Interview with a librarian and video essay

This is a video I made for my social media class. I added an interview with librarian Jacoba Wells at the end. I added the interview so that I could include it on this blog.

I have saved the screen captures of the interview portion to share here in addition to the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBacC9WwGzA

Pannoni, A. (2014, September 22). Public Libraries Offer More Than Just Books to Teens. U.S. News & World Report.

This article is about how public libraries serve teen populations in areas other than providing physical books. According to Pew Research Center, 65% of teens 16-17 years old have used a library in the past year. This is more than half. And, it turns out that older teens are less likely to admit to finding the library useful even though they are actually using it. Two key items: Teen spaces and digital tools.

The Monroe County Public Library here in Bloomington is taking on these two important aspects when their new Teen Center opens in January. There will be a teen space for hanging out, and also a new Digital Creative Commons (DCC) that is available to adults as well as to teens. I am glad that the DCC will be open to all library patrons, as one of my hypotheses is that the library Maker's Commons ideas, and Teen Center ideas are all applicable to adult populations as well and will ultimately be the kinds of programming that help libraries transition from "book keepers" to "information keepers" and remain relevant.

YALSA Teen Services Evaluation Tool

YALSA stands for The Young Adult Library Services Association, and is the part of the American Library Association (ALA) that deals with teen and young adult services. The ALA creates evaluation tools for libraries and library departments to use to test out how their libraries measure up to current field standards. The evaluation tool for teen services emphasizes:

- Leadership and professionalism

- Knowledge of client group

- Communication, marketing, and outreach

- Administration

- Access to Information

- Services

The specific natures of these categories is available at: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/guidelines/yacompetencies2010.

The most teen-specific of these categories for me are knowledge of client group and access to information. A library is in a unique position to provide space and resources for free to the community at large. Making this useful and desirable to teens requires knowledge about what teens are currently into, what things they would like to have and use, and what kinds of knowledge they are trying to obtain. In order to serve the population, one needs to understand the population. I believe I am in a position to understand many teen needs because I interact with teens regularly due to my regular anime and comic convention attendance, in addition to volunteering with local teens at an after school program occasionally.

Reading summary - Ito, Baumer, et al (2010)

Ito, M., Baumer, S., Bittanti, M., & Boyd, D. (2010). Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out. Cambridge: MIT Press.

This book describes the daily technology uses of several teens, using the term “media ecologies” to describe the observation and recording of these activities. The terms “hanging out,” “messing around,” and “geeking out,” were equated with specific sorts of online behavior. Hanging out refers generally to using social media such as Facebook to chat with friends, or arrange in-person hangouts. Messing around refers to pursuing interests, often mutually with friends, and developing those interests into clear pursuits. Geeking out refers to established pursuits and seeking out information and like-minded people online.

These behaviors are important, and have become the focus of many teen centers and programs at public and school libraries. Giving teens the space and equipment to hang out, mess around, and geek out, along with the guidance and support of dedicated library staff, is a primary focus of public library teen centers, including the new one opening soon in Bloomington.

Reading Summary - Flowers (2012)

Flowers, S. (2012). Evaluating Teen Services and Programs. Chicago: Neal-Schuman (imprint of American Library Association).

This book focuses on evaluating and improving existing teen programs, and contains a lot of background information on Millenials and how they differ from previous generations in their information-seeking behaviors, working styles, and preferences for group study over individual study carrels. Whether one approves of the differences or not is irrelevant. The job of the library is to be relevant to its users and support their interests and endeavors. To do this, it is important to understand the characteristics of your patrons.  Chapter 3 specifically describes the Millenial generation, and this knowledge is very pertinent to a teen services librarian trying to serve a particular group. The author is a member of YALSA, a part of the American Library Association dedicated to serving young adult library patrons.

Flowers also goes into a lot of very useful detail on the development of goals and objectives and how to evaluate with data what ideas are working and which ones are not. Because Millenials are far more likely to communicate via social media than other generations, paying close attention to making sure library teen centers and programs are providing access to things that are actually used and staying on top of changes is emphasized.

Reading Summary - Nichols (2002)

Nichols, M. (2002). Promoting the YA Collection: Other Ideas. In Merchandising Library Materials to Young Adults (pp. 101-118). Greenwood Village, CO: Libraries Unlimited.

This book is mainly about ways to display materials and promote collections to teen library patrons. Chapter 8 specifically focuses on other ways, including websites and other online resources. As early as 2002, pervasive computing was very influential in libraries. The conclusion is that the same things that are important to young adult patrons in physical space are important online as well. Teens need to be able to interact with each other and with librarians, and they need to have online access to library materials for more than just homework help and pleasure reading.

This chapter also states that only half of the librarians polled reported that young adult patrons were involved with the creation of online resources and choice of content. As far back as 2002, many librarians were already considering involving teens in the development of their own online space, and this idea has carried on into the present with the opening of Teen Centers like the one about to be opened at MCPL here in Bloomington.

Important information to include on an interactive website for teens:

1)      Book reviews, and the ability to write reviews of their own.

2)      Links to useful content online – encyclopedias, textbooks, coding manuals, etc.

3)      Resource lists – by subject. Where to go to find things.

4)      Program information – what programs, for whom, and where? With the ability for teens to ask and participate online. Announcements on a library Facebook or Twitter account.

5)      Information on library services – what can the library do for you, and how do you go about getting the things you need.

 

Reading Summary - Farmer (2005)

Farmer, L. (2005). Digital Inclusion: Teens and Your Library - Exploring the Issues and Acting on Them. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

This book examines thoroughly how to include technology, social media, and other digital means into library planning for teens. Not only does it give practical guidance to librarians struggling with small budgets and limited community support, but it also goes into detail on the kinds of specific digital support young adults will need at varying stages and the library’s role in providing that support.

Chapter 5 covers the subject of access to technology and the library’s role in providing that access to patrons who might not have it otherwise. This is one of the most important ways a library can make itself useful to its patrons, and in this day and age, remaining relevant is extremely important. Chapter 2 goes into detail about “underserved groups” such as the disabled, the homeless, the poor, and other minority groups who have a need that can be served by library access to information and technology. Early intervention with teens in these populations significantly increases their ability to succeed in life. By providing young adults from all walks of life with the same technology their peers might have access to at home, the library plays an equalizing role, helping teens emerge into society as adults equipped for success.