Liven Up Your Library: Design Engaging and Inclusive Programs for Tweens and Teens

by Julia Torres, Valerie Tagoe

Overview

Learn how librarians can positively effect change in areas like digital equity and inclusiveness, while creating powerful programming for middle and high school students.

Developing programs for learners can be an ongoing challenge for librarians – especially first-year librarians. Current books on the topic primarily focus on makerspaces or read alouds, and are aimed at elementary school grades, with a surface-level approach. This book addresses deeper issues that librarians face, while illustrating how to serve teens and tweens specifically by offering programming relevant to their lives.

The authors offer practical ideas for developing effective programming through collaborating with the community to develop and implement programs, connecting programs to ISTE Standards and curriculum, and addressing curricular and socio-emotional needs. They also share practical advice on budgeting and funding to support programs, scheduling, maximizing the use of technology to aid in programming  and much more. The book also explores ways library programs can have a positive impact on school culture, such as addressing the digital divide, inclusion and cultural relevance.

This book:

• Discusses why programming is critical and covers how to develop library programs that are inclusive, culturally relevant and beneficial for students transitioning from high school to college.
• Shows how library programming aligns with American Association of School Librarians (AASL), Future Ready Librarians framework and the ISTE Standards.
• Provides checklists and templates to help readers develop their own programming ideas and lesson plans.
• Offers guidance on building consensus from various stakeholders and involving students, faculty and community in the development of programs.
• Shares stories from librarians in K-12 and higher education, addressing how they design their programs and offer career and educational paths for students.

Programming for teens and young adults is a catalyst for learning and exploration. The activities and learning experiences shared in this book will empower librarians and deepen student learning.

Audience: Middle and high school librarians, tween and teen public librarians, first-year experience librarians. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564849090
Publisher:	International Society for Technology in Education
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Series:	Digital Age Librarian's Series
Pages:	150
Sales rank:	671,784
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Julia E. Torres (@juliaerin80) is a language arts teacher and librarian in Denver, Colorado. An advocate for all students and public education, Torres is a frequent conference and event speaker, and facilitates workshops and professional conversations about equity, anti-bias/anti-racist education, culturally sustaining pedagogies and literacy in the digital age. She is a current member of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee, a 2020 Library Journal Mover and Shaker and a past president of the Colorado Language Arts Society (a regional affiliate of NCTE). She holds an MAEd in Secondary Education Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix, an MA in Creative Writing from Regis Universityand an MLIS from The University of Denver (2023).

Valerie Tagoe is a high school librarian in Texas. She’s a winner of the S. Janice Kee Award from Texas Woman’s University, and a past president of the Dallas Association of School Librarians. Currently, she’s a member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Board of Directors. In addition to serving on the board, Tagoe is also active in the Texas Library Association (TLA) as a member of its Legislative Committee. She holds a bachelor’s in French, with a minor in history, from the University of Oklahoma; a master’s of bilingual education from Southern Methodist University; and an MLS from Texas Woman's University.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Introduction 1

The Need for Inclusive Library Programming 1

Our Stories 2

What You'll Find in This Book 3

Chapter 1 Programming as Praxis 5

Effective Library Programming for Tweens and Teens 5

Start with the Why 7

Standards and Library Programming 9

Who Has the Time? 14

Reimagining Library Legacies 16

Be Flexible 22

Key Points 23

Reflection 24

Chapter 2 Everyone Is Welcome 25

A Philosophy for Creating a Welcoming Environment 26

Culturally Relevant Librarianship 29

Library Skills for a Lifetime 36

Be Flexible 41

How to Create a Culturally Responsive Library Space 44

Perspectives from College Librarians 51

Key Points 57

Reflection 58

Chapter 3 Making It Work 59

Standards or No Standards: That Is the Question 60

Show Me the Money 61

STEAM and Makerspaces 66

Marketing and Library Program Advocacy 68

Get Creative 76

Sustaining a Library Program for Everyone 80

Key Points 80

Reflection 82

Chapter 4 The Program Is Done … Now What? 83

Advocacy 86

Program Evaluation and Assessment 88

Creating Assessments for Programming 94

Bringing It All Together 96

Mentorship 97

Key Points 102

Reflection 103

Chapter 5 Programming Ideas & Curriculum Connections 105

Practical Programming Template 106

Considerations for Certified Teacher Librarians 108

Considerations for School Library Staff 109

Media Literacy for a New Era 112

Teen Advisory Councils 116

Book Clubs 121

Book Reviews and Expanding Your Circle of Community 124

Literacy Instruction 126

Advocacy Matters 127

Conclusion 129

Key Points 130

Reflection 131

References 132

Index 135

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2022

Authors and school librarians Tagoe and Torres outline a variety of ways to start, maintain, and expand library events for young adults, bringing the wealth of their education and experience to this title, which offers practical information on everything from creating a welcoming library environment to starting an teen book club from scratch. A section at the beginning outlines AASL Reading Standards and ISTE Standards for Educators. While this will be more relevant to fellow school librarians, the title quickly segues into applicable information that will be useful for public librarians as well. In particular, the "Librarian Spotlight" sections interspersed throughout are valuable inclusions of experience and programs from other industry professionals. The book also emphasizes taking advantage of the library's youth population as a resource for providing dynamic, flexible events for education and recreation. The book is written in an accessible format that will give youth services staff excellent talking points when speaking with stakeholders, such as library directors or Friends of the Library groups, to make a case for funding youth programming. It will be most helpful for school librarians who are first starting out with tween and teen programming, but can be useful for novice young adult librarians in public libraries as well. However, it might not be as practical for established teen librarians who have previous youth program experience in libraries. VERDICT Recommended supplemental purchase for professional development.—Ryan P. Donovan

School Library Journal