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Belgrade Community Library Teen Zone
In 2005, my community constructed a much needed 5,500 square foot library addition. The floor plan included space for materials, a community room, and storage, but it lacked something very important–an area for teens. Young adults browsed the collection, checked out items, then zipped right out the front door. As we turned our attention to youth programming, we realized the room was not helping our efforts. We wanted to encourage teens to linger, to come to the library because it was a safe, comfortable place. It was time for a Teen Zone.
With very little money and very little floor space, the library created a comfortable area that is frequently used by local middle and high school students to read, socialize, study, play computer games and craft. Here is how we did it:
- Paint - Even with limited space, you can create a defined area using paint. Belgrade teens voted on a color for the Teen Zone, and the shade “legendary blue” (aquamarine) won by a landslide. We complimented the vibrant color with a gray accent wall and black chalk board paint. By letting the teens pick the primary color, the library created a striking, teen-friendly look. If you are worried about ending up with florescent green, I recommend picking three or four shades everyone can live with before opening up the vote.
- Shelf placement – Originally, the teen shelves were placed back to back in one long row parallel to a wall of windows. Simply reorienting the shelves freed up a ton of room, allowed more natural light, and eliminated a hidden nook. Moving shelves is tedious, but you can make sure everything fits by tracing plans with masking tape on the floor before actually shifting.
- Furniture – Comfy chairs can become the most expensive part of the project if you are not careful. We searched the clearance list for durable, mobile furniture, and came up with modern looking wedges that match the feel of our space. The furniture is simple to clean, stack, and move around. Mobility has been the most important feature. Because the space is small, we occasionally host activities like Wii and DIY tech projects in a different space. The wedges come with us.
Shelf labels made with public domain comic books.
- Art – Windows cover an entire wall in our teen area so hanging space is limited. We decided to focus on recrafting our directional signs to add more color and visual interest. Using public domain comic books, I created colorful, visually appealing shelf labels. They are easy to read and are fun to look at. For more temporary displays, we installed a cork board. We also invested in a metal Teen Zone sign to pull the whole area together.
- And an unanticipated feature…floor coverings – Several months after creating the space, we purchased interlocking foam tiles in compatible colors and arranged them in a checker board pattern on the floor. Like many other libraries, we are exploring DIY and maker programs, and with hands-on discovery comes a bit of a mess. The tiles protect the carpet and minimize anxieties regarding spilled paint and sticky substances. They are also durable because they are made to go under exercise equipment.
For more ideas on how to create an effective teen space, take a look at YALSA’s Teen Space Guidelines. You don’t need a large budget to make many of the suggestions a reality.
Do you live in a rural area and have a teen zone? Did you create a teen space on a shoestring budget? Tell us about your space in the comments!
American Libraries recently posted an article about programming for homeschooled kids and their families. There are a lot of great ideas there that you should take a look at, but very few of the ideas are focused on teens. Like any library media specialist knows, teens need to have their reading, research, and library skills in check before college, and those being homeschooled are no different.
In addition to inviting those teens to your regular programming and events, consider doing things for them during the lull of the day, when everyone else is in school. Not all parents who homeschool are necessarily schooled in how to use library databases, scholarly journals, and online media for research projects, so perhaps a small group might appreciate a workshop similar to the ones high school students get from their librarians. You could even designate a special hour a week for drop-in lessons.
On a similar note, homeschools don’t employ full-time college counselors, but you probably have a circulating and non-circulating collection of test prep books, college guides, and more. Another unique daytime program you can offer, then, is a college workshop. Invite some current college students, whose schedules also allow them to have some free hours during the day, to answer questions about local schools and essay topics, and see if any of your regular homework tutors can volunteer to come in and help with the process.
Many homeschooled kids participate in things like Cub Scouts, community theatre, and sports so that they’re not cut off from the greater community. But what about that good ol’ teen stuff that your parents aren’t supposed to facilitate for you? You know…angst, sex, peer pressure, body changes. Consider hosting a daytime talk group, possibly broken into male- and female-only groups, where peer mentoring and bonding can happen outside of the home and away from the parents. This is also a great way to look into partnering with community organizations dedicated to youth development or prevention, or to bring in a volunteer or intern, such as a graduate student in counseling. To broaden horizons even more, make it a drop-in after-school talk, where teens from any school situation can hang out. Write a theme on a whiteboard outside the door, alongside some guidelines for safe spaces, and let them guide the conversation the way they would at lunchtime on the bleachers.
Many homeschooling parents form support or social groups. Look online for groups in your area, and then reach out to them to let them know about the resources you already have. Since they’re apt to take their kids on field trips, remind them about the museum passes you offer. Put them on a mailing list and let them know about new materials in the library relevant to curriculum and enrichment. Send them a schedule of all the events for teens, but highlight those that are designed specifically for homeschoolers. Or reach out and ask the parents and the teens what they’d like to see in their library.
Host an alternative futures event! If local high schools are only doing traditional college fairs, work with representatives from the Peace Corps, Americorps, and other post-graduation, gap year programs. While any teen would enjoy programming such as this, it’s especially relevant to more and more homeschooled teens, who often decide against college or the military post “graduation” in favor of more self-paced, experiential learning like they’re used to. This would be a great way to spark conversation between your homeschooled patrons and their traditional school counterparts–what do they think are the best plans for an 18-year-old? What could they never see themselves doing?
Do you have a strong contingent of homeschooled teens in your community? Do you even know?
As a part of redesigning the teen space at my library we were looking for a way to partition off some space without building an actual wall. We thought about moving bookshelves, we daydreamed about sound proof glass, but nothing seemed feasible. Until my director came up with an idea: what about movable partitions that you can hang things on? Where would they go? Wherever we wanted. We could reserve the right to change our minds whenever we liked. What would we hang on them? Colored paper? Teen programming information? We settled on sketchbooks, figuring that would make it easy for content to change.
At first patrons weren’t sure what to do with them, but after I got some of my regular teens to start drawing on them, they began to catch on. Later, I added a sign that says:
“Teens! Want to draw?
1. Grab a sketchbook
2. Draw a picture
3. Hang it back up
Need some art supplies? Borrow some at the Circulation Desk.
<3, your librarian, Erin”
After that the art really started to take off. Mostly manga style, often just in plain pencil, but sometimes in bright colors, the teens have been making these blank pages their own. Now almost every day I come in to find new art.
The Art Wall, as we’ve come to call it, is part passive program, part art installation, part wall, and always eye-catching. Seeing art from their peers and being invited to contribute their own really draws teens in and helps them to feel a sense of ownership of their space.
You don’t need a whole wall to incorporate teen art into your space. Start small by displaying some pieces from teens you know. Create a gallery on a window, or as part of a book display or teen info bulletin board. Leave a communal sketchbook on a table, prop one up on an easel, or find a creative way to hang one where teens will see it. None of your regulars like to draw? No problem. Invite them to display a poem, or make a collage. Having teen participate in the decor of their space is the important bit–the particulars are up to you.
When faced with the chance to build a teen section from the ground up, most teen librarians would jump at the opportunity to create the perfect teen-centric, state-of-the-art space filled with ample, comfortable seating, the latest in technology and resources, and, most importantly, teenagers. To craft such a space is practically every teen librarian’s dream, and many library professionals agree that having an innovative, separate, and distinct teen space is one of many factors linked to teens wanting to use the library more.
Most of us who work with teens in a library-setting already know that they need a place to call their very own, so why state the obvious? It seems that a new trend in library design for youth may be emerging, which focuses on a “whole youth” approach to space and service. While not necessarily a new idea, this more traditional approach creates a youth space that moves from one stage of development to the next and provides patrons from birth to young adult with a continuity of service from a team of youth librarians. In this model, the teen space is once again situated near or, in some cases, in the youth (i.e. children’s) department, and a teen librarian may spend most of the day assisting pre-teens. Yes, there will still be a dedicated space for teens, but its proximity to all things children may diminish its favor among young adults. As Kimberly Bolan (2009) so aptly states in Teen Spaces (2nd ed.), “Teenagers do not want to be associated with little kids” (p. 30).
It appears that the advances Bolan and others have advocated for and gained on behalf of teen librarians and their customers may be in danger of becoming the exception to the rule once again. Will teen services become diminished as a whole youth approach to library services and design takes root? Will teens continue to use the library once their separate space is integrated into the youth section? Only time will tell.
What do you do with middle school students acting like…well, middle school students? Give them a Room of Their Own! Teen spaces are becoming an increasingly common means to keep teens coming into the library once they reach that awkward age of too old for the kids section, but needing their own space. The path to teen-centered spaces in libraries has been paved by advocacy.
“When I wrote the first edition of Teen Spaces in 2002, no one was even really thinking about teen spaces with the exception of a few like Phoenix and Los Angeles,” says author and consultant Kim Cullin. “In the mid to late 90’s I had worked to create teen spaces in a several rural libraries and ended up doing a ton of public speaking on the topic to motivate others to do the same. It became a mission!” Cullin goes on to say that by the time she started working on the second edition, teen spaces had become increasingly commonplace. “I had so many wonderful examples to show people as compared to the few and far between that were out there while writing the first edition.”
Charlotte Johnston, Children’s Services Coordinator at the Dorchester County Library in Summerville, South Carolina knows first-hand the difference advocacy can make in creating teen spaces. Her library system has two branches – a medium sized suburban one and a smaller rural one. Neither branch had a dedicated “teen” area , but during the past five or six years they have been able to carve one out at each location.
Charlotte’s efforts to establish a teen area at the smaller rural location met with little resistance. At the larger,suburban location, she had to advocate for change, and the change was gradual. Initially the teen materials collection was split up amongst the adult and children’s sections, with no specific magazines, music or movies for teens. There had been no attempt to develop a dedicated teen materials collections, which made it easy not to have a dedicated teen space. Charlotte advocated for shifting the existing collections to establish a teen-centered space. She faced some objections from library staff and administration who didn’t see the value in changing a system, which they felt was adequate. Ultimately, she was able to present an acceptable compromise and was able to re-design the space to include dedicated room for teens.
The space is small, but with some furniture, manga and magazine racks, and additional book shelves, it works nicely. “We have a display board at the end of one of the shelves to advertise programs, and a plaque with names of our most dedicated TAG members. We add names as the members graduate from high school.”
The teens themselves have helped advocate for growth and change in the “teen area” by attending programs and stopping by the library after school. “Regular staff see the kids more often, and I think that visibility has helped keep everyone on board,” says Charlotte. “Having our Friends and volunteers see how popular the teen collection is, really helps strengthen support for it.”
Advocating for teen spaces doesn’t always mean raising money for a new space. Often it means advocating to accommodate teen patrons working with what you have. Looking to establish a teen space in your library? Check out Kim Cullin’s White Paper on Teen Spaces for YALSA: http://www.ala.org/ala/
This is over a year old, but I recently stumbled across Buffy Hamilton’s post at the Unquiet Librarian about the reshelving project she did at her school’s library. I love the mix of face-out books, displays, and horizontal stacks on books. It’s visually appealing and makes browsing a lot easier! See all the photos in her Flickr set.
A few years ago I was early for a workshop I was going to lead at New York Public Library’s Teen Central (when it was at the Donnell Branch). I knew about the Teen Central policy regarding adult use of the space. Adults can look for books and get help from a librarian, but they can’t sit at a table to work, read, etc. Yet, even though I knew about that policy, I also knew that I was friendly with several of the librarians that worked at Teen Central and thought they would waive the rules for me. (Which really wasn’t appropriate at all.)
When I arrived at Teen Central, of course, none of the staff members that I knew were working. I took a chance anyway and sat down at a table, took out my computer, and started to work. The staff person on duty walked over to me pretty quickly and told me that the library’s policy is that adults can’t “hang out” in the teen room. Adults are welcome to browse the collection, get help from librarians, and when their browsing and information gathering is done they need to leave.
The staff member did her job. I told her that I was leading a workshop in about an hour but that I did understand the rule and I was definitely willing to pick up my stuff and leave. She was right, I wasn’t. (By sitting down I really put her in a bad and unfair position.) And, I did leave because I did understand and agreed with the rule.
I’m writing about this because recently there’s been some discussion on Twitter about teen only library policies and whether or not they are fair to the non-teens in the community. Some things perhaps to consider when thinking about these policies as they relate to space:
- Do teens need a space of their own that they feel comfortable in – space where they can hang out and be themselves without lots of adult eyes perhaps judging them and complaining about the noise levels and what can seem to some adults as inappropriate library behavior.
- Adults often find that teen spaces in libraries are really comfortable and they tend to take over. Sitting in the chairs, listening to the music, etc. As a result do teens end up having to give up the space since it’s no longer their own?
- Adults should be able to browse through materials in the teen collection, and get help, but if they sit down and read and do work then there is less space for teens in the library. There is usually a lot of space in libraries in which adults can sit. Not so much space for teens. Once adults get what they need from a teen space, can’t they take their materials and information and go to all of the other spaces available to them?
Once I got to know the teen librarian that spoke to me about my attempt to work in Teen Central, I asked her if it was difficult to come up to me and ask me to re-locate. She said it wasn’t and the reason was that she knew the library administration supported the policy of teen only space in the library. And, she supported the policy as well, knowing that teens deserve and need library space that they can all their own.
So, whose space is teen space? What do readers think?
You can read the blog post that started the Twitter discussion on this topic- Part 1 and Part 2
Recently I graded a set of library school student projects. For these projects students needed to talk with teens about the ways teens spend their time, how they find out about the materials and activities in which they are interested, and what they think of libraries – school and public. As I read through the assignments something became very clear. For at least some teens, the library is not much more than a supermarket. It’s a place where you go when you have to “pick something up.” It’s a place that you visit as quickly as possible and only when you have to. Like a supermarket, it’s a place that can be confusing if the signs are not helpful and there isn’t staff that is willing to engage and answer questions in a friendly manner.
While I know that many libraries do not fit this supermarket analogy, I am very aware that there are still many libraries that do. And, even librarians that support the idea that the library should be nothing more than a supermarket for teens – get them in and out as quickly as possible. But, is that really what is the best for teens in the community? Do teens need something more than a supermarket for acquiring leisure reading materials and informational help and support? If the answer to those questions is “yes,” what do we do to transform the library as supermarket framework to the library as a destination place – where it’s OK for teens go to hang out and spend time? What makes a library more than a supermarket for teens? Is it:
- Hours that go beyond the traditional 9 to 5 or 9 to 9 model? Do successful hangout places for teens open early and stay open late?
- Staff across library departments that is welcoming, interested, and willing to build relationships?
- Flexible furniture that is easy to move around and that promotes sitting and talking with friends and peers?
- Space that actually has space for moving around, standing and talking, and even sitting on the floor?
- More than a collection of books and what’s in the collection (books, media, technology, etc.) is of interest to teens 2009/2010 and not just favorites of current or past librarians, staff, parents, etc.?
- A place where teens know their ideas are welcome, supported, and even acted upon?
As I wrote that list of questions, which could of course go on to include lots of other topics and aspects of teen services, I was reminded of a comment a student in the library school class made last week. She said that as she worked on the assignments for the class she was beginning to realize that in some communities the library just didn’t want to provide services to teens. As I think about that comment it seems to me that a perfect example of this lack of desire is providing library teen services in a supermarket model. If we have to have them then lets make the experience as fast – for everyone – as possible.
Don’t let your library services be similar to a supermarket. Reach for something a bit more meaningful within a teen’s life. What if you analyze why some teens spend hours in a Starbucks and work towards replicating that? Or, what about analyzing the hang-out value of an Apple store, a mall, or maybe even a family rec room? What can you replicate for the teens you serve? And, how are you going to make it work?
Hello all,
While doing some research I stumbled across an article in the April 2008 v.31 (1) issue of Voice of Youth Advocates about a library in Lancaster, Pennsylvania who created teen space by partnering with a senior citizens group. The Life of the Mind Consortium was created by two seniors (and former library educators) Jane Hannigan and Kay Vandergrift and partners with three higher education institutions to “foster intellectual exchange between retirees and academics and to give back to the larger community”. The community service aspect of the group focuses on youth facilities in local libraries.
Lancaster Public Library (LPL) was in need of teen space (aren’t they all?). They had a youth advocate, Teen Advisory Board and had chosen a place in the library to create it, but as always money was a factor. Enter the Consortium. They had applied and received a grant of $10,000 from the H.W. Wilson Foundation to use for projects that improve youth library services in the county. With money in hand they toured LPL and immediately saw the need for a teen space.
What resulted was a partnership between teens and seniors with teens giving input about how they wanted the space to look and the volunteer seniors helping out wherever they could. Teens and seniors had a newfound respect for each other and often appreciated the others ideas and talents. For example, the older adults were unprepared for the quality of art created for the space by teens. On one occasion a group of retirees agreed that a portrait created by a teen should be moved from the wall….but to a place of more prominence. The artist was so pleased with this praise that she eventually created more art to be placed in the space.
The opening of The Hub and the positive response of teens and seniors to the entire project show that unlikely partnerships can work. This was the first project of the Consortium and they have already moved onto more library projects. Check them out, including the one at LPL at http://lifeofthemindconsortium.info/TheHub.htm
What do you guys think? I love the idea of looking for unlikely partnerships that benefit both sides in unsuspecting ways and with the overwhelming need for funding, libraries could use all the help they can get.
Posted in Teen Spaces
In light of the recent website evaluations we discussed in class and to compliment the subject I discussed in yesterday’s blog post, I thought I would do a review on a sexual information website for teens. I will first make a few comments about RAMP, the Toronto Public Library’s teen webspace. The second part of my post will review Spiderbytes, a sexual information site for teenagers recommended by RAMP.
RAMP
Links to sexual health information are listed in the “life stuff” section of the website. Considering that the search function in RAMP is not very good (I actually couldn’t get it to work at all and kept getting error messages), “life stuff” is not necessarily an intuitive place to look. The importance of sexual health and young adults’ curiosity about sex justify better labeling and a more direct link to this information.
I think the sex information links in RAMP could be organized better in general, particularly since the different pages lead to many (if not all of the same links). I could go on critiquing this site but I think we already discussed it enough in class.
Spiderbytes
Spiderbytes was created by Planned Parenthood of Toronto, a community based, pro-choice agency.
Besides its terrible name (what exactly does Spiderbytes mean?), Spiderbytes’ design is lacking in usability. I think the design goal was to be different and attractive and although it achieves that, it is not great to use because you have to figure things out. Although the persistent navigation is consistent, you have to scroll over the buttons in order for labels to appear. Additionally, there are two persistent navigation bars/icon groups, which is disorienting and confusing to the user. The main navigation bar, housing information about sex, relationships, puberty, etc., leads to pages that look blank until you figure out that the little lists on the right-hand side of the pages are links that you have to click on to have the information appear in the center of the page. The font size here is way too small. Perhaps a young adult would find this design refreshing and enjoy exploring how the site works (I venture to guess that may have been the goal of the designers), but Jakob Neilsen, the usability expert, would disagree. Neilsen reports that studies of teen website use reveal their patience levels and attention span to be even lower then that of adults. If a user is looking to quickly access information, they would not be able to on this site.
However, the site does score some positive points with its design. It is not too busy or flashy with a lot of distracting animations. It does not require a lot of scrolling and does not use colours that bother the eyes. Rather the design is quite simple and clean, if not conventional and intuitive. Additionally, it contains interactive elements such as quizzes. For instance, in the “puberty” section, teens can fill out quizzes about getting hairy and periods. These short multiple choice quizzes test the knowledge of users and provide information (and answers) in an engaging way. Another good example is in the “sex” and “virginity” section where teens can take a quiz to let them know if they are ready to lose their virginity.
Thus the site offers great content. When I was a teenager we didn’t have access to this type of information, in this format. I think it would have been kind of cool to explore sexual health information through interactive, online quizzes. The inclusion of sexuality and sexual orientation in the content is also important and useful. The inclusion of disability issues is great but these are located in the “sexuality” section which is probably not the first place that people would look for this information. Although the information is generally straightforward and succinct in the main sections of the website, links to clinics, phone lines, etc, are located in a small pop-up window that requires a lot of scrolling. This information is thus not very accessible in terms of the website’s ease of use.
The site provides very informative content in an interactive and interesting way, but the design is ineffective and impractical, taking away from the overall experience. It is a good example of the ways in which information providers sometimes defeat their own purpose and put up unintentional barriers to accessibility. It is important for librarians to be aware of these issues and to critically evaluate the information tools they provide to their community.
Although Planned Parenthood of Toronto is a very reputable and authoritative community health organization, if the city’s public library is compelled to include a link to this site, I would recommend they ensure links to websites with more usable designs as well. As it stands, RAMP does not offer links to more then four sexual health websites in total. If I was a teenager (maybe not the best way to make this judgement… ) and clicking through all the links led to sites that looked and worked like Spiderbytes, I would likely leave the library site and look for more straightforward information elsewhere.
Posted in Accessibility, Barriers/Access to Information, Health Information, Public libraries, Reviews and Reviewing, Teen Content Creators, Teen Spaces 
Several weeks ago, a friend sent me the link for the Real Public Librarian blog. It happens to be the blog of Debra Burn, who was so instrumental in developing the verbYL Youth Lounge/Youth Library I blogged about yesterday. She blogs about lots of different library issues, but one particular post that I found interesting was “Youth in libraries—are you really ready to let them in?”, which I used as the title of this post. After reading glowing accounts of the wonderful teen library spaces out there, I recalled this post and started thinking about its very real relevance for all libraries. Even in the midst of our desire to provide appropriate spaces for our young adult patrons, we need to examine how we deal with them in the library, particularly when their behaviour is somewhat less than stellar.
Burn’s post centres around a hypothetical separate young adult library, but I believe her comments apply to regular libraries as well, whether with separate teen space or without. Burns asks us to imagine the creation of a successful new teen library space, which achieves the desired goal of drawing in masses of eager young adults, ready to enjoy the library and its facilities. What happens, she asks, when you as the librarian find yourself faced with a group of “at risk” young people who over time establish a pattern of disrupting the library? Their behaviour goes beyond the normal thoughtless exuberance that can sometimes characterize youth; some of the youth “show little regard for adults and authority”, and some “are downright scary”. Her question: do you ban them from the library or do you stand firm that all are welcome and continue trying to work with them, keeping in mind that by so doing you may alienate some “good” patrons?
My first instinct, pondering this situation, is to kick the troublemakers out. Yes, access for all, but unacceptable behaviour may mean one loses that privilege. But what does that accomplish? Relative peace in the library, I suppose, but how do I reconcile the fact that I have denied access to some? Obviously, in some extreme cases, this may be the only way to go, but, as Bernier and Herald stated, “Zero tolerance fails every day all over the country…criminalizing [youth] does nothing but perpetuate useless and costly cycles of recrimination and retaliation. Nor does it help bridge the service gap between libraries and disenfranchised youth” (1997, p. 47). And as one youth services librarian put it: “I don’t believe that there are bad kids, but that every kid can have a bad day, week, month, or span of years” (Farrelly, 2007, p. 41). I’m simplifying a complicated issue, but these quotes would seem to suggest that banning “at risk” youth should be a rare exception.
Burn gives rational arguments for both sides of the question, as obviously it is a decision libraries need to come to on their own. She goes into more depth in discussing the second option, which she believes requires the assistance of human service professionals in order to provide optimal support to “at risk” young adult patrons, which obviously is tied to her experience planning for and implementing verbYL. Once again, I was struck by the genius of community partnerships. It would be asking a great deal of librarians to require them to deal with such patron behaviour on their own, but if the library worked in tandem on a day-to-day basis with human service professionals trained in dealing with such issues, think what could be accomplished. It wouldn’t be easy, and it may not work everywhere, but in the quest to be truly accessible to all, it might at least be worth exploring the possibility.
References
Bernier, A., & Herald, D.T. (1997). Rude and crude? School Library Journal, 43(8), 47. Retrieved September 27, 2008, from EBSCOhost.
Farrelly, M.G. (2007). Unleashing your inner man. Public Libraries, 46(2), 40-41. Retrieved September 27, 2008, from ProQuest.
“Real Public Librarian” blog www.paradigmlibrary.blogspot.com
Posted in Accessibility, Community Outreach, Public libraries, Teen Spaces, Underserved and At-Risk Youth, YA librarianship
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.
Net Video Buzz Site (Under ‘Links’ on the Teen Web site?)
A really great site for finding out what videos are creating buzz on the net is ViralVideoCharts.com. Before you think it’s just another time waster, consider that, if you’re already into watching clips on the internet, this site could actually make it faster and more efficient. Surfing YouTube for videos can fun, but it can also be difficult when you don’t know where to start, which is where a site like this comes in handy. It’s also a great source for people searching for current events or wanting to be in the know when it comes to internet culture.
Electric Origami - LED Foldie (Might work as a program, especially in Toronto!)
Placing LED lights inside origami creations can be an interesting way to bring origami into the modern ages! Makes great ornaments!
Cyber Makeovers: A Big Hit With Teen Girls?
http://www.taaz.com Upload a good facial photo of yourself and you will be able to try on makeup and hairstyles and no one has to see you until it’s just perfect.
Comic Book Furniture: To Keep in Mind for Teen Spaces
Comic books have become more and more influential for the 20th century art.
Italian designer Giuseppe Canevese brings to light the most important works of Guido Crepax in the form of furniture which can be brought into our homes.
Virtual Boyfriends & Girlfriends - V-Boy & V-Girl (Websites and Dating Trends)
Ladies, are you tired of searching for that perfect man? Instead of just settling for someone to ease the sting of loneliness, protect your heart and preserve your dignity and scoop up a sexy V-Boy instead. (Oh yeah, and guys, there’s V-Girl.com for you.)
Game Inspired Furniture: For Spaces 
What a fun addition to your walls. Tetris is one of my favorite games, so the prospect of having an adjustable tetris mirror is definitely exciting for me. The Tetris Mirror by UK designer Soner Ozenc is constructed out of thirteen interlocking mirrored acrylic panels. The mirror can be arranged to form a traditional rectangle, or broken apart into their individual puzzle blocks which give you a multitude of designs to come up with. The mirror comes in both A3 (11.7″ — 16.5″) and A4 (8.3″ — 11.7″) sizes, in either silver or gold reflective surfaces.
Super Web Mobiles - LG Touch Web: The New Must Have Communication Device for Teens! 
Web mobiles have a strong new competitor in the shape of the just announced LG Touch Web phone ‘LG-LH2300’ that sports a new “Hello UI”.The advanced beauty features a 3-inch wide full touchscreen LCD with 800 x 480 (Wide VGA) resolution and delivers full optimized Internet browsing experience. The Touch Web phone adopts Quick Search Icon providing direct access to main portals, Internet hot key and jog wheel.The mobile also features a 3M camera with auto focus, face recognition and anti-shake tech, T-DMB, Bluetooth 2.0, and Micro SD memory slot.The Touch Web is expected to be available early April in Korea for between 600,000 and 700,000 (KRW) ($600 to $700).
Beer Can Butterflies: Making an Environmental Statement with Art (Craft Programming Idea)
At Trend Hunter, we’re obsessed with eco innovation. In particular, we get our smile on whenever we see garbage recycled into art. It seems that every week there’s a new addition to this category. As a result, we’ve compiled 50 of our favorite uses for garbage in this super gallery. Top 50 Pieces of Garbage Recycled Into Art (SUPER GALLERY)
I hope you have enjoyed this trend hunting experience! Perhaps we’ll see some of these in the library very soon! References:Bartz, Bianca. (2008). Trend Hunting. Retrieved March 25th, 2008 from http://www.trendhunter.com/bianca/
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
