Serving special populations Teens and the library

Do you know who these characters are?

If not – then you aren’t serving your teen readers

“Sometimes the biggest hurdle is simply getting the teens here, in the library,

to show them all we offer.”

– Jen Danifo

So how do you get kids through the door?

“They need not feel like second class citizens upon entering the building.”

– Rollie Welch

• Empower them to make decisions

• Get them involved in activities

• Let them decide on the direction of teen services

Teen Advisory Board

“We took the approach of empowering teens to choose what kind of program we were going to do.”

– Liz Kostandinu

• Offer tie-in speakers • Allow teens a chance

to get involved in planning

Suggestions

• On-site events like jewelry making and art classes

• Promote and celebrate Teen Read Week

• Comics and Manga • YA series• Video games• Gaming magazines• DVDs and blue rays• Music

Carry the types of materials they are interested in

Gaming and graphic novels

Popular YA titles

• Teens thrive on social media• Have a twitter and facebook page• Have teens contribute to a

library blog

Live where they live

• Dress up as characters from a book or series

• Do zombie make-overs• Have a spooky story contest

Teen Read Week

• Baur, J., & Lee, J. (2012). Talking Comics. Young Adult Library Services, 10(4), 17-21.

• Corradini, E. (2006). Teenagers analyse their public library. New Library World, 107(11), 481-498. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03074800610713307

• Danifo, J. (2012). Hungry for Teen Services. Pennsylvania Library Association Bulletin, 67(2), 21-22.

• Welch, R. (2008). From Platforms to Books? I'm Game. Young Adult Library Services, 6(2), 30-31.

• Snowball, C. (2008). Enticing teenagers into the library. Library Review, 57(1), 25-35.

• http://teenreadweek.ning.com/

Biography

• www.calbook.org/bcb.html

• http://www.teenreads.com/

• http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/must-reads-for-teens/379002318/

• http://www.readingteen.net/

• http://www.ala.org/yalsa/

Resources