YA Services Minutes - April 17, 2024

Guest Speakers: Mid-Del Public Schools Student Services 

Heather Morris, McKinney-Vento Liaison/Supplemental Feeding Coordinator [email protected]

Tia Moore, McKinney-Vento Liaison [email protected]  

Presentation is available to view here.

Rights for displaced/homeless children (ages 3-post secondary) to attend school. Child can be transported to their school of origin. Children have rights to their education and supports. ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). 1:5 Oklahoman are food insecure. 1:3 Oklahoma children are food insecure. McKinney-Vento children experience food insecurity twice as often as other children. 

Provides resources for the entire family, not just the students. Often identified at enrollment, but can also be referred by teachers, community members, librarians, etc. 

Services Provided: Immediate enrollment (within 72 hours), access to free breakfast and lunch program and free food pantry, transportation to and from school of origin, housing (emergency housing that is visited before referral put in place. Mid-Del Schools has a housing navigator through the Homeless Alliance. 

Other Services: birth records, school and shot records, tutoring and mentoring, extracurricular activities, driver's license, early childhood services, college and career readiness, employability 

Signs to look for: poor/erratic attendance, poor nutrition, hoarding, missing homework, inability to contact parent/guardian, chronic fatigue/sleeping in class, little participation in extracurriculars, poor hygiene/grooming, multi-day clothing, lost supplies, poor organization, protective of belongings, socially distant/shy, fear of abandonment/clingy, anxiety 

1.2+ million students experiencing homelessness, preK-12 identified by public schools in 2021-2022. 

Impact of the pandemic: 21% decrease in the number of identified students from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021. School districts reported difficulty in identifying these students because of virtual learning and disruption due to pandemic. Increasing identification is critical to connecting students to supports. 

BIPOC students are disproportionately impacted by homelessness. There are additional resources available for underserved populations. State Homeless Coordinator: Tammy Smith [email protected]  

School districts provide vehicles for the drivers to take students to school. Job posting should be on each school district’s website. Need for additional drivers. 

Updates 

Summer Reading – Emily and Kristin 

• Reminder for everyone to do their Summer Reading training this month. Available online through SumTotal and some in-person trainings. 

• RIF recipient is Latino Community Development Agency. 12 Million points 

• OES and some SR committee members were at the SC yesterday inventorying the SR prize books 

• This year’s alternate prize is a clear tote bag. It is too big to take to a Thunder game, but okay for most other events. 

• We have not started routing out materials except for the Rack Cards. Should arrive end of this week or early next week. Rack cards are bilingual/2-sided. PDF is also available on the intranet. 

• IHOP is going to be a sponsor for this year. Coupon for free short stack of pancakes (2 pancakes) for all registrants. Possibly also donating gift cards for drawing prizes.  

• YMCA is also sponsoring drawing prizes 10-day and memberships for grand prizes. 

• Thanks to all Summer Reading committee members. 

• Deadline to enter programs for June/July INFO magazine is Friday, April 19. 

• Huge thanks to everyone who helped out with the School Library Media Specialist Breakfast last week. 

Summer Teen Volunteers – Heidi 

• 150 volunteers have already been placed. Expecting another 150-200 to sign up this summer. 

• If your location already has enough volunteers, please encourage interested teens to volunteer at another location. 

• National Volunteer Week is next week. Therapy Dog Volunteer Calendar has come out and been mailed to volunteers. Calendars can also be purchased for $10. 

• The next calendar will feature teen volunteers. Keep an eye out for teen volunteers who would be good for the calendar. 

• Heidi will send out a link to purchase a calendar. 

• If you need help getting teen volunteers, let Heidi know. 

Admin Updates – Mark Schuster 

• AL new building will open on Wednesday, May 15 at 10am with an Oklahoma City Grand Opening. Moving the collection into the building starting next week. Natasha will be singing the National Anthem at the grand opening. VFW will do flag raising. Community Grand Opening with be on Saturday, May 18. 

• Final details on the budget being worked out. GSLT looking at planning budgets that each library submitted. Looking at age groups and cost by attendee.  

• Strategic Planning Survey is out. Please complete the survey and encourage guests to complete it. 

• Thanks to everyone for the work done during National Library Week. 

• EDII meeting tomorrow to go over cost of building with budget.  

• Regional realignment was sent out. Indeterminant timeframe for when that open position will be filled. The new region assignments will take place once that position is filled. 

• GSLT is reviewing documents and procedures (Rules of Conduct, Mandatory Reporting, etc.)  

• BoardDocs is where you can view the commission packets. 

• Libraries across the country are facing a lot of challenges. Metro is fortunately in a good position with a stable income base and ability to build new libraries. 

• Word has gotten out about the wonderful things that Metro is doing (likely do to networking at YALSA) and other libraries are contacting us to learn more about the things that we are doing. - Emily 

Teen Spaces in Your Library - Show & Tell 

• AL (Natasha) - New teen space has lots of windows and natural light. 4 teen computers. Display shelves and curvy white shelves, noise absorbing light fixtures. Bookshelves are on casters and can be moved around. Booths for seating with electrical outlets. Large TEEN signage. Looking for tips on how to make space as inviting as possible. OKCPS will be phasing out laptop for their students after this school year. 

• BE (Nell & Aubrey) - Does not really have a teen area. Carpet is purple in the teen area. Is next to newspapers, so a lot of older people hang out near the teen area. Study carrels. Teen computers are not heavily used because of their proximity to the magazines and MakerSpace. World languages is collection closest to the “teen area”. Discussing moving the teen area to the quiet reading room, but it might also be used for maker space. The spots the teens use are not the spots that were designated for the teen space. 

• BI (George & Brandon) - Trying to make teen space more of a lounge area. Removed the tables for studying/doing homework to more of a comfy space for lounging with stools and rolling chairs. Reagan has been creating comics that teens can finish the story. Making the space more interactive. More passive programming. Found art. Teens creating the space. Teen computers are well used during a short period of time and then not used the rest of the day. 

• CH (Krystle) - Has a small space with seating and computers. It gets a lot of use during the after school hours, middle school next door. Posters and new books. Walls are felt and cork. Small display area. Signage and a monitor to display posters/slides. Two tables with booth and moveable chairs. Giant “Teen” sign. 

• CT (Mary) - Teen art is on display in the teen area. Teen advisory board comes up with theme for the Teen Art Gallery. Current month’s theme is black out poetry. Tables and chairs. Free book table with leftover giveaway books/Sequoyah books from committee. Volunteers will make backgrounds for shelves. Origami dragons from a program are decorating the space. Very bright and cluttered. Teens are going to vote on the color to paint the space or paint it neutral and have teens vote on how to decorate it. Chalkboard with question of the week. Bulletin board with upcoming programing info. 

• DC (Mark) - Display wall that features teen art, poetry, etc. Fun light fixtures. Not a lot of shelving, but a lot of face-out books on display. 4 teen computers. Teen focused “What’s New” bulletin board with library and community events. Free books table. 

• DN (Kim) - Old teen space used to be in the back of the library. It was small, poorly lit, and was rarely used. Moved teen space closer to the front of the library near a wall of windows. Bulletin board and reshelving cart. Graphic novel and manga collection is small but getting more items. Displays built into shelving. Tall tables with charging outlets; gets lots of use. Comfortable seating against window. Adults are not allowed to sit in the teen area. Small non-fiction collection. Teen volunteers help create displays. YA audio does not circulate much. JNF moved from children’s area to Teen area. 

• ED (Ryn & Anne) - Teen collection and Teen room are next to each other but still separated. Room is glass and can get hot from the sun. Moveable furniture and booth. Cork strips to hang posters and flyers. SafeSpace information. Chalkboard in room with passive questions. A lot of adults had been using the Teen Space so teens were not able to use the space. Signage states that room is for 12-18 year olds only. Adults are asked to move if they are in there. Passive programs set up in the room, sometimes for a prize, sometimes without. Homeschool students use the room during the day. 

• MC (Anton) - Teen space is on the other side of the adult computers separated by short shelves. Black feltboards are on top of the short shelves to help define the space and allow place to promote programs and library resources and for passive programs. Graphic novel and manga section. 4 teen computers. Magazine area with reading nook. New display/shelving. Monthly scavenger hunt for teens. 

• NW (Emily) - In back of building. Teen created art on display. Program flyers. Art Club meets monthly. Signs designating space as exclusively for teens. Game cabinet.  

• RE (Rena) - TeenSpace neon sign. The walls are brick and nothing will stick to them. New chairs in teen area. Several plants in the teen area next to the window. Tables with chairs just outside of teen space. Round tables near teen space get a lot of use. Gorilla Glue Mounting Tape Squares work for mounting things on brick (Anne). Hot glue might also work (Mary). 

• SO (Lacy) - Passive program area/question board. Teenspace is not a room. “Teens” sign above the space. Not a lot of comfy space. Free teen book box. Flyers and resources posted on the windows in the teen space. One bench, a table and chairs, and a magazine rack. 

• VI (Elisabeth) - Teen space is near the public computers and study rooms. It is an open space defined by a curved shelf. One smaller table and one larger table with outlets but no access to electricity. Passive displays on shelf end cap. “Teens” banner and sign noting that it is a teen space. YA collection in that area. 

• WA (Debra) - TeenScene neon sign. Next to the children’s area. Close to graphic novels and manga.  

Sharing and Programming Discussion  

• Discussion about placement of Sequoyah books. Most locations have Children’s and Intermediate winners in Children’s section and High School in Teen area. 

• Discussion about placement for Teen area for BE. Is the quiet reading room a good option? The room gets hot so adults don’t use it much. Could tinting be added to the windows of the quite reading room help with the heat? Perhaps taking off the door to the room would be a good option. Could consider adding bulletin boards like MC to help define the existing space. 

Upcoming meeting discussion topics

• Teen Advisory Boards – August 28  

• Anime clubs – November 20

If you attended this meeting and would like to provide feedback about the guest speaker and future topics, please take this survey: https://metrolibrary.wufoo.com/forms/p1gwtlf9121ocsu/