Engaging with Teenagers

1
Engaging with Teenagers

• for fun and profit

2
Stop, Look and Listen

• Teenage areas are often ones where
  angels/librarians fear to tread
• It is important to know what the Teens in the
  Library are doing and where their interests lie
  before starting to plan
• Take into consideration the layout area and
  ambience have as much to do with success as do
  personal attitude and stock availability

3
What stock is available to back up the group
events?

• Manga groups need a decent-sized manga collection
  to keep it fresh and interesting
• Gaming groups can thrive on guides to the various
  gaming platforms and campaigns as well as
  fictional tie-ins (e.g. The Black Library and
  Warhammer)
• Reading Groups need books, magazines and anything
  interesting with text

4
The Librarian

• Who are you?
• What do you know?
• Why are you here?

5
Who are you?

• Fearless, geek, fearsome librarian, casual,
  approachable, distant
• Clothing, attitude, manner of speech, sense of
  humour, enthusiasm

6
What do you know?

• Music, movies, books, comics, graphic novels
• Manga, pop culture, Pokemon, Naruto, Bleach
• Magic, para-para, sex (you may not want to go
  there but there is a chance it could come up)
• Gaming PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, Magic the
  Gathering,
• Warhammer (classic 40K), Yu-Gi-Oh, Warhammer
  CCG,
• Naruto CCG, World of Warcraft
• Colleges, studying, spelling (magic and English),
  EMA
• Computers, DS Lite, PSP, who will win in a battle
  between pirates and ninjas?
• Kung fu, tattoos, piercing

7
Why are you here?

• A stepping stone?
• Someone said you had to do it (or else)?
• Waiting for better days?
• Passion for Teen work?

8
Interacting

• In person in the Library, special events (in
  the Library)
• Online messenger, myspace, facebook, ning
  (social networks are everywhere these
  days!)

9
Which teens are the ones you want to work with?

• Emos
• geeks
• goths (very few of those around these days)
• loners
• friend groups
• hats on backward brigade the list is massive

10
You will not get them all

• some of them most of the time
• most of them some of the time
• but not all of them all of the time

11

• Sometimes local authorities ask Librarians to
  focus on the non-users (often at the expense of
  regular users).
• This can have a negative effect on the regulars
  as they see money being spent on library
  outsiders and then feel disinclined to use the
  library themselves.

12
What to do?

• Focus on the library users - they are usually
  more receptive to taking part and if they enjoy
  it they can often be convinced to bring their
  friends
• It is a good idea to get groups firmly
  established before trying to recruit non-library
  users.

13
What should you do?

• Be available
• Listen
• and
• Respond