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Now that I’ve gotten my dramatic title out of the way, let me back-peddle a little! I personally have nothing against Uggs…I keep hearing how “practical” they are. However, the sheer amount of young girls and women (and occasionally men) who wear these boots absolutely blows my mind, considering they cost approximately $200 a pair! That is one costly trend, and Uggs are just one example of many expensive fashion pieces that seem so popular with young adults these days.

How do teens afford to buy these costly fashion “must-haves”? Many of today’s young adults have an unprecedented amount of disposable income. Whether through generous allowances or money earned at part-time jobs, many teens are able to afford, and choose to spend their money on luxury items like clothing, electronics and music. Teens also have a strong influence over the spending that occurs within households. Marketer Gene DelVecchio, author of Creating Evercool: A Marketer’s Guide to a Kids Heart, estimates that kids and teens influence up to 70% of household purchases. The marketing agencies have caught on to this little fact and now teens are commonly the prime target of billions of dollars worth of advertising.

The teen years are quite often full of insecurities and self-doubt, and corporations capitalize on these feelings by making teens feel that they need their products to be “cool”. Teens are not passive consumers though. During our discussion on the “advertising, branding and marketing of and to teens” in week 6, we talked about how some companies hire “cool hunters” or “cultural spies” to infiltrate the world of teens and bring back the latest trends to the corporate boardroom. In No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, author Naomi Klein points out that the quest for cool has become all-consuming but by nature is riddled with self-doubt – you can hear the legions of teen shoppers nervously quizzing each other about whether products are cool or lame. There seems to be a fine balance between what teens find “cool” and when something becomes “too mainstream”. I wonder if and when Uggs will ever topple…

All the negativity aside, fashion can be fun! It’s a great way for teens to be creative and to express themselves. I can remember feeling so “cool” with my Hypercolour t-shirt (that stopped changing colours once washed), and my jelly shoes that were all the rage! Libraries can be a great place for teens to have fun with fashion, foster creativity, gain skills, and save a little money. For instance, at the York Woods Branch of the Toronto Public Library, they recently had a special event for teens to showcase their homemade clothing: “We Made It and We’re Proud of IT” – Fashion and Talent Show. Also on The Toronto Public Library’s teen website, RAMP, http://ramp.torontopubliclibrary.ca/, there is an invitation for teens to submit their own fashion designs.

I think this is a great way to bring teens into the library and introduce media literacy, teach basic sewing skills, or just gab about fashion. It seems as though fashion is a popular topic to discuss. While perusing the web, I came across countless blogs for young women that discuss the latest in, “what’s hot” and “what’s not” in the fashion world. The Winnipeg Public Library links teens to “Miss Couturable”, a nominee for the best teen blog in 2008, http://www.misscouturable.com/. I even discovered that Facebook is in on the action and I found that groups have formed around whether or not you are for or against the Uggs trend! The “I don’t care how comfortable Uggs are, you look like a dumbass” group has over 4200 members, while the “F**k You! I LOVE my Uggs!” group boasts over 7000 members!

Whether we like it or not, it seems that teen-targeted branding is here to stay – but instead of complaining about the latest fads, it’s nice to see that some people (and some libraries) are trying to embrace the creative faculties of teenagers by giving them a positive outlet for their fashionable urges!

REFERENCES

Klein, Naomi (2000). No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Toronto: Vintage Canada.

La Ferla, Ruth (2008, July 15). It’s a Gossip Girl thing; the tv show’s fashions are a must-get for teens. The Hamilton Spectator, pg. G09

Media Awareness Network (2008). Special issues for teens and tweens. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/issues_teens_marketing.cfm

FURTHER READING

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/fashionnews/3534631/Are-these-the-Ugg-liest-boots-in-the-world.html

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/4494.asp

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Fashion/Tweenage-idols/2005/05/20/1116533535958.html

http://youthdevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/marketing_to_kids_and_teens

For this class I have had the opportunity to do my group project on visually impaired youth.  While my group and I got to discuss and create a library program for visually impaired teens, I have come across another interesting potential programming idea for this user group.

Storytelling: a visually impaired person’s perspective

In Storytelling: a most accessible art form Kim Kilpatrick discusses how storytelling is an art form that can be equally enjoyed by sighted and visually impaired people.  Through Kilpatrick’s interest in storytelling she has been able to become a storyteller (in a volunteer and paid capacity) and develop a social network.

The benefits of storytelling

“Listening to stories, like reading books or watching films, can serve as an outlet and testing ground for the strong emotions that young adults are experiencing and, in many instances, trying to camouflage” (de Vos, 2000). Additionally, Bishop and Kimball (2006) suggest that storytelling is method that can connect others and help them understand each other.  Also, Caufield (2000) suggests that “storytelling can help foster self-confidence and poise” (as cited by Bishop & Kimball, 2006) because storytelling allows the tellers to develop oral presentation skills.

A program possibility for libraries?

So, it can be seen that there are benefits to storytelling to teens and benefits to becoming a storyteller.  Using the information from Kilpatrick’s (2008) article that storytelling can be enjoyed by visually impaired people a possible storytelling program could be constructed to allow visually impaired teens to participate.  A program could allow teens to select and prepare a storytelling session that could result in coffee house experience.

Resources

If you are looking to find resources on storytelling for teenagers, there is a book called Storytelling for Young Adults by Gail de Vos.  The book includes storytelling suggestions for people in grades 7 to 12.  The suggestions include supernatural, horror tales, contemporary legends, fractured fairy tales, word origins, tall tales, myths and more.

References

Bishop, K. & Kimball, M. A. (2006). engaging students in storytelling. Teacher Librarian, 33(4), 28-31.  Retrieved November, 2008, from Wilson Education Abstracts database.

De Vos, G. (2000). Storytelling for young adults. School Libraries in Canada, 19(4), 8-9.  Retrieved November, 2008, from Research Library database.

Kilpatrick, K. (2008). Storytelling: a most accessible art form.  Canadian Blind Monitor, 27.  Retrieved November, 2008, from http://www.blindcanadians.ca/publications/?id=1255.

In keeping with my theme of intergenerational programs, I am discovering that when given the opportunity and when done correctly, library programs that partner teens with senior citizens often work with overwhelming and surprising success. Senior citizens have a lot of wisdom to dispense and more often than not they are able to give a human face to issues teens want to discuss.

In one summer program called “Facing History and Ourselves” at Putnam County Library in Cookeville, Tennessee, they try to teach history in a way that creates personal connections with teens. Teens read and then discuss books on a central topic based on historical events but which are still relevant to the teens’ lives today. To foster discussion, guest speakers come in to give a personal touch to the issue. In this particular program, they discussed the Holocaust and related it to issues of  identity, hate, citizenship and activism and had a Holocaust survivor discuss her experience to wrap up the program. Was it a success? Absolutely. The participants didn’t want it to end and the program was extended from 8 weeks to 10.

And the wisdom and talents don’t just flow from senior citizens to teens. It’s a two-way street. A common way to bring youth and seniors together is to have teens teach seniors about new technologies.

The ‘Senior Computer Lab’ in Lewiston, Maine’s public library lets teens instruct seniors in basic computer skills using one-on-one tutorials. The result: teens show their willingness to volunteer their time and expertise and seniors show their trust and belief in teen talent and abilities. http://www.ci.lewiston.me.us/news/2007/07-18-07b.htm

It is possible to define adulthood using factors such as chronological age, financial and/or domestic independence as well as the nebulous concept of maturity. There was a discussion at the beginning of the course about how to define “young adults.” Is the label best applied to the traditional age range of 13 to 19? Or is it necessary to expand the parameters in order to reflect a social shift?

Statistics Canada reports that there has been a significant increase in the “the proportion of young adults aged 20 to 29 who resided in their parental home” (Human Resources, 2008). It is interesting that they exclude teenagers altogether from this category. The decision to return home can be the result of graduating from university, changing or losing a job, planning marriage or a divorce. All of these life circumstances often include some form of debt. They have been referred to as the “boomerang generation” or going through “adultescence” (Powers, 2007).

Consequently, young adult librarians may find themselves answering as many questions about resources for proper resume formatting and child custody as they do for high school projects on the solar system and the life cycle of trees.

In most cases, the aforementioned scenarios are temporary and individuals will resume their independence once their situation has stabilized. Unfortunately, there is a more worrisome trend that has been a focus of research by sociologists in recent years.

“Boys are in serious trouble. Doing worse in the classroom now than they did ten years ago. Hard to talk to. Unaware of their emotions. And the most violent in the industrialized world” (Thompson, 2008)

This can lead to a life characterized by endless drifting and insecurity. Many young males are abandoning or delaying responsibility as much as possible. They do this in favour of a life of recreation. This has most recently been addressed in State University of New York professor Michael Kimmel’s “Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men.”

In it he describes “the wasteland between ages 16 and 26″ (Tucker, 2008) (an echo of the Statistics Canada figure that seems to be the common redefinition of young adulthood) when:

The guy is in no hurry to shed youthful egotism and hedonism and take up the mantle of adulthood. The Guy mentality is rooted in resentment, drenched in booze and dedicated to pervasive, sometimes violent denigration of women and gays. It’s a perpetual carnival of pornography, violent video games, hypermacho music and blustering talk-radio hosts who stoke resentment by constantly reminding Guys of the lost paradise that should have been theirs (ibid).

One of the problems is a lack of suitable role models for boys as they grow up. This problem is recognized in the school system. In a report by Ontario educators, the province was urged to “act immediately to boost the already low and rapidly shrinking number of male teachers” (CBC, 2004).

However, I believe it is equally important to have male representation in public libraries, particularly in youth services departments. These males can be available throughout a youth’s academic career, whereas exposure to a teacher typically lasts only one year. Furthermore, boys are required to go to school. Yet it is often observed that boys are not physically present in the library. There is some exciting and innovative library programming to address this issue. The ALA awarded its 2007 Diversity Award to Break-4-Boys: Male-2-Male Mentoring in which men speak and do activities with tweens and teens (ages 11–18) on a consistent basis. Mentorship is performed free for males by males (Nichols & Wilcox, 2007).

This is is no way intended to deride the contribution of women to librarianship. However, at a time of decreasing literacy, particularly for recreation, the value of male staff in the library as role models for boys cannot be overstated.

References:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2004, November 13). Ontario urged to counter drop in male teachers.
Retrieved October 23, 2008, from: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2004/11/12/male_teacher_041112.html

Human Resources and Social Development Canada. (2008). Family Life — Young Adults Living with their Parent(s) .  Retrieved October 23, 2008, from: http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/indicator.jsp?lang=eng&indicatorid=77#MOREON_1

Nichols, K.D. and Wilcox, L.J. (2007). Male-2-Male Mentoring Is Working in Chicago Libraries. Information Today, Inc.  Retrieved October 23, 2008, from: http://www.infotoday.com/mls/nov07/Nichols_Wilcox.shtml

Powers, G. (2007). What to do with boomerang kids. Sympatico MSN Finance. Retrieved Retrieved October 23, 2008, http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/retirement/gordonpowers/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5767869

Thomspons, M. (2006). Raising Cain: Protecting the emotional life of boys. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from:
http://www.michaelthompson-phd.com/media.htm#cain

Tucker, C. (2008, October 5). ‘Guyland’ by Michael Kimmel: No girls or gays allowed. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October, 23, 2008, from: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-bk_guyland_1005gd.ART.State.Edition1.269f7db.html

It seems like one of the best ways to get teens interested in visiting the library is to get them involved in the library. By giving teens a voice and listening to what they have to say, we can better serve their unique needs. It’s apparent that these needs go way beyond just basic information needs – teens definitely have social needs, too. If the library is portrayed as a welcoming space where teens can hang out, contribute, and have their ideas heard, perhaps teens could view the library as more than just a building full of books and shushing librarians, but as a social hub that they themselves have helped mold.

It looks as if more and more libraries are creating Teen Councils. I scanned back through some old posts and saw that there were a couple that mentioned teen councils, particularly the Teen Annex at LPL, so I’ll only briefly talk about teen councils. I wanted to see if all teen councils have similar aims, so I looked at a few different libraries’ web sites to see how they describe what their teen councils do.

From the Homewood Public Library (http://www.homewoodlibrary.org/teens/teen-council.html):

“The Homewood Library Teen Council gives teens the opportunity to help make the library serve them even better - through fun programs (like gaming and movie nights and teen trips) and materials (books, DVDs, CDs, etc).”

From the Sidney Memorial Public Library (http://www.4cls.org/sidney/teens.html):

“The Teen Council plans special events, contests, and trips…. Members have fun while helping to make the library more fun for other teens.”

From Coquitlam Public Library (http://www.library.coquitlam.bc.ca/Programs+and+Services/ Teens/Teen+Council.htm):

“The Teen Advisory Council meets from October until June to talk about cool books, as well as to suggest services, materials and program ideas for the library.”

And, my personal favourite description, from the San Francisco Public Library – I found this description to be quite comprehensive (http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/sfplonline/teen/councilnew.htm):

“The San Francisco Public Library Teen Advisory Council is a group of San Francisco high school students who want to make the Public Library a better place for teens. We meet every month to plan Library events such as the teen summer read program, Teen Zine production, and other teen-related programs… We aim to make the Library more visible for teenagers, so that they will know about the great free resources we have right here in our city. Each Council member is responsible for advertising Library programs in our area of the city. We talk to other students about what the library has to offer. We also want teens to participate in library decisions. We meet with library administrators to let them know what improvements the Library can make to invite all teens inside the doors. “

Teen councils aren’t the only way to get teens interested in visiting libraries. After a lot of poking around on the Internet, I found that some libraries are doing some very interesting things to bring out the creative side of teens. The Denver Public Library, for example, held a contest where teens could win prizes by creating a video using one of the Internet’s most popular sites: YouTube. “How I Have Fun at the Library” was the theme of the contest, and teens sent in their videos for a chance to win an MP3 player.  Here is a link to the contest site, and the winning videos (the 2nd place video is no longer available, but the 1st place video is still viewable): http://teens.denverlibrary.org/media/youtube.html#entries.

Virtual library websites have also become an outlet for teens to express themselves and express their creativity. The Internet Public Library, for example, hosts a Teen Poetry Wiki (http://www4.ipl.org:8080/index.php/Main_Page) where teens can read, write, and anonymously post their poetry. As well, Thinkquest.org (a learning website where students can create learning projects) holds annual competitions for teens aged 19 and under to create websites, and win free trips, laptop computers, digital cameras, and school monetary grants. All of the websites are posted to the Thinkquest Library, where the winners are listed under each topic (http://www.thinkquest.org/library/).

Here are some of the many, many winner websites created by teens from Thinkquest that I thought were a bit fun and pretty unique:

Mom! You’re Embarrassing Me! (http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01023/)

Chicken Dumplings For Your Mind (http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00044/)

I Don’t Flip Burgers!! – The Student’s Webguide to Entrepreneurial Success (http://library.thinkquest.org/C0114800/about/index.php)

Jammin’ ‘bout Diabetes (http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/00281/)

Pee or Poo – Break the Taboo! (http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/00581/) (yes, this was one of the winning websites!)

And, just for us librarians:

Do We Really Know Dewey? (http://library.thinkquest.org/5002/)

Has anyone else witnessed creative ideas used at public libraries to draw the attention of teens (beyond more ordinary tactics like gaming, book clubs, movie nights, ect)?

I came across this article about teens and cosplay in Japan.

I’m not sure how well this particular thing would take off in North America, but it did occur to me that drama might be safer than online identity play as a way for teens to explore role-playing and identity-construction. Studies have shown that “heightened social interaction through drama provides a social context within which to observe the possible effects of one’s own actions and that of others through the buffer of drama” (Gervais, 4). With a surprising number of of teens assuming other identities online in order to bully, I would argue that it might be beneficial to provide a safe way for teens to explore identity without the bullying aspect. Drama is supervised, it’s “art” and it encourages in-person interaction.
And (just to be clear) by “drama” I don’t mean cheesy plays about bullying, I mean drama that explores real emotion and moral complexity. But, hey, if they really want to dress up as Naruto to explore these ideas then why not?

My question is: while it may be beneficial,  is this a job for libraries? Would it be a good partnership project? Or should we just leave it to someone else?

Reference
Gervais, M. (2006, April 14). Exploring moral values with young adolscents through process drama. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 7(2).

Well, I’ve really enjoyed putting these few blog posts together and I hope I’ve given you some good information and some stuff to think about. I thought I’d wrap up my time as daily-blogger with a little story.

Before I came to library school I worked as a reader’s advisor at a public library. I had the urge to put on a gaming program for teens; we had never done one before and had no idea how the turn out would be. I partnered up with another staff member at the library and together we rounded up 4 PS2s (one was the library’s, 1 was my own, and 2 we borrowed from our pages) and 4 digital projectors (2 were the library’s and 2 we borrowed from the school district who graciously let us borrow them for free.)

So, at the time we decided to do this, Guitar Hero 3 had just come out and my partner and I were busy rocking out at home. We happened to own all 4 versions of the game (GH1, 2, Rock the 80s, and now GH3) but only had 2 of the guitar controllers ourselves. With a stroke of luck, the two pages we had borrowed the PS2s from also had 1 GH controller each, so we were set to have 3 of the 4 PS2s playing Guitar Hero. For the fourth, we decided to set up the library’s 2 DDR mats and the DDR game so people could get their groove on.

We put the word out via our web site, posters, and flyers that we handed out at a regularly attended high-profile Lego program just 2 weeks before the gamer day was scheduled to take place. Who knew if advertising such a short period of time would be enough?

The program was scheduled to take place for 2 hours in the afternoon on a professional development day, a Friday, when kids were out of school. I arrived early and my co-worker and I set up four separate gaming stations in separate areas of the room, 3 with different versions of Guitar Hero, and 1 with DDR.

It was still almost an hour before the event was scheduled to start, and I was informed by one of the ref. desk staff that some boys were already here and asking if we needed help to set up!! They were chomping at the bit to get in the room and get rocking.

We finally decided to let them in when it got closer to starting time, and didn’t look back. Older kids, teens, aunts, uncles, parents, grandmas and grandpas poured in and challenged each other to DDR dance offs and rocked out to Guitar Hero. People sang, people played along, they danced. It was dark, loud, and the atmosphere was great. For a first ever gaming program at a medium-sized library with mostly borrowed equipment and 2 staff who’d never done anything like this before, we smashed it out of the park. I counted 45+ people that day, which was amazing for our program attendance numbers, especially considering we had advertised it so late and were in competition with other Pro-D events happening throughout the city.

Some highlights of the day:

An uncle who exclaimed, “This is awesome! Can I play too?” who had brought his 3 nieces into the library that day not knowing our gamer day was planned

2 very confused-looking teen boys who had never come to the library before. Guitar Hero brought them in, and our CD collection got them browsing. “I didn’t know the library had CDs!!” You can bet I gave them a library tour!

2 young brothers who were Guitar Hero rock gods and who blew everyone away. They couldn’t have been older than 9, but they were shredding on expert level and everyone was amazed!!!

And finally, my personal favourite, 4 of our “usual boys” who come to the library in the morning and don’t leave until it closes and are on the computers all day long. As the program was ending, they begged me to leave up one system so they could battle each other in GH3. I literally had to kick them out of the room 15 minutes before closing so I could dismantle everything in time to go home. As I ushered them out the door, they asked, “When is the next gamer day?”

How can I argue with that?

Hello, my name is Amy, and I play videogames.

By now I’m sure most of you are familiar with the fact that libraries are using video games and gaming programs to reach the younger segments of their community. Some librarians, myself included, think this is a fantastic way to reinvent our selves and our services to reach a segment that is historically underserved. Others are skeptical, wondering why libraries are encouraging kids, who already spend way too much time in front of screens, to plug in even more.

Should libraries be in on gaming? Should we be encouraging, supporting, and enabling young people to play?

My answer? Yes.

The fact is, lots of people play videogames, and it’s not just the wee ones. The latest stat from ESA shows the average age of gamers is 35. So you’re thinking, yeah, okay a 35 year old doesn’t really fall into our pre-teen to early-twenties YA services age group. And yeah, you’re probably right.

But what this does mean is that those 35 year old gamers have and are having children who are born into families where gaming is not only the norm, it’s a family past time. Shouldn’t libraries, then, get with gaming now so that when in a few years down the road that kid, who has grown up with gaming in their family, walks into their local public library and sees their values reflected there?

The average age of the gamer might be 35, but that doesn’t mean the age stops there. There are scads of young people, boys as well as girls (yep, it’s true!) who play videogames all the time as a hobby, way to kill time after school, or as a way to interact with friends.

To be honest, I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve read a ton of pro-gaming and anti-gaming arguments, and I’m sick of the media driven fear-mongering that says video games make kids fat and lazy. With today’s innovative gaming technologies—such as the Nintendo Wii and its active-style of gaming—we could argue that videogames make kids skinny and active. Then there’s the videogames make kids violent argument… but on the other side, there’s credible thinkers and researchers that debunk this myth.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that for every negative argument for videogames, there’s a corresponding positive to balance it out.

My question? Which side are you on?

My last post was about information seeking through fiction. How teenagers trust some authors as information sources. The info gleaned from novels can be about health, emotions, relationships or any daily life experiences. The Outsiders in particular came to mind as a novel that has spoken in a clear voice to youth for over 20 years.What I want to take a closer look at is the emotional power of narrative and stories.

The information is perhaps more accessible to teens because it is couched in narrative. Everything is viewed through the lens of story and perspectives of the characters within. I think that reading about people working through emotional situations is important for youth to connect stories to their emotions. Storytelling is a method of helping teens go one step further and allow them connect their emotions to stories.

The difference is fine, but its there. In a novel, the emotions are already laid out by the author, and each reader might find a different connection. Through storytelling, teens can directly access what is important for them and use the emotion to shape it into a story. Emotions can be crafted, dealt with and -most importantly- understood through storytelling.

Here are some resources and storyteller/authors to get you in the mood:

Jane Yolen is a great storyteller, her narratives flow perfectly. She has committed many of her stories to paper in several collections. She also focuses a lot on women in stories; where women are the heroes and not just damsels in distress or evil witches. Her site is a little confusing but poke around. The teacher’s section arranges her work by theme and age (although it hurts the eyes).

Germanic Myths, Legends, and Sagas is another confusing page, but an amazing resources. It does not merely focus on Germanic stories, it covers everything and more. Stories are arranged thematically; for instance there is a category called “Bald and Hairless Men”. So if you have the patience, you can find almost anything. This site also has a “Folk and Fairy-Tale Sites” index which leads to…

…Andrew Langand his numerous collections of colours. Most of the (insert colour here) Fairy Books are available online in some way, shape or form. The link I included is one of the more organized sites, complete with search box!!!

I like also highly recommend theThe Elfwoodas a source of inspiration. The countless galleries can be viewed by theme, searched or browsed at random. The temptation to put stories to every picture and describe the emotions prompted is hard to resist.

Finally, I would recommend Rudyard Kipling’s Just so Stories. They have an easy ‘tellability’, clear stories and great use of language for description and characterization. It is almost impossible to read these stories and not make voices. A caution though: Kipling has often been accused of being prejudice and many of his cultural terms are likely out of date. Browse through his works before selecting them.

Storytelling also helps to improve literacy. It works with narrative and the organization of ideas without imposing the restrictions of text. For ESL students, storytelling helps them develop their conversational expressions and language. Storytelling helps to improve textual fluidity and comfort.

Working storytelling into a YA programming would give teens an opportunity to shape emotions, work with narrative, be creative and (hopefully) have a great experience to build on. Why? Because storytelling helps everyone see their own lives as stories with value, excitement and bravery. Most folk tales also speak to the keen sense of justice, otherwise known as the “that’s not fair” hormone, that many teens possess in excess.

Well, I hope you are inspired about creating a storytelling program for the young adults at your future place of employment. If you are still doubtful about the benefits of storytelling I included some resources below that will speak highly in my favour.

LF

Additional Resources

Barton, Bob & Booth, David. Stories in the Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann, 1990.

Colon-Villa, Lillian. “Storytelling in an ESL Classroom” Bnet (Feb. 1997), online at
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3666/is_199702/ai_n8755771

Livo, N.J. & Rietz, S.A. Storytelling: process and practice. Littleton, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1986.

Also a link from January’s semester: http://lis780.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/telling-stories-to-teens/

Broken Links

just in case I need to add some…

I still think of myself as a teenager. I swear I don’t feel any different than I did when I was in high school. I don’t even feel more mature. And I don’t think I’m unique in this way. My grandmother, for one, always insisted she felt as though she were still eighteen years old – even while she was well into her sixties!

And yet, I have changed — and my grandmother has changed – without even realizing how.

So often, adults think back to their own adolescence when trying to relate to youth. While this can be a valuable exercise, our memories can be poor reflectors of reality. Besides, the older we become, the greater the difference between life for us when we were teens and life for teens today. As YA librarians, we need to familiarize ourselves with the youth of today, understand what they understand, and see the world as they see it.

To better understand youth and some of the cultural and ideological differences between younger and older generations, check out the Beloit College Mindset List. This list provides a window into the cultural milieu in which youth today have grown up, and highlights some of the cultural and ideological gaps between younger and older generations. It’s easy to forget what youth today remember and don’t remember, or what does and doesn’t resonate with them. While the focus of the list is on older YA’s, specifically those entering their first year of college/university, it still holds true for many of the younger YA’s as well.

Of course, the goal of such an exercise isn’t just to gain some new depth of understanding of youth today (although that’s important for anyone who has to spend work-related time with youth). Instead, in a library setting, the focus should be on answering some of the following questions:

How do these factors affect the worldview of our patrons?

How do these factors affect our own services, outreach and attitudes?

Where do we need to adjust our thinking and make changes in our outreach tactics and programming?

Apologies to lola2008 for piggybacking on this time slot, but as it turns out I need to post Friday-Saturday instead of Saturday-Sunday as I will not have access to a PC on this weekend! Now on to the nitty gritty of this blog post…

One of the reasons I decided to take LIS 780 was that I felt I needed more practical guidance when it came to providing teens with information services. As I am about to begin a job as an official Reference Librarian, while at the same time having been invited to take on the added responsibility of developing better teen services (a result of my opening my big mouth and pointing out that a library whose programs stop at Grade 7 is woefully underserving a giant part of the community), I am always looking for tips and tricks no matter the source. To this end, various librarians have recommended several titles that might help any new librarian develop practical services for youth. And so I offer you a book review on Get Connected: Tech Programs for Teens. Library 2.0 is certainly a huge trend at the moment (just look at this year’s OLA seminar schedule for proof), and this book offers some interesting ideas in that regard. 

Get Connected: Tech Programs for Teens by RoseMary Honnold. New York: Neil-Schuman Publishers, 2007. 149 p. $45.00 USD. ISBN 9781555706135.  

If a librarian were asked to identify one overwhelming trend in public library service today, there would undoubtedly be debate about whether the biggest trend was 2.0 or service to young adults. In RoseMary Honnold’s Get Connected, this Young Adult Services Coordinator at Ohio’s Coshocton Public Library has combined both topics to offer a guide to providing young adults with technology-based programs.  

Divided into three major sections (Connecting for: Fun, Education, and Teen Advisory Groups), Get Connected recognizes that “today’s teens are digital natives” and that “one of the best ways to foster information literacy is by offering programs that appeal to teens’ interest in technology.” Get Connected therefore offers a range of programming suggestions that attempt to cover several of the most popular trends in tech/2.0 such as video gaming, podcasting, ebooks and audiobooks, and online research skills.  

Teen services librarians from several American public libraries have contributed program descriptions to Get Connected, thereby providing the reader with practical suggestions that have already been tested successfully in the public library setting. Each chapter examines a particular topic in detail, giving the reader background information on the topic (e.g., “What is a Podcast?”), further resources for learning about the topic (e.g., “Sites for Podcasting”), and a case study explaining an example program (e.g., “Podcasting at Cheshire Public Library”). The text is enhanced with photographs of case study participants, images of promotional flyers and posters, and relevant tables and graphs.  

The book’s extensive appendices would be useful to librarians serving in the United States as several concern the Bill of Rights as it relates to children’s rights to access electronic information, but Canadian librarians may not find these tools as valuable. Special audiences are also briefly addressed in this work (e.g., Earphone English at Berkeley Public Library is examined), but for the most part Get Connected assumes that its readers work in a medium-sized public library with teens without special needs. 

Get Connected would be a worthwhile read for any new young adult librarian looking for tips on how to run a successful tech program aimed at young adults as it offers practical, proven suggestions on a range of tech programs both fun and educational. More experienced librarians, however, may find that the step-by-step tips and technical information are a little too basic, while librarians working in smaller libraries may find that the programs often exceed their capabilities (as many programs require a number of computers or after-hours space).

I found that video we viewed about Coolhunting was really interesting, and it got me thinking about new and different ways that we as librarians could market to teens. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to get away from that stereotype of being uncool and boring, without compromising our librarian integrity? I think one of our best assets is to keep informed, whether it be with the news, with literature, with library issues, and for youth work especially, with new and upcoming TRENDS!

Granted, it could be difficult and expensive to insert new trends into the library atmosphere (ie. It may be practically impossible to replace furniture constantly or computer technology) but online environments could be enhanced by keeping up-to-date, as well as programming, and art displays, etc. I found a trendhunting site from a journalist in Toronto named Bianca Bartz. I will post the link on the blog for future reference.

http://www.trendhunter.com/bianca 

Bianca posts constantly about the newest, hottest things, both for teens and in general. I thought I would use this blog space to point out some new things that have been identified as “up and coming”, as well as illustrate the importance of using this kind of tool to stay current.

These crazes may be short lasting or long lasting, no real way to tell. However, I do think that trendhunting sites would be a fresh new way for librarians to keep on top of the ever changing world of teens! Even if we can’t possibly do everything, we can at least keep up to date on what’s going on and be able to talk about it. Here are a few of the things I found most intriguing, and that I think could be incorporated into libraries in some way, shape or form:

Manga: Business Scenarios (for a slightly older audience)

“Manga is becoming hugely popular in North America, but we’re missing a whole genre,” Pink says. “In Japan, there’s manga for adults on business topics. We don’t have that here.  So I decided to create the first business book in manga for a western audience.”

Pimp My Flats: Shoe Decorating Making a Comeback (Cool Programming Idea?)

A plain, white pair of tennis shoes provides way too much creative potential to leave them as they come. Case in point, the Pimp My Flats exhibit has some stellar designs, showcasing ordinary plimsol shoes that have been taken to the next level of hip. Each pair of Lazy Oaf shoes has been decorated differently, from designs that are wearable, even seriously desirable, to others which are just plain hideous.

The concept of the library and the coffee house has been linked for quite some time. Thinking back to the work of Jurgen Habermas, around the time of the Revolution Habermas articulated the importance of the coffee house as a place for meeting, discussion and debate, before freedom of speech was the norm. Historically, and even today, the library is seen in the same manner, as somewhere patrons can go to access educational tools and become informed citizens. Perhaps political discussion is not as common in the library, but many still meet there for programs, to study, or simply to hang out. The following information will discuss the recent merging of coffee bars and libraries, as a marketing strategy to reach patrons- especially teens.

A 2006 study of teens reports a 25% increase in the number of teen coffee drinkers over the course of 2 years. This number is really quite staggering! When asked why, many replied that they like the caffeine and the taste, and they enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of a place like Starbucks. Bookstores have already jumped on this notion, encouraging customers to linger a while and enjoy the books, One study showed that some teens were using a local Barnes & Noble like a library- reading, studying, asking for reader’s advisory. When asked why, they gave the following reasons:

• the collection is more up-to-date
• they enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of Barnes & Noble
• the area seemed more friendly and inviting
• coffee bars allowed them to take a break and return conveniently

Academic libraries (who typically have more funding and are in competition for students) are latching onto this trend perhaps more quickly, by placing coffee shops in or close in proximity to their library. Wireless computer access allows students to move about the library, in a way that wasn’t possible only a few years ago. A study on this topic sought to gage college/university students library usage, study habits, and coffee consumption. The library was listed as the number 1 study location, and studying and using email were the top 2 library behaviours. In terms of coffee consumption, convenience was listed as the number 1 factor in choosing a coffee bar, and students reported drinking 1-3 cups on average per day. 33% of academic libraries in the overall sample were said to be amending their food and beverage policies to make the library a more relaxing place to be.

Coffee shops were especially a good idea in cases where libraries had extended hours. One university turned their coffee house into a place for poetry readings and open mic nights on certain nights of the week, which I thought was a great culturally enriching move. The libraries in the study reported an average of 24% more people coming in after installing their coffee bars and/or vendor. So, this service was tested to work well with college/university student, who are studying intensively and require a relaxing atmosphere to conduct their studies. Will this be as effective to bring teens into public libraries? It remains to be seen, depending on what kinds of coffee service/snack service is offered - a full service facility, variety of snacks, staff run/contracted, vending machines, etc. are all considerations. Below are a list of pros and cons to coffee houses in libraries, based on the research I have conducted.

Pros 

• place to socialize
• creates more relaxed atmosphere
• convenient (patron don’t have to leave the library if they need refreshments)
• could do creative programming with it (as per the example above)
• makes library appear “cooler”
• bookstores have already done it, and proved it successful
• proven to increase attendance in academic libraries
• teens drink more coffee lately, so there is a demand for it

Cons 

• expensive to implement/run, contracts need to be negotiated
• potential damage to library materials
• may increase noise level
• may change library space too much
• does not necessarily bring in more patrons
• could be a passing trend

Either way, this is an idea many libraries are considering, and I believe it is valid to consider why. I welcome any opinions on whether or not you think coffee bars/cafes are a good idea for public libraries, specifically for teens.

References 

Anonymous. (2008). A cafe or coffee bar in the public libraries. realistic or not? Retrieved March 24th, 2008 from http://members.tripod.com/~robyn64/Page.htm

Marshall, M. (2006). The teen coffee drinking trend. WBZTV.com. Retrieved March 24th, 2008 from http://wbtv.com/Caffeine.Teen.Coffee.2.575920.html

Schott, K. (2006). Libraries with coffee shops the ‘in’ thing at area universities. BNET.com. Retrieved March 24th, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articesl/mi_qa3652/is_200608/ai_n17191828/print

Singh, G. (2002). Evolving space: an examination of coffee shops in academic libraries. Retrieved March 24th, 2008 from http://www.ils.unc.edu/MSpapers/2813.pdf

Hi everyone, I hope it’s ok, that I post this here.  This weekend, Saturday between 1-5pm, the central library is hosting an Indie Media Fair, with lots of great stuff on display and for purchase.  (zines, music, film, photography, silkscreening etc.).  It sounds like a fun event, and something adults and kids might both enjoy, also it might spur some programming ideas for kids and teens!

Although American, The Nation became one of my favorite reads when I first began working in libraries because the articles are so different than so much of main stream journalism. It totes itself as offering “unconventional wisdom since 1865” (thenation.com). After some of our discussions in class I began searching around on the magazine’s website to see if they had anything geared towards the next generation of voters. Student nation can be found on the main page and is geared towards youth. It showcases political pieces written by students and has some useful links. I found this article (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060717/domonoske)there posted in June of 2006 by a junior in an American high school named Carmila Domonoske. Carmila’s article earned her a finalist position in the running for a writing contest supported by The Nation. I think her article outlines a common frustration among youth in the pre-voting years. It confirms for me something that I have always believed, and that is that the public library should not shy away from politics. Creating awareness with the youth population can often be a great start. Especially during the years before they are able to vote but old enough to be frustrated by policy makers. Sources like The Nation offer a wealth of ideas, showcase student work and can be a springing board for discussions with community youth regarding the issues that are troubling them and what sort of programs or projects they’d be interested in. If you want to read a more recent piece, here’s a link to this year’s winner of The Nation’s writing contest:http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071022/thoreson

     I found an article from Time magazine that was written in 2000 at the height of the high tech industry where new dot com CEO’s were making millions but were not yet old enough to vote or drink legally in the U.S. This article was listed in Anderson’s (2004) reference list and although it may now be considered slightly dated, I believe it provides an excellent springing board for which to begin a discussion on the changing culture of teenager hood.      A new era of adolescence seems to be emerging as the largest population of teens is currently coming of age. So what does today’s teenager look like? Is it the young capitalist already investing in the market or the one in a new pair of Uggs bought with a credit card which is still paid by mommy and daddy? The norm these days is difficult to identify with so many twenty something’s and thirty something’s acting like teenagers themselves. It certainly doesn’t help that pop culture seems to glorify this stage of life that everyone goes through causing a “Peter Pan Effect”.

     As future Youth Services Librarians we must remain in tune with our user group we often refer to as YA-Young Adult. But are they adults or are they youth? How does this changing user group really want to be treated? I believe the library has a duty to enhance the community’s youth population by engaging them in activities that allow them to be themselves and enjoy this time of coming of age. The only way to understand this age group is to keep in contact with them, bringing them into the library by offering programming that interests them, helps them and allows their voices to be heard by the adult decision-making members of the community.

Here’s an electronic link to the Time reference: http://www.time.com/time/reports/v21/live/teen_mag.html

 References:

Anderson, S.B. (2004). On the verge of adulthood: Older teens and thelibrary in Serving older teens. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Kirn, W. (2000, February 21). Will teenagers disappear? As kids grow up even faster, that carefree age known as adolescence may soon be a memory. Time, 155(7), 60-61.