Correlations between Teen Spaces & Teen Behavior
In the Resources to Young Adults class this past semester at the University of Pittsburgh, we embarked on a class discussion about the correlation between teen spaces and teen behavior. The class was assigned the task of observing a teen library, taking note of teen behaviors, and finally, discussing our findings as a group.
A handful of my classmates visited a particular library that had problems with teen patrons. The children’s librarian did not like teens, and there was not a teen librarian around to balance out this viewpoint. She referred to the group of repeat teen visitors as a “gang of goth teens” — the “gang” association being the disturbing part of that description because it assigns a criminal attribute to the group. The behavior of the said “gang” was exhibited by their congregation around the entrance of the library. The librarian reported that the teens gave patrons bad looks and made them feel uncomfortable. They also talked loud when they were inside the library, usually hanging out around the teen books section.
This example is just one of many where librarians associate the teen demographic with negative behavior, and refuse to see things from the perspectives of teens. In most libraries the reaction of staff to disruptive teen behavior is to label the group as troublemakers, and to disassociate them from the status of “library patron.” Through this disassociation, the librarians are no longer liable for trying to work with the said group of teens, and can instead see them as intruders that need to be carefully watched. But we teen services advocates know that by treating the teens like criminals, we will set ourselves, as well as the teens up for failure. Staff members are usually baffled to hear that the way we can solve problems with teen behavior is to create a space for them in the library, because to them this means bringing more problems into the library, not diffusing the problem.
Throughout our class discussion, we also reflected upon the experiences that took place at libraries that had dedicated staff and space for teens. These library environments had fewer issues with disruptive behavior, and in most of these cases teens were seen to be engaging in constructive activities. Our class came to the conclusion that by giving teens recognition and tailored services, they will generally engage in positive models of behavior.
However, not all libraries have the recourses to hire teen staff or create a teen space. In these cases, even the smallest improvements can make a mile of difference. One of my classmates noted that after she moved near the “goth gang” to browse the teen collection and acknowledged the group with a smile, she found that the volume of their discussion lowered and they quit “horsing” around. Her observation was that by having some small interaction with teens, and recognizing them as being worthy of attention, their behavior can suddenly change to a more constructive mode. A smile and small conversation is something even the smallest of libraries can certainly afford.
I think the significance of these observations is that they illustrate the need for teen librarians to be advocates. We are still in an age where teen library services are not exactly a top priority. How do we respond to this lack of awareness? One of the best ways that we as teen librarians can make a difference is to inform our peers and colleagues about the importance of teen services in the most informal, grassroots way possible. Slow days at the circ desk can result in some progressive conversation about the value of serving teens, and the reasons we do what we do. I also personally believe that infiltrating a culture from the ground up can make a large difference, which is why I tend to advocate for grassroots methods of gaining support.
What are the techniques you use to advocate teen library services at
your place of work?
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I think this is a crucial topic and one that definitely warrants more attention from our profession. I really think there needs to be more professional research done on the relationship between teen spaces, librarian attitudes towards teens and teen behavior. Unfortunately, I don’t think our library has managed to successfully address this issue so I would be really interested in any techniques others may share here. We tried providing some training on how to deal with “disruptive” teens in our last staff training workshop but I’m not entirely sure it helped much. I think our specific problem has a lot to do with the fact that many staff members still don’t seem to believe services to teens are as important or as equal to other services provided at the library. We’ve made some headway, managed to implement a few gaming programs and an anime club, but I think the content of these programs are part of a culture that most staff members just don’t understand and tend to have a negative attitude towards in the first place (graphic novels as second rate reading material, gaming not a worthy past time, etc).
In addition, the teens tend to hang out mostly around the computers which are located in the reference section (we don’t have any computers in the YA section, and don’t really have a big YA section anyway so this is where the whole space issue comes in), so the Youth Services librarian rarely gets much of a chance to connect or interact with the teens. Instead, the reference staff are usually the ones interacting with them. There are many teen advocates in my library but unfortunately we haven’t been able to convince the right people that things really need to change. I for one am a little tired of hearing the same old excuses.
I’ve had a similar experience. We have a separate teen area, complete with its own computers, and in that regard I think I’m pretty lucky. However, we’ve got the same combination of one dedicated teen librarian (me), maybe 60-70% of the total staff who are uncomfortable dealing with teenagers (particularly rowdy ones), and the fact that the teens in the library are not always near the teen area.
A couple months ago I was asked to address the staff about strategies for dealing with behavior issues from teens, since most of the staff felt helpless and would usually just freak out at the kids or call the police. Most of what I covered is in Patrick Jones’ book about YA services and boils down to:
- Address behavior issues right away, and be consistent.
- Give the patrons a choice to either stay and follow the rules, or find somewhere else to go (stress that its their choice).
- Keep your cool.
This — kind of – worked. At the very least its gotten people to come and get me to diffuse situations with teens instead of panicking, but I can tell changing staff perceptions and behavior is not easy.
I had thought coming out of library school that separate teen spaces would help this a lot, but I’ve found that just because a space is made for teens, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is for teens. Ours is a few feet from the reference desk and opens out to vaulted ceilings. We have four comfortable chairs by the front, so if four teens gather and sit there talking at normal teenage volume (slightly louder than your average adult), the sound echoes off the huge ceiling and bounces back down on top of the reference desk, making it hard for them to hear and easy for them to get aggravated.
Additionally, they put a conference room (useable for patrons 18 and up only) and the head of the branch’s office adjacent to and only accessible through the teen area. This puts even more scrutiny on the volume issues. Then there’s the fact that those comfy chairs are highly visible and in between the front and rear of the building making them very attractive to senior citizens…
Separate teen spaces are a great idea, and if a library cares enough to make one, you’d assume that the environment there is supportive of teens and teen services. However, if you’re at a branch that is thinking of making a teen space, I’d strongly recommend that you get involved in the planning of it. Architects tend to not think about things like this and when they don’t pretty looking features like vaulted ceilings can create the impression that teenagers are constantly on the rampage.
I work in two smaller branch libraries in our system, both of which have struggled with “teen behavior.” As a teen advocate, I asked the managers of each branch to schedule time into our team meetings where I not only give an update on teen services, but also offer some information and resources relevant to working with teens.
One week I spoke with staff about adolescent brain development, another week I spent time debunking some of the moral panic that has arisen over MySpace. I provide articles and websites, booklists, whatever I can do to empower the other library workers to feel comfortable working with teens. I’ve gotten really great feedback from my coworkers who often felt they lacked any kind of framework or tools when teen patrons were involved.
you know, teens just want to be accepted, even if they spend 3 hours a day applying eyeliner and trying to look as “different” or as “mean” as possible. So, yes absolutely, having a place for them in the library will create acceptance and foster a sense of trust and community. And we want them to read, right?