Other interesting things I found

Technology isn't just for the teens...it's for the teen librarians too!  Many teen librarians are embracing blogs and social media.  I found many helpful websites, but here were two of particular note:

• http://www.lizburns.org/
• Liz Burns used to be a reviewer for the School Library Journal, before moving onto her own website.  She reviews books, movie and television shows, but her emphasis is on YA literature.  Ms. Burns is a librarian at the National Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped and participated in YALSA's Outreach to Young Adult with Special Needs.  She is active on Twitter and Tumblr, and has written much of her own work to help develop YA services.

• http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/tag/teens/
• This is a link to the all the posts tagged 'teens' in "In the Library With the Lead Pipe", a blog dedicated to acting as an open-source, open-peer review journal for librarians and boasts an international board of contributors.  There are not many 'teens' posts as of yet, but the few that are there are good reads.  I look forward to any more that might pop up, and will continue to browse this blog across their tags.

It's not just about books anymore

Technology is undeniably a huge part of anyone's life anymore.  Especially so if you're a teen and you've grown up with it.  You're just used to it!  That can be a bad thing, because as I've already discussed in a previous post, a teen might not be aware just how little privacy they afford themselves with social media.  However, that's not to say that technology is bad.  That is most definitely not the case!  A library can really use different hard- and software to promote creativity and inclusivity among teens.

Many teens are creative individuals.  They are eager to bring their imagination to life and express themselves in some way.  Art and graphic design are popular creative outlets, as is music.  Some teens will embrace the Youtube age and take up video creation.  It is important for libraries to help facilitate this budding local talent.  These talents though can require equipment that a student may not be able to afford.  If a teen department can provide computers with graphic or audio/recording software, or loan out handheld video recorders, then teens could explore and develop their talents.  The short funding has been discussed, I know, but if it possible for a library to purchase such equipment and software, then it would not only draw teens but help them learn tech skills they may require later in life.

Nerd cred: my level 85 troll hunter.  Impressed much?
Creating an avatar can create a shield for insecure users
who are still working up confidence off-line.

In S401, we discussed multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and I was intrigued by the possible applications in a teen department.  Everyone knows the power and the draw of social media.  As a passionate gamer, I'm also aware of the draw of these environments.  In fact, my undergraduate thesis was on how anonymous individuals slowly build personal relationships in MMORPGs (massive multiplayer online role-playing games), specifically focusing on World of Warcraft. I played WoW for a couple years in college, and not only was it a fun game, it had a very supportive community surrounding it.  MUVEs like World of Warcraft provide a 'third place', an environment outside of work and home, where users can just simply be themselves without pressure to conform to a certain standard.  That's important--public libraries like where I work should provide service for everyone, including those who feel disenfranchised. MUVEs could be very effective in teen programming, especially in racially diverse communities and ones that need help with their support of LGBTQ teens.  In this class, we read many articles calling on librarians to become more tech-saavy in order to build better information portals.  I suggest teen librarians becoming tech-saavy enough to create a 'hangout space' online, even if it only be a discussion forum, where teens can discuss anything from social-political issues or their favorite hobbies.  Of course, such a space would have to be moderated, and that could create its own headaches.  But it would be worth trying, to see if the positives outweigh the negatives for each community.

(For an example of how MUVEs can have a positive impact for minority groups, see Proudmoore Pride.  It's been an annual event for the past nine years, created by players for LGBTQ players, that corresponds to real-life Pride events.  Proudmoore Pride is not sponsored by Blizzard, the massive developer behind WoW.  It would be great to see a librarian-created, online teen space be used to promote inclusivity such as this.)

It's dangerous to go alone!

There's no need for you to go into teen librarianship alone, even if you're the only librarian at your school or the only one dedicated to the YA section.  There are plenty of associations that can help you out, from the big to the little things.

In S401, I was asked to create a quick presentation that, in its smaller scope, was similar to this project.  While creating that Powerpoint, I found that many regional YA associations exist.  Such as BAYA in San Francisco or the CATS roundtable hosted by the Oklahoma Library Association.

Of course, the big one is YALSA or the Young Adult Library Services Association, which has been mentioned already in previous posts.  It is a division of the ALA, and as such sponsors several nationwide programs such as Teen Tech Week, and Teen Read Week, as well provides materials for the teen portion of the Summer Reading program (if a library chooses to use that year's theme).  YALSA hosts conferences and symposiums, with the purpose of bringing teen librarians together to support each other and the services, whether it be through panels or through award ceremonies.  Here's the itinerary for YALSA's Midwinter Meeting in Chicago this coming January.  Grants are also available through YALSA, as are training videos and kits to help you become the best teen librarian you can!  Advocacy is another of YALSA's focuses, which is to be expected since it is a part of the ALA.  Members of YALSA (which number over 5,000) use their collective voice to argue for positive legislation for libraries so that they can continue to provide the best resources and environment possible for teens to become engaged citizens.

Becoming a member of YALSA seems to me to be a great step towards becoming an effective teen librarian, but it would also be worthwhile to check for any regional YA associations as well.

Can't read dystopian novels all the time

"So...what's that there?"

As a teen librarian, you also have to read journals to help you stay on top of the latest trends in literature and programming.  When I visited the main library of the system I work for to interview our teen department, I was distracted by a whiteboard hanging on the wall above the desks.  It was the division of relevant journals among the staff.  Each would go over their assigned reading, and then bring the highlights to the attention of the others.  (They require a minimum of two good reviews before purchasing any material, as it helps to have the published opinions to combat any later challenges.)

School Library Journal is the big one.  Aimed at school and public librarians, it provides not only reviews of books and the movies based off them, but also includes programming ideas and articles discussing trends or issues happening in librarianship.  I knew of SLJ before, but didn't really dig into it until this project.  SLJ holds that diversity is an important goal they strive to achieve, and when I 'flipped' through some of the back issues they have available online, I was impressed by the strides they take.  For example, their May 2014 cover story was on racial representation in children's book and also included articles on LGTBQ issues in teen literature, new technology aimed at girls, and several that addressed the lack of multicultural material in children's & YA that doesn't reflect the number of multi-ethnic and -racial readers.  Their magazine and their website is a great source to keep up on all things children and teen librarianship.

Horn Book magazine seems to be more focused on just reviewing material, although there are a few editorials and miscellaneous articles thrown in to round it out as well.  The focus is not on librarianship, but on the books and authors themselves.  This a good source to help evaluate material and to keep up on latest trends in the publishing industry.

VOYA magazine (Voice of Youth Advocates) is closer to SLJ in goal.  The magazine describes itself as "dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, and the promotion of young adult literature and reading."  VOYA has a handy list of what to expect in their magazine here.  There are booklists, of course, but also sections on programming, keeping abreast with new technology, and peer-reviewed research.  That's definitely a point in its favor; so far these other journals do not include research to further the academia behind library & information science.  There are also several sections for teens to submit their own material.  While aimed at professionals, VOYA also seems to be accessible to our young patrons as well.

BookList boasts to having "more than 160,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers" and is published by the ALA.  However, this is truly a magazine for all readers, not just librarians, so don't expect many articles along with the reviews.  (However, BookList subscribers do receive a free quarterly called BookLinks that is aimed at teachers and youth librarians, that will be helpful in connecting kids of all ages with reading.  More info here at their FAQ.)  As it is a pre-publication review magazine, BookList is a great tool in determining what to spend your precious funding on.

(Unfortunately, CBBC resources only seem to be available to those in the UK.  How we swung a subscription, I have no idea and I wished I'd had more time to ask about it.  As it is, I can't access anything online for the Children's BBC and have no more information to give.  Sorry!)

Q: Where is the funding tree, where the money grows?

A: It doesn't exist, actually.

When I asked our teen librarians about our funding, I got a short laugh before I got an explanation.  The department relies on an annual $5000 grant from the Wells County Foundation (the county we serve).  Luckily, our proposal wins out every year.  Due to the limited rules on who can apply, there isn't a lot of competition for it.  There are some suspicions that this grant is privately funded by certain higher-ups within our library, but no one knows for sure.

We must rely on grants because library funds can not be spent on food or prizes.  For the summer reading program, when we offer a multitude of prizes to teens for number of pages read, we have to rely on donations from local businesses.  "Without that grant, we would have to beg."

I looked up other grants available to teen departments.  The Dollar General Literacy Foundation rang up a few hits.  In September of this year, the DGLF provided $246,806 to the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  YALSA, the teen-focused branch of the ALA, can in turn use that money to fund their nation-wide programs like Teen Read Week and summer reading.

YALSA also offers "more than $150,000 in grants and awards" to its members.  (You can also use that link to find application information.)  They coordinate with companies like Dollar General (again), Baker & Taylor, and ABC-CLIO/Greenwood Publishing to provide this funding.  Typically $1,000 per grant/award, but some are more substantial, like the Margaret A. Edwards Collection Development Grant which awards $5,000 for a library to improve its collection.  YALSA also offers a year's worth of teen material to 3 libraries in need, and they estimate that collection to be at $48,000.

I'm sure this is just preaching to the choir, but I will end this post with by linking to a blog entry by Danyelle Barber, a teen librarian in Texas who passionately for more funding for teen services.

Tissues for your issues

Social & ethical issues

I asked Leah, our teen librarian, what she considered some issues that she and Sarah into a daily basis.  She had to think a bit, but said socially, there was an issue with boundaries for some of the kids.  "Some of them just really want to be your best friend.  And I can't."  She wants to make a connection and have a positive impact on teens, but still wants and needs to set professional boundaries.  With social media, it can be tough because new levels of transparency has been injected into the lives of everyone who chooses to use it.  She told me she had to set her Facebook privacy settings and reject several friend requests from teens.  (I have student teacher friends who suffer the problem.)

Since my review, I have taken some steps to get
privacy awareness into the teen section.

Speaking of social media, another social issue is helping teens be safe on the internet.  It may not seem like a librarian's job and indeed we can't personally enforce any measure on a user, but as privacy is one of the tenants in our Code of Ethics, we should do what we can to educate our patrons.  For class, I had to review the article "Mobile Technology: Implications for Privacy and Librarianship" by John Cyrus and Mark Baggett.  Not only was it much more interesting that I initially thought it would be, but it was very eye-opening about the new trends in social media, and how much information individuals freely put forth.  High-school students and definitely middle-school students have grown up with this technology and the expectation of having an online social presence, so the danger isn't apparent to them.  We can use our positions to advocate for regulation and our resources to educate, but like anything with teens, it must be done in a way to get and keep their attention.



Another social issue is making sure that content directed at all teens is available.  The teenage years are tough for everyone as they form their own unique, individual identity.  But it can be especially tough for those outside the societal norm, and feel more estranged than the usual teen.  It can help to have stories on hand written from the perspective of minority, disabled, or LGBTQ teens, or written by authors of those groups.  It's also important to provide resources or information about organizations that can help.


Professional issues

One of the biggest professional issues of teen librarianship is also the most basic...just getting teens in the door.  Teens are unfairly given the notorious rep of being apathetic.  This is hardly true, but it is true that finding the right motivation (other than free food) can be difficult.  Libraries also have to fight the reputation of just being a big building that houses books.  Growing up in a world of innovative technology can leave books wanting, can leave them looking a little less shiny compared to the new iPad.

According to Leah, the number of teens showing up to programming now numbers consistently "in the -teens".  At the highest point, she said they would have twenty, or just a little more.  Rather than citing a difference in the quality of programming, however, she said the high numbers had to do with the type of people who came.  "There are some teens out there who just don't know a person who isn't their friend.  One girl would go up and invite anyone she saw in the library to come up to the teen department for whatever club was meeting.  We were hitting the twenties because some of these kids would just bring all their friends, friends who wouldn't have been there otherwise."  As it is, even just getting the attendance to number consistently in the -teens (I swear I'm not trying to make a pun), took years.

One of the ways our teen department has recently started to become more aggressive in outreach is by going to the local schools.  Instead of waiting for students to make their way to us for an application, stacks were given to the administration and times were worked out for librarians to go over library resources with the students.  (This unfortunately didn't work out to the most advantageous way, as one librarian would be asked to stand in front of the entire student body in an auditorium.  A few classes wouldn't be on time, others would forget their iPads..."by the time we could finally get going, we'd only have fifteen minutes left of the time the school gave us.")  Leah said that were cases of parents not allowing their student to take out a library card, for unknown reasons, but after that quick 'seminar' in which she would explain the library's available Freegal and Flipster apps (free music and magazines, respectively), suddenly there would be a stack of applications turned in late to the office.  Research databases aren't sexy, but free entertainment media is!

As I become more experienced and become more familiar with everything we have to offer, I wouldn't mind trying some outreach myself.  I'm on good terms with several of the English department teachers at the local school (where I graduated), and would like to try setting up a smaller-scale meeting with students...a class at a time, rather than everyone at once.  It would be a better way for students to get to know their librarian, or for us to learn what they want from their library, what programming they want and what resources they need.

The other issue she thought of was censorship.  Luckily, it hasn't happened often, but there had been cases of parents challenging material in the YA section, more often than in other departments.  "We're still buying for people's children, but the content is becoming more adult."  Sexual content is the biggest offender, but concern exists also regarding drug use and swearing.  (Bonus points if this in a graphic novel.  Those seem to offend parents more than just printed word.)  If you look at the ALA code of Ethics, you'll see that the second tenant is "We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom and resist all efforts to censor library resources."  She, Sarah (our other teen librarian), and the director must make an ethical stand to protect our material from these challenges, even though it can cause headache and controversy.

What can I expect if I take the job?

You can look for a job as a teen librarian either in a public library or in a middle- or high school.  It's obvious why there's a need for a librarian with the skill set to work with teens is needed in the school setting.  Although, be aware that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics only projects 7% growth for all librarian jobs.  You may not find a job right away, but do not be discouraged!  More and more, in the public sector, the need for a dedicated teen librarian is being recognized.  Of course it helps that more and more YA dystopian books are becoming mainstream hits and bringing more attention to the genre.  But societal expectations are also changing, in that more and more teens are expecting to pursue higher education after graduating.  The library is uniquely suited to provide preparation materials and teach research techniques that will serve them well in the coming college years.

"Ok, so I can find a job in either a school or a public library.  But how much am I going to get paid?"

It's cool, no one thinks you're being crass by asking, we're all wondering.  Although to be fair, I didn't ask our teen librarians about salary expectation for that same fear.  I work as a part-time clerk at the branch library, however, so I do wonder what to expect as I work longer, gaining more experience and my degree.  The part-time teen librarian job posting in San Rafael, California, listed 26.99/hr.  That definitely doesn't hold for Indiana, in my neck of the woods!  But I found a site online that compares salary listings in area job openings.  Using Indeed Salary Search, I found that I can expect 36-39k a year.

The problem with this, however, is that the hours are not listed nor are the education requirements, so I can't ascertain the cause of the differences.

Because you can of course work part-time or you can work full-time.  If you have experience and good leadership qualities, you could become the department head.  You can become a member of a youth services association.  (More on that, later!)  You can write for a blog (more on those later as well) or you can write articles on your own peer-reviewed research.  Teen librarianship is a growing and vibrant part of librarianship, opportunities are constantly appearing.