Why Libraries Are Important to Teens
Submitted by ewilliams on Wed, 05/09/2012 - 11:26
One of the most valuable ways libraries are important to teens has nothing to do with reading. Or programming. Or computer access. It's about staff.
Five years ago I read an article called "Somewhere to Walk and Someone to Walk With: Resiliency Experts Discuss How Libraries and Librarians Strengthen Youth" and it is something I continue to think about and draw upon while planning programs and advising our young adult services staff. Our interactions with teenage customers are so important, and not just because we help them find information and engage them in activities: We are smart, reliable adults that can be positive influences on their lives.
The idea of resiliency comes down to this: the more positive forces in your life, the better you are able to bounce back from bad days and rough situations. If you don't bounce back, it's easy to end up not caring and increasingly making more and more bad decisions. Most of the adults teenagers interact with are parents, parents of friends, bosses, and teachers. Teens see these adults as authority figures who regulate their activities, tell them what not to do, and punish them. Library staff have the opportunity to be positive, welcoming, non-judgmental figures in their lives (assuming nobody is breaking the rules of conduct). We can be those protective figures that bolster teens' resiliency. And most of the time all it takes is a smile, a personal welcome, an offer to help, or a listening ear. Teens need friendly adults to be on their side.
You remember high school. Friends gossip, teachers hate you, girlfriends and boyfriends break up, you do bad on tests, parents yell, life isn't fair. Maybe you worked for minimum wage. Maybe your home life wasn't so good. Outside of your family, do you remember an adult that made a difference in your life when you were a teenager? I will never forget my high school guidance counselor. Not because she gave me great advice or pushed me to do better, but because she nodded and listened and said, "let's make it happen" when I told her what I wanted to do with my life. No judgment, no questions. I had parents and friends for all that. Just acceptance at a time in my life when I really needed it. It was such a relief that I left her office and cried.
I think about my high school guidance counselor when I'm talking to teens. I try to listen instead of talk (adults talk at them all day), ask non-judgmental questions, and encourage them by putting value on what they value. Being interested and excited about what they like validates teens' interests and hobbies. It lets them know it's okay to care about something.
The full text of the article I mentioned is available here, on pages 19-22.
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Comments
This statement struck me: " ... society has the teenagers it deserves." That really does challenge us as to connect with the youth around us and mentor them as they prepare for their futures. And what better way is there to remain relevant than being excited about and interested in our youth? That's how we grow our next generation of library users!
I had a wonderful 6th grade teacher who took me under her wing and coaxed me out of my shyness. She truly was the only teacher I had who went above and beyond as a mentor. She encouraged my love of reading, let me go to the library when the other kids were taking a "TV break" after testing, and built up my self-esteem with her encouraging words. That experience really shaped who I am now.
To make an impact on a teen, we have to first establish a relationship with them. I have seen some great interactions between YA librarians and their customers. When I worked at the DN library, I watched Kim Edwards interact with a kid who was really into graphic novels. She found what he was looking for and then took the time to talk about her favorites, really engaging him and validating his interests. John Hilbert is great at firing up a crowd of library lovers during the Halloween Parade. I'm sure he does the same with his customers at Southern Oaks. And our YA librarian here at CH, Angela Hill, is not afraid to participate in Dance Dance Revolution while the teens around her enjoy her silly moves. The next time those kids come into the library, they seek out the librarian who treated them with respect.
Once a relationship is established, we are then able to move forward in promoting what the library has to offer, whether it be programs, the current YA best seller, or recommending a book on the latest hobby craze.
Good article, Emily!
Our YA services staff members constantly impress me! We have a great team that is always looking to find new ways to help teens.
Great article Emily and a good reminder for us all - you don't have to be an actual YA Librarian to have an impact (nothing against YA Libs, just saying...)! As so often happens with customer service situations, I sometimes remember when I've been mistreated more than when I've been well-treated. As a self-educated person, the library was critically important to me when I was a YA. I had pretty much read every history book in the small library I could walk to so I had to rely on reserves and interlibrary loan. In those days we had to fill out a card and get the librarian to sign off on the reserve. The librarians there acted like it killed them to get a book on reserve for me and interlibrary loan was worse! The librarian was so hateful to me for requesting a book about the Hanseatic League on interlibrary loan that I never asked for another one. Once I could drive I started going directly to the various libraries to get my books in order to bypass the negative reserve experience. But a librarian at Downtown, who was also in to history, started to talk to me like an adult and discuss various aspects of history and recommend books and articles for me to read. I was not going to be deterred from using the library because it was so important to me, but I wonder how many less dedicated teens were put off by the same experiences I had and never came back in.
Emily is so right. Teens face so many challenges on a daily basis, and for some the library might be their only sanctuary. When I was a kid and teen, I found my sanctuary in books. I had great interactions with librarians who were excited to see someone with a voracious appetite for reading.
More importantly, teens need to feel like they matter to someone. This applies to children too. So many things are off limits, or held in reserve for adults only. The library can be the great equalizer for all ages. You never know when your smile, your hello, your "how was school today?" is the one that made the difference.
Thanks for creating awareness Emily!