We all serve teens!

Baraboo Public Library In-Service

December 13, 2007

Shawn Brommer, SCLS

Penny Johnson, BAR

Introductions

Describe your teenage self

Describe a teen in your life

Shifting perceptions

Who?

Some characteristics

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

What Berlin Wall?

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

Beloit College Mindset class of 2011

Millennials (1982 – 2000)

Larger than the Baby Boom generation

36% of the U.S. population.

31% of this population are from diverse cultures Most racially and ethnically diverse

Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, Neil Howe & Bill Strauss

Distinct qualities of Millennials

They are special They are sheltered They are confident They are team-oriented They are achieving They are pressured They are conventional

Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, Neil Howe & Bill Strauss

They are… special

They are… sheltered

They are… confident

They are… team-oriented

They are… achieving

They are… pressured

They are… conventional

It’s all in their heads…

Teen Brain Development

Hormones vs. Brains!

Social development

Risk taking Emotional

response

Inside the Teen Brain, Frontline series http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/

Technology & Teens

Statistics

87% of American teens use the Internet on a regular basis.

1 out of 2 teens lives in a home with a broadband connection

How are they using the Internet?

81% are playing games (over 17 million)

76% are getting news (over 16 million)

43% are making purchases (9 million)

31% are seeking health information (6 million)

Where are they when they go online?

89% - home 75% - school 70% - a friend or relative’s house 50% - the library50% - the library 9% - a community center or house

of worship

—Web 2.0 and What it Means to Libraries (PEW Internet & Life Project)

Technology - realities

Teens live their lives online Young people get their information from the

Internet Will always turn to it before other, seemingly

traditional, resources. This is where they are!

Examples – Teen Read Blog

Reasons to provide:

Teens are future tax-payers and future library supporters.

This is the way teens seek, share and recommend information

Relevancy of public libraries

Benefits of social networking

Critical thinking Reading and writing skills Collaboration Communicating with authors, experts,

etc.—Social and cultural competence Boundaries and expectations

Benefits (2)

Communication between those with special interests

Equalizing Appearance, status, disabilities

Gaming: “Subversive Learning”Learn skillsForm coalitionsDecision making

“Virtual malt shop”

What does this mean for libraries?

http://www.myspace.com/lplconnects

Studies – library use is growing

Very recent PLA study tracks trends in public libraries.

90% surveyed offer teen programs 50% surveyed employ at least one

FTE dedicated to teen programs & servicesUp from 11% in 1995.YALSA is the fastest growing division

of ALA

Studies – library use is growing (2)

ALA study – Harris Poll (ages 8-18) Significant amount responded that they use

public & school libraries for personal use Of these, 78% borrow items for personal use

from public libraries 60% borrow items for personal use from

school libraries 31% - visit the public library more than 10

times a year

What teens told the Harris Pollsters 33% would use libraries more if there were

more interesting items to borrow. 25% (school) and 20% (public) would visit

libraries more if computers didn’t block the information they needed.

32% asked for more activities & events 31% wanted longer hours 22% wanted a comfortable, welcoming

atmospherehttp://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/HarrisYouthPoll.pdf

Challenges

Staff Programming Collection Development Teen spaces Policies

Collection developmentAcceptable use & behavior

Challenges: Behavior/Stress

Stress in teen lives:School demandsToo many activities/high expectationsChanges in bodies & brainsLiving in unsafe environmentsPoverty

Challenges: Behavior/reaction Stress leads to:

Anxiety Depression Illness Drug/alcohol

abuse Aggression “Fight or flight”

Adult interactions

Be attentive Positive interactions rather than negative

Model stress management Listen – do teens have a voice? Provide safe space for down time Help teens find solutions Help teens prioritize Clearly state rules

Methods for dealing with the madness Teens prefer one-on-one communication:

directly tell teens our expectations Keep regulations simple and few. "Respect

yourself, respect others, and respect property.”

Try not to forget what it was like when you were a kid

When teens are disrespectful, don't take it personally

Methods for dealing with the madness (2)

Don't have rules exclusively for teens Consistency is key.

All library staffers need to be alerted when a teen has broken a rule more than once

Be consistent with rules Develop relationships with teens

More help:

Young Adult Library Services Association: www.ala.org/ala/yalsa

VOYA: www.voya.com Here Comes Trouble SLJ article:

www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA429319.html Fight Crime: Invest in Kids

http://www.fightcrime.org/reports/schoolviol.htm Beloit College Mindeset – class of 2011

http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/2011.php

Take time to find the joy!

Vision of Students Today

Discussion