Ottawa Event: Libraries and Teens

On January 14, I had the pleasure of attending the Libraries and Teens event in Ottawa presented by CLASY and the Canadian Library Association. Youth services is an area of librarianship that I am really interested in, especially after taking Youth, Information, and Library Services with Paulette Rothbauer last semester at UWO.

Keynote Speech

The program opened with a keynote speech delivered by Irwin Elman, Ontario’s Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. His job is to provide a voice for young adults, and many of the teens he works with are in foster care. Elman works with teens to resolve disputes so that simple arguments don’t escalate into teens being arrested, for example for assault. Elman also conducts reviews of institutions such as group homes from the teens’ perspective. I think this is important, since these teens often feel they have no control over their lives and no one listens to their concerns. As Elman pointed out, the public library can helps these at-risk teens take control of their lives by connecting them to resources related to housing, education, health, and literacy while making them aware of agencies such as Chilren’s Aid that can provide further help. I found it encouraging that Elman recognizes the possibility for further partnerships between public libraries and group homes since librarians have a lot to offer in terms of resources but might not have the expertise of a social worker when it comes to reaching these teens. Elman noted that for many at-risk teens, there is one person whose influence helped them succeed in life, and encouraged all of us to try to be that one person for the teens we serve in our libraries.

The Importance of Having a Teen Services Strategy

The next speaker was Jane Venus from Ottawa Public Library, who discussed the OPL’s recently implemented Teen Services Strategy. Having such a strategy in place is important because it tells staff that teens have their own unique needs and deserve to be recognized separately from adults and children. Venus noted that it was important to keep local context in mind to examine the issues facing teens in your community and find community partners who can help you. Venus also stressed the importance of gathering separate statistics for teens whenever possible. If teens are lumped in with childern or adults, it is difficult to examine their actual library use and how well they are being served. Statistics are also a great way to demonstrate to library boards that the teen collection is underfunded or that the teen librarian needs more hours to plan and deliver quality programs. Another recommendation I found quite useful was  to link Teen Advisory Groups system-wide in order to share imput. Smaller branches may need help finding ways to recruit teens and all branches can benefit from sharing ideas for TAG activities. I also liked the idea of sensitivity training for all staff. The fact of the matter is that all staff will interact with teens at some point, and it is important they know to treat teens with respect rather than as troublemakers, as  this negative attitude discourages teens from using the library.

Forming a TAG

Kimberley Sutherland-Mills from Kingston Frontenac Public Library spoke about Teen Advisory Groups and the challenges of forming a good one, from deciding on the age range of the participants to the number of teens who can be on the TAG. One of the most valuable tips I got from this session is to be realistic about the time commitment involved in starting a TAG. The meeting itself is only a small part. You still have to plan each meeting and any activities the TAG will be involved in, as well as communicate with your teens between meetings to remind them to show up. Communication should be done using the teens’ preferred method; this way you are more likely to get a response. I found the idea of a Teen Review Board quite interesting. Teens would receive an hour of volunteer credit for a review of a book, CD, DVD or video game in the library’s collection. I like this idea because it is simple, it encourages teen participation in the library website, it works for teens who can’t commit (or are reluctant to commit) to being on a TAG but still want to be involved, it can be done on teens’ own schedule, and teens who have trouble getting to the library can participate. The Teen Review Board is a simple concept that I hope more libraries will consider.

Book Signing: Deborah Kerbel

After lunch, we were treated to a visit from Canadian YA author Deborah Kerbel. Kerbel was inspired to become a writer after reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which Shelley wrote at age 19. Kerbel was 19 herself when she read it and decided if Shelley could write a book, so could she. Kerbel talked about her reasons for writing YA, including the fact that, in her head, she’s still 18. She also enjoys being able to make a difference in a young person’s life through her writing. Kerbel also spoke of her love of libraries, dating back to her childhood trips to the library with her dad. Today, she says her son loves the library as much as Canada’s Wonderland! Quite an accomplishment, I’d say. Kerbel signed copies of her most recent book, Lure, based on stories of a ghost at Thornhill Village Public Library, which used to be a house. In the book, Max, the new kid in town, struggles with feeling invisible at his new school, until he catches the attention of the library’s resident ghost, John, who asks Max to help him find a lost object. I haven’t yet read the book, but it’s an interesting concept. What librarian wouldn’t enjoy a book about a haunted library?

Designing a Teen Website

Following the book signing, Alan Harnum of Toronto Public Library discussed TPL’s teen summer reading site, Word Out (http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/word_out_2010/), which used a blog format to get teens posting about what they were reading each week. Harnum stressed the importance of understanding what you can (and can’t) do with the technology available to you and to always borrow from others when you can rather than reinvent the wheel. It’s also necessary to have a plan in place to keep content updated rather than rely on library users to create all of the content. While the ultimate goal is to get teens participating in creating library content, they may need encouragement at first. If teens see that the blog or Facebook page is updated regularly, they are more likely to return and to eventually contribute. Another excellent tip Harnum offered is to avoid using the “library website voice.” Teens will react more positively if your voice is less formal. Be yourself rather than try too hard to be cool. Teens will appreciate authenticity, and at the same time,  you can encourage teens to be themselves as well.

Following Harnum’s presentation, John Pichette and Vivien Hogg of Vaughan Public Library talked about the recent redesign of VPL’s Teen Vortex site (http://www.vaughanpl.info/vortex/). The old website was dark blue with neon green, which teens thought was ugly, and required too many clicks to access information. How many teens would have the patience to go through several steps just to access a booklist? In order to improve the website, a working group was formed. The website took the form of a blog, which is easier for teens to access since the most current information is always at the top of the page. Booklists were pared down to more concise topics, and a plan was established to keep them updated. Having a maintenance plan is also valuable, since a website full of dead links will not impress teens. The new site looks great and the booklists link directly to the catalogue, making it easy for teens to find great books to read.

Panel: Trends in YA Literature

The workshop concluded with a panel discussion of trends in teen literature. The participants were Maria Martella of Tinlids Inc., Allison Hall-Murphy of Ottawa Public Library, and Debbie Brown of Kate Walker & Co. I think this discussion was one of the day’s highlights for me. I love reading YA, so getting the inside scoop on up-and-coming titles was a perfect end to the day. In terms of trends, vampires and werewolves are declining in popularity, while fallen angels and zombies are keeping paranormal popular. Dystopian fiction is also quite popular following the success of the Hunger Games trilogy. Realistic fiction with an element of mystery is also selling. In terms of nonfiction, celebrity bios are big, as are books full of strange facts and books about friendship and romance. The panelists also offered their picks for favourite books of 2010 and books to watch for in 2011:

Maria’s picks: Pluto’s Ghost by Sheree Fitch, Rhymes with Cupid by Anna Humphrey, Lure by Deborah Kerbel, Free (a collection of short stories), the Conspiracy 365 series by Gabrielle Lord, iBoy by Kevin Brooks, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Home Truths by Jill MacLean, Harvey by Herve Bouchard and Janice Nadeau, Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime by Michael P. Spradlin, and Whither by Lauren DeStefano.

Allison’s picks: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (which begins with The Knife of Never Letting Go), The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King, Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan, and the Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan.

Debbie’s picks: The Way it Is by Donelda Reid, Death Benefits by Sarah N. Harvey, Fostergirls by Liane Shaw, and Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji.

I definitely left the session with a several additions to my “to be read” list!

I think that I learned a lot from attending this workshop. Some of the issues were things I had previously touched on in my youth services class, but I picked up several useful tips that will serve me well whether or not I become a teen services librarian. Big congratulations are in order for Erin Walker of CLASY and Cabot Yu of CLA for putting together the event. I look forward to attending more events in the future.

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