October may be best known as the season for ghouls and goblins, but it is also the perfect time to celebrate teens and teen-focused library services. In 2019, ALA’s Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) kicked off its now-annual TeenTober advocacy campaign to highlight resources and programming that keep teens engaged and connected to information year-round at America’s libraries.In addition to being a time to showcase services and curate outreach, TeenTober is also an advocacy platform that helps libraries connect with community partners outside its doors to expand teens’ access to resources.
HISTORY AND SCOPE
TeenTober rises from YALSA’s earlier initiatives, Teen Read Week and Teen Tech Week, and puts all teen information services front and center throughout the month of October. With roots promoting general information and technology literacy, TeenTober widens aims to include teaching educational skills such as creative thinking, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, along with promoting life skills such as leadership and social interaction. TeenTober is designed to engage teens and help them develop the competencies they need to fuel passions and prepare for success as students and young adults.
The TeenTober Toolkit, created by YALSA’s Teen Read Week/Teen Tech Week Revisioning Taskforce and TeenTober Interest Group, helps libraries plan TeenTober events and do outreach and promotion. The how-to manual walks librarians through a bevy of ideas and maps out a soup-to-nuts framework that gets teen programming and awareness in the public eye.
FRAMEWORK AND GOALS
TeenTober creators recommend organizing events throughout the month around weekly themes to unify programming and build on interests. TeenTober is scalable and open-ended, allowing libraries to promote teen services in ways that make sense locally. Themes are flexible and can be site specific. Some libraries celebrate throughout the month, and others for just a week. The following are the weekly themes:
- Week 1—Literacies
- Week 2—Writing
- Week 3—Technology and Gaming
- Week 4—Art and Music
In addition to organizing events by themes, YALSA encourages TeenTober planners to identify and set learning goals that help teens build targeted skills. YALSA’s “Teen Programming Guidelines” helps libraries set comprehensive learning goals for activities and events that consider teen audiences. YALSA’s companion “Teens First: Basic Learning Outcomes” nicely overviews key learning outcomes that are organized into six categories—community, creativity, digital citizenship, leadership, learning, and literacies—to help libraries design programming schedules that foster specific learning agendas.
PROGRAM IDEAS
Need ideas on types of programs to develop for TeenTober? The TeenTober Toolkit can kick-start creativity and organizes programming ideas into three categories: passive programs, active programs, and displays.
Passive Programs
The toolkit shares several ideas for unfacilitated activities that can be set up and available to teens visiting the space. These ideas are great entry points for libraries that are thin on staffing resources, and many ideas give shy teens a quiet way to engage at their personal comfort levels.
Take and Make
Events in this category are unfacilitated and simply make craft supplies and project instructions available for self-paced participation. Teens can create items such as bookmarks, bracelets, and vision boards. In addition to making stuff to take home, the activities help teens express themselves creatively.
Piece It Together
Puzzles are a favorite lure for many. They draw people in for a moment but then often have a way of keeping them engaged for much longer. Libraries can set up literary-themed jigsaw puzzles on tables in high-traffic areas and watch conversations and teamwork happen organically as people begin to gather.
Spine Poetry
Teens can flex their creative muscles by creating word poetry from spine titles. Libraries can set up a selection of books and supply examples. Teens can then mix and match and share poems.
Nailed It/Failed It
This virtual activity prompts teens to try new recipes and share the results on the library’s social media channels. It helps teens learn basic cooking skills and engage in digital communities.
Digital Storytelling
This activity invites teens to tag the library on social media outlets when they share original works such as fan fiction, poetry, and animation. Teens learn self-expression, how to amplify their voices, and ways to build creative skills.
Active Programs
For libraries that are looking to invest and engage more directly, the toolkit outlines a range of ideas in this category.
Music Mix Masters
This program idea is designed to help teens explore digital music production through open online apps. Libraries supply equipment and hire musicians to teach teens how to use music programs such as Looplabs and GarageBand. Gathering as a group creates a peer forum, and teens pick up technical knowledge during the lessons while also having fun.
How to Selfie
In many ways, teens might be the best teachers for this event, but libraries can offer sessions that impart pro tips for digital self-imaging and use the activity as an opportunity to discuss responsible image uses. Additionally, the event creates a space where teens can give each other feedback on images before they publish them online.
Cleaning Up the Digital Footprint
This event covers privacy and information-sharing best practices that help teens minimize identity theft as they navigate digital spaces.
It Was First a Book
Combining a book club and a film series, this program curates screenings of films and shows developed from books. Teens can compare stories in different formats and discuss how each shape and accent storytelling differently.
Characters and Cosplay
This fun and eye-catching program creates a safe space for teens to role-play a favorite character. Also, costumes are already all the rage in October.
Displays
Libraries can dedicate space to teen-curated displays and help them hone storytelling skills and visual literacy competencies. The toolkit outlines several ideas for ways to engage teens and teen advisory boards in the library’s exhibit programing.
Teen Takeover
This idea tasks teen advisory boards with outlining a theme—such as video gaming, fan art, or hometown hot spots—and asking participants to create a display exploring the topic. Participants can use photos, books, drawings, and personal items to help them explain their world and point of view.
Fact or Fiction
Helping teens evaluate information, this type of display provides a range of news articles along with posters outlining fact-checking resources. Teens can determine whether stories are factually accurate.
Power of Imagination
Showcasing creativity, this activity asks participants to produce an interactive Rube Goldberg machine. Besides being undeniably fun to see on display, the construction process develops problem-solving and team-building skills.
FREE RESOURCES
Looking for open source resources to include in local events and programming? The TeenTober website includes a learner engagement resources section that brings together a short collection of wonderful, free resources:
PLANNING
With ideas swirling and energies high, seasoned YALSA members recommend that libraries begin TeenTober planning in the summer, about 12–14 weeks in advance. The toolkit provides detailed checklists to help libraries identify and proactively tackle planning details.
Tips for June/July:
- Create a budget, and understand the resources needed to celebrate TeenTober.
- Look for sponsorship. Identify community partners your library can approach to support programing. These partnerships not only help underwrite activities, but they also broaden community involvement and expand awareness of the great work done at libraries.
- If your library has a Teen Advisory Group (TAG), this is a great opportunity to involve them in planning. Meet with your TAG to brainstorm meaningful activities, tease out learning needs, and involve teens in TeenTober planning. Involvement itself helps build community and leadership skills.
- With input from TAGs and understanding of budgets, planners can grow a list of specific programs and activities to get started on in earnest.
- Begin to consider effective promotion strategies to get the word out. Grow a list of contacts to tell about programs when the time is right.
Tips for August:
- Recruit volunteers, set up training meetings, and schedule staffers.
- Map out strategies to get the word out. Create posters, fliers, ads, and text for social media notices.
Tips for September:
- Meet with volunteers, staffers, and presenters to finalize event details.
- Roll out your media and PR campaign to advertise events.
PROMOTION
Getting the word out is essential to successful programming, and the toolkit helps libraries reach new audiences and increase awareness in their local communities. YALSA’s Teen Programming Database, dubbed Teen Programming HQ, is a one-stop website to promote and search for teen library programs and events across the nation. Stamped with a seal of approval, all events included in the database are vetted and comply with YALSA’s Teen Programming Guidelines.
The official #TeenTober hashtag informs virtual communities and allows people to follow the campaign throughout the month. The TeenTober Toolkit offers handy sample posts that concisely promote TeenTober and help libraries articulate the impact library services play in teen development.
Championing tried-and-true media strategies such as sending press releases to newspapers, radio stations, digital media outlets, teen groups, legislators, and local businesses, the toolkit suggests sample text that gets information out to teens and reminds others of the value libraries bring to their community to meet teen information needs. It also shares graphic design advice and branded TeenTober logo files that help brighten posts and promotional materials. Libraries with a budget for takeaways can promote TeenTober with official merch that spreads the word with T-shirts, mugs, and tote bags.
EVALUATION TOOLS
Participating libraries can revisit and adapt their TeenTober strategies from year to year. Taking a minute to evaluate programming and survey audiences can help libraries fine-tune offerings and assess the impact and effectiveness of their efforts. The toolkit helps libraries develop surveys and questionnaires to collect meaningful feedback. The following are other (free!) resources and evaluation tools:
TOOLS FOR ADVOCACY
Fun fact #1: There are approximately 25.8 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 12 and 17. Fun fact #2: Students make nearly 1.3 billion visits to school libraries during the academic year. That is four times as many visits that people make to national parks. Fun fact #3: 12–17-year-olds are part of the Gen Z cohort, and that demographic uses libraries more often than older adults.
With momentum in full swing and teens engaging in library services, TeenTober is the time to toot a horn or two to let the public know what teen services are available and the impact they make on improving teen lives. The toolkit outlines ace resources compiled by YALSA, IMLS, and the American Association of School Librarians to help support advocacy work during TeenTober and throughout the year.
Libraries that are looking to deep dive into advocacy resources that will help them communicate with funders, community partners, and policymakers should be sure to check out YALSA’s Advocacy Toolkit.
