Identifying the Teen Reader

In library school they never taught future librarians what to expect when working with teens. How could they? They are a diverse population that to identify what teen readers are looking for would be to identify what adult readers are looking for in their books. The fact of the matter is, there isn't an easy way to identify the teen reader. Sometimes it's a matter of observing them while they visit your library. Having said that, there are a few tips that can be passed on to the new YA librarian.

Expect the unexpected. At one point, I had a supervisor who had been in libraries for years tell me that boys do not read books. As a matter of fact, there was no sense in purchasing fiction books for an academic library that served an all male school population. My first reaction was to remind my supervisor that reading fiction, as they do in English Literature class, increases vocabulary, awakens the curious nature in the reader and stirs the imagination to be open to the possibilities of "what ifs" My argument may have been well thought out and academically correct but what took me by surprise was when a young student spoke up at an Open House event to "brag" to a prospective student that the computers were cool but the fiction section was cooler. The Lesson to be learned here: Teens say and do the unexpected at the opportune time! They are paying attention to the collection and will give kudos when they see what they like. Just like adults!

Never Judge A Teen By The BDon't ooks they Read Another stereotype that I have often heard librarians and teachers profess as gospel truth is that the Graphic Novel reader tends to be into goth and will not read traditional books. They are in a class by themselves. Hogwash! This thought is suggesting that teens who express themselves differently in the way they dress or wear their hair are not avid readers. It may surprise many of these professionals in educations that straight A students who love are avid readers love the Manga series and graphic novels. It is clearly a different way for them to escape or another type of entertainment. Consider this question: Would your friends be surprised by some of the "guilty pleasures" you have in your television viewing habits? As for the Goth Teens, just because at this point in their lives they love one particular genre does not mean they will stay with it foe rest of their reading lives. Eventually, they will move into other books, as educators and librarians we should be prepared to help them find the books that will inspire them.

Don't Tell Them What They Like, Ask Them Too many times as educators, the assumption is made that students must be dictated to in their studies and reading materials. Not true. The best "role" for the educator/librarian is to be the guide. Ask teens these questions to get a sense of where they are in terms of reading for pleasure. What was the title of the last book you read? Name an author that you absolutely loved? Name an author that you absolutely loathed. These are just a few questions that can help teens to find the right book for them. It's no different than asking them what kind of music they like or what was the last movie they viewed? Actually these questions could help in find the right book too. In a nut shell it is all about getting to know them better.

Don't Assume Social Media Dominates Their Lives Having said this I know that there will be hoards if not hundreds of parents, teachers and the like who will swear that they can not tear the teens away from Facebook or MySpace. To some that is very true. Which is why I recommend that librarians are familiar and use Social media. Having said that, it is equally important to understand that for some teens the lure is just not there because they feel they have nothing to share, or parents have forbidden the use of such sites. Another important factor is that in tough economic times, not everyone has access to the Internet at home. The ease of use is not applicable. When getting the word out about programming to teens, the old fashioned way channels such as snail mail, flyers on bulletin boards are as effective as modern tools. In the case of teens, using traditional methods mixed with the new is always the best route.

The one rule of thumb that YA librarians can always count on is that teens just want a place to be accepted and be comfortable for who they are. Isn't that the same with all of us? The best way to identify a teen readers is anyone who walks into the YA area looking for a book, magazine graphic novel and of course the Internet computers. Now the "secret" has been revealed to you, go out and guide those young adults who are waiting to find the right book.

Facebook, Facetime and Friends!

Facebook has changed the way our society communicates and share ideas. At first glance social media, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and FourSquare, allows their members to communicate effectively and quickly through a few key strokes. It's not limited to just saying hello or letting the world know what's on your mind. It can also allow event planning, forming fan pages and buidling virtual communities. It's hard to imagine life before these tools of mass communication? How did we ever get anything accomplished with plain old email? Thank goodness those archaic times are behind us! Libraries, if they have not aleady done so, should grab hold of the opportunity to build public support for their libraries.

My Facebook account was activated in 1997 because I had enrolled in an online course through YALSA, that required that I sign up on various social media sites in order to become familiar with them and experiment on how to use these tools to fit my needs. It was an interesting class, but afterwards, the lure was not there. Primarily becasue it felt weird to send "friend requests" and "follow" someone. Secondly, the idea of knowing what was on the minds of my fellow classmates and colleagues 24/7 seemed like TMI. (For those who don't know the abreviation, TMI means Too Much Informaiton.) Laslty, was there anything worth saying to the world and would anyone be interested.

After watching how Facebook and other other social media forums have exploded, the pieces have come together. Especially in terms of marketing and building patron loyalty for libraries. It is amazing what a fan page can do for a library's image. Fan pages help libraries promote who they are, where they are and what they are doing. Think of it as virtual "facetime" with patrons whenever they login onto Facebook. The best part of it is that it is FREE advertising.

Social media is all about making the connection and starting the conversatioin. That is what libraries have done since they first opened their doors. People have always come into the libraries for books, information, music and the local news. What do they normally do with the information they find? Talk about it with others in order to make sense of it all and perhaps even shape the events in their community. Social media can breath life into the library world in so many ways, andyet the surface has just been scratched.

If I Love Libraries can count the number of fans they have, wouldn't it be cool if a library could tell a patron how many times they have used the library this year, how many items they have checked out or programs they have attended just by swipping their card at check out? Going beyond that, think how FourSquare would boost the library's image if a prominent politican "checked in" that they were at they library? These are the numbers and images libraries need to make the case that the library is not only needed but is used on a daily basis. Why not reward them for being the 100th fan of your page with a library tshirt or other promotion? Buidling a "friends" list would not be difficult once word got out about the "hip" library where inforamtion is easy to access and communitcating with a librarian is almsot instantaneous with live "chat". These will be the "friends" that the library will need for longevity and viabilty in the future.

Nothing stays the same and technology is ever changing. Libraries not only need to be the place for information but also visionaries. The future is so bright, it's time to put on the shades and dream of all the things we would love to do and find ways to make it happen for our future and our facebook friends.