Spring is in the Air! And Teens are Bursting in the Library!
By Beth Gallaway, YS Consultant, Metrowest
From the Editor: We are beginning to hear a lot of libraries voicing concerns about teen behavior in the library. Spring seems to bring out the "worst" of teen behavior! Recently a librarian posted her problems to MASSYAC. Her library is seeing a lot of destructive behavior on the part of the teens. Almost first to respond to her plea for help was Youth Services Consultant Beth Gallaway from the Metrowest Region. I am providing much of her response with her permission because it seemed like sound advice! Thank you, Beth!
1. Communicate with the teens: My first response is that the staff needs to conduct one-on-one or very small group conversations with as many teens as possible about the library being a community space, THEIR space, and that they have a responsibility to take care of it and make sure their peers are taking care of it. When I worked in a library, we did this over a period of about 2 weeks, with every group that came in the door. This is also a good time to remind them there are behavior standards for everyone that they can choose to adhere to, or they can choose not to be here. (Ellen Snoeyenbos, YA Librarian at Duxbury Free Library, made a good point that the library is a privilege that can be taken away.)
2. Provide opportunities for the teens: My second response is programming, space, staff and collections.
- Funneling all that energy into volunteer work and teen participation programs solves many teen "issues". Developing teens have a number of assets that need to be met, and programming is one way to meet needs and cut down on the cut-ups. (Visit www.search-institute.org/assets/forty.html to explore some of these assets)
- Staff may want or need training in teen customer service and adolescent development (this is a service I can provide as a Serving the Underserved trainer!). A dedicated young adult librarian is a luxury too few libraries have but having a youth expert and advocate on staff helps to train and support other staff (and the YA person shouldn't be the one all the problems get dumped on). (A complete list of Serving the Underserved trainers is online at www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/profdev/yalsatrainers.htm)
- A space of their own can give teens room to be themselves - especially if they can get a little loud or do group work in that space.
- Having materials of interest to reluctant readers can help. We had a policy that everyone in the building had to do library-related work because we had a limited number of seats. Reading a gaming magazine counted, and I often put materials into the hands of kids to get them to stop "screwing around."
3. Are your policies consistent? My third response is to look carefully at your behavior policy for consistency. Do the same rules apply to adults, children and teens? Are you punishing these teens for the vandalism, or for the history of offenses?
I think giving these teens an opportunity to correct their mistakes is crucial. If the library chooses to expel them for a period of time, the day those teens return, it's critical to have another conversation that involves the words "Welcome back" and a conversation to make sure they can tell you why they were asked to leave and what they are going to do differently in the future.
You can find some information on teen behavior strategies on my website at home.comcast.net/~egallaway/professional/govdum.htm. It's a little dated, but I have more recent brain development handouts, if anyone would like to see it.
Final note: These strategies work with most "problem" patrons (not just teens!). Consistency is key!
Summer Reading Going places @ your libraryŽ:
Don't forget to visit the online manual at www.nmrls.org/sum/2005/index.html. The password and user name can be requested from Susan Babb at susan@nmrls.org.
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YA Librarian Brown Bag: Creating Teen Advisory Boards (TABS)
4/26/2005 -- 11:30 AM to 01:00 PM -- Tewksbury Public Library, Tewksbury
How do you get teens to join the Teen Advisory Board in your library, and what do you do once you have a captive audience? Discuss how to create a dynamic program that incorporates meaningful work that meets developmental needs of teens and fulfills community service hour requirements. Bring your lunch and be ready to share ideas! Beverages will be provided!
The Youth Services Book Review Group
5/3/2005 -- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM -- NMRLS, Danvers
The Youth Services Book Review Group meets once a month, from 10:00 to 12:00, at the NMRLS office in Danvers. Books from publishers are available to reviewers in advance of their publication date. Reviews are shared each session in round-robin fashion. New reviewers are always welcome! Just come and the books will fall into your hands! (No registration required)
Youth Services - Straight out programming
5/5/2005 -- 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM -- Wilmington Memorial Library, Wilmington
Wilmington Youth Services Librarians Susan MacDonald and Nathalie Demers provide their community with a full calendar of events for all ages. Included are traditional storytimes but also innovative programs such as the recent "Vote! It Does a Nation Good" centered on the recent Presidential election. Susan and Nathalie will share how they manage their "straight out" programming from development to publicizing to presentation.
Participants are welcome to bring their programming ideas to share as well with their tips and strategies.
Babies and Books
6/9/2005 -- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM -- Beverly Public Library, Beverly
In this workshop, Children's Librarians Nancy Bonne, Martha Morgan, and Mary Ryan will demonstrate:
- the importance of facilitating language development through the use of books, songs, fingerplays and activity rhymes
- how to prepare and present an effective and age-appropriate storytime for infants and toddlers through interactive activities
- the importance of the process of selecting appropriate books and other materials to use with infants and toddlers
- how to encourage storyhour participation by care-givers in order to enhance the child's experience.
Come with your sleeves rolled up, ready to participate and ask questions!
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