideas. I hope your group of teens is as wonderful as my group here in Canastota has been! Feel free to call or email if you'd like to hear more about how we started our group. I'm more than willing to share! Liztot
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