Comments on: My Talk With Teens http://teenlibrarylit.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/my-talk-with-teens/ Just another WordPress.com weblog Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:07:31 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Linda http://teenlibrarylit.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/my-talk-with-teens/#comment-36 Linda Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:31:08 +0000 http://teenlibrarylit.wordpress.com/?p=11#comment-36 This statement, "I also realized that most teens are not anti-reading, they are just interested in what they are interested in." provides a good focus for teen services and teen collections in public and school libraries. To some degree what I get from that statement is that we can't judge teens and their reading interests and behaviors. We have to talk to them, get to know them, and be willing to accept what they are interested in as opposed to what we are interested in. Another thing that is interesting from this blog post - and your comments in class - is that when a teen has a relationship with an adult - friend, family member, librarian, etc. - then that is a caring relationship for the teen and the teen wants to do the right thing for that adult. "Your" teens wanted to make sure they gave you the info. you needed in order to get a good grade. In a library, the teens will care about helping a librarian find materials and develop programs and services. (That is if the librarian is willing to listen and converse openly.) That point from your conversation with Jess about getting teens into the library is an important one. Librarians struggle with this all the time. Children are a somewhat captive audience but how do we keep that audience when teens become teens? Part of the answer is in going to where the teens are as opposed to expecting them to come to us. That means going to them virtually and face-to-face. Somebody's got to take the first step and we can't expect it to be the teens. I wonder how much of your responses to the books have to do with what the teens want to think of themselves and have others think of them? I think to some extent you see that with the Emily Strange reaction. The teens I've talked to about this book don't take it quite so seriously. They see it as a cynical thing and enjoy it on that level. It also resonates with the teens who like Hot Topic and such. (Or whatever is the latest version of Hot Topic and such.) On the manga graphic novels topic, to some extent - at least in some places - teens that read these books are known as part of a particular kind of sub-culture. They might fit in with the tech/geeky kids or they might fit in with the goth kids, but they don't necessarily fit in with the mainstream kids. Also, just like adults, some teens think reading pictures doesn't fit the definition of reading. It strikes me that the look of the materials you showed teens did have an impact on the discussion and choice. That's not surprising but worth mentioning because look can win out over content - at least in the beginning. To go back to how I started this comment, the librarian that is willing to talk to teens, sincerely listen to what they have to say, not judge their interests and likes, and build a relationship is bound to succeed not just in collection building but also in program and service building. This statement, “I also realized that most teens are not anti-reading, they are just interested in what they are interested in.” provides a good focus for teen services and teen collections in public and school libraries. To some degree what I get from that statement is that we can’t judge teens and their reading interests and behaviors. We have to talk to them, get to know them, and be willing to accept what they are interested in as opposed to what we are interested in.

Another thing that is interesting from this blog post – and your comments in class – is that when a teen has a relationship with an adult – friend, family member, librarian, etc. – then that is a caring relationship for the teen and the teen wants to do the right thing for that adult. “Your” teens wanted to make sure they gave you the info. you needed in order to get a good grade. In a library, the teens will care about helping a librarian find materials and develop programs and services. (That is if the librarian is willing to listen and converse openly.)

That point from your conversation with Jess about getting teens into the library is an important one. Librarians struggle with this all the time. Children are a somewhat captive audience but how do we keep that audience when teens become teens? Part of the answer is in going to where the teens are as opposed to expecting them to come to us. That means going to them virtually and face-to-face. Somebody’s got to take the first step and we can’t expect it to be the teens.

I wonder how much of your responses to the books have to do with what the teens want to think of themselves and have others think of them? I think to some extent you see that with the Emily Strange reaction. The teens I’ve talked to about this book don’t take it quite so seriously. They see it as a cynical thing and enjoy it on that level. It also resonates with the teens who like Hot Topic and such. (Or whatever is the latest version of Hot Topic and such.)

On the manga graphic novels topic, to some extent – at least in some places – teens that read these books are known as part of a particular kind of sub-culture. They might fit in with the tech/geeky kids or they might fit in with the goth kids, but they don’t necessarily fit in with the mainstream kids. Also, just like adults, some teens think reading pictures doesn’t fit the definition of reading.

It strikes me that the look of the materials you showed teens did have an impact on the discussion and choice. That’s not surprising but worth mentioning because look can win out over content – at least in the beginning.

To go back to how I started this comment, the librarian that is willing to talk to teens, sincerely listen to what they have to say, not judge their interests and likes, and build a relationship is bound to succeed not just in collection building but also in program and service building.

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