Encouraging teens to get involved with their library

I thought I would contribute to your blog Beth--I hope you don't mind!

Getting teens to become involved in their community is very difficult; after all, they are involved with a lot of other activities both in school and out of school. Adding to their demanding schedules is time to spend with friends, homework, family obligations, after-school jobs, etc. which makes for a very busy teen. On top of that, add add all of the teen angst and social and developmental issues they are going through at the time and you could have a very stressed, very busy, very active teen.

So how do you get them to WANT to be involved with their boring library? Some ideas I have were to provide services and activities that the teen specifically would enjoy which makes perfect sense until you realize that YOU are no longer a teenager and really have no clue what THEY want! Figuring out what they want is actually rather easy--ASK THEM! They will be more than happy to tell you what they want, when they want it, how they would like it, and how you should do it.

Forming a Teen Advisory Board or group is one of the best ways a librarian can connect with teens. You will have a hard time getting teens to join--the library is not the coolest place in town to be spotted. However, find a few ambitious teens who need or want to pad their college applications and you will be surprised what you will get. Anytime a student applying for college has community service, volunteer work, experience working in groups/teams, decision-making skills, budgetary experience, etc. it makes a strong case for admission. By forming a Teen Advisory Board, a teenager gets a lot and it's fun!

Getting Teens to Blog

When I created a MySpace page for my the local branch of my library, I was so excited. I thought, what a cool way to get teens reactions and opinions on subjects in any area. Unfortunately, I soon realized that getting them to accept me as their friend was the easy part. I found that participation from the teens was very limited. I posted a blog, begged for responses and waited. Nothing. Less than a handful of kids responded to the topics I posted.

Determined to demand interaction with the kids I adore, I did a little research on blogging. I found a few key points to keep in mind when trying to invite participation in blogging.

1. KISS Keep it short and simple sweetie
2. 5 W's Who, What, Where, When and Why
3. Make it valuable and worthwhile.
4. Write like you talk, not in jargon
5. Use key words often
6. Keep your reader in mind
7. Keep it lively
8. Use as many links as possible
9. Make sure to proofread

Now, if I apply these simple rules to my blogs in MySpace, do you think it will work? I am concerned that since the MySpace blogs are hidden, and not visible on the homepage, that they are out of sight out of mind. I fear teens browse through profiles and pictures, but not a whole lot more.

I am finding that teens love to do surveys in the Bulletin section of MySpace. These are silly, senseless surveys that ask anything from what you had for dinner, to who was the last person you talked to on the phone. Yet, they do several a night, and most are exactly the same. So, I know they don't mind responding, they enjoy writing, but how do I get them into my blog? I am going to try posting a message in the bulletin telling of my blog, then ask them to respond. Hopefully, the tips I have learned will create an effective one.

I am way off track, barking up the wrong tree? I really feel these kids have alot of amazing ideas and opinions. I would love to tap into that and use them.

Any good suggestions for a person reaching out?