I have a job. Now what?
I finally finished my masters last December. Although my husband and I aren’t entirely ready to uproot our family, I have tentatively been looking for jobs and my mind has been very focused on what my future in the LIS profession will hold. Generally speaking, I only have a little bit of experience with teen services, mainly just the odd program here and there. I do blog about teen services on occasion but most of that is gleaned from things I read. I often wonder, even if I do know how to talk the talk, can I really walk the walk? When actually faced with my first day as a teen librarian, will I even know where to begin? I have a pretty good feeling that I’m not alone in this, that there are plenty of other new librarians coming into the profession wanting to be the best teen librarians they can but feeling a little overwhelmed and bewildered by the continuous flow of ideas being presented to them. So, here’s the scenario. You’ve just landed your first job as a teen librarian. Where do you start? What’s the first step?
The following is a draft of some of my own ideas. I have yet to cross this threshold so it will obviously be a rather incomplete list. What I’m really hoping for is that this post will help generate a dialogue with readers and other fellow teen librarians who have already been through this. Together, hopefully we can help ease some of those first week jitters for us newbies out there.
1) Evaluate the services already in place
I figure the most logical first step would be to get to know your new library. What services/programs are already in place? Are there outreach services, school visits throughout the year? Study the collection. Note any gaps that may need to be filled. Is there a collection development policy or statement for your area? Ask for the past years monthly reports, circulation stats, attendance stats for past programs. What about regular library goers? Do a lot of teens come into the library after school? Have there ever been any behavior issues in the past, if so, how were they dealt with? What about organizations in your community, are there any that your library has collaborated with before? If so, collect and store their contact information in case an opportunity arises for collaboration in the future.
2) Make yourself known to your demographic
In addition to introducing yourself to teens who come into the library, make your presence known to teens who aren’t regular library goers. Begin with an online presence. If your library doesn’t have one already, start a teen blog (see Josh’s post on Creating a YA blog for some guidance). Make sure all your contact information is available on the blog, including a picture of yourself so teens know who to look for when they do come into the library. I would also sign-up for Meebo and imbed a widget on the blog. I wouldn’t worry about starting a MySpace or other social network profile right away. A blog and Meebo are a good start to connecting with teens online. Find out how they respond to that first. Then create some snazzy brochures for your teen department that include the blog address and perhaps pictures of your teen area in the library. Take the brochures with you when you go for school visits or just drop them off at various locations in the community frequented by teens.
3) Start slow when it comes to programs
I’ve always had a hard time slowing down my brain when it comes to programming. I hear about so many great ideas nowadays, it’s really hard not to just want to try them all. But you’ll likely overwhelm not just your staff but also your teens if you try to plan for too much in the beginning. Stick to the tried and true stuff. Obviously, budget is going to be an issue here so check into that, maybe start with something cheap and easy first so you can reserve your money for bigger events once you’ve been on the job for awhile. I think an online gaming event would be a safe bet to start with. It doesn’t require much more than space and internet accessible computers, perhaps some pizza and pop for refreshment. Runescape has always been a popular online game with teens but there are plenty of others out there for them to try (Gaia and Naruto Arena have become really popular with the teens at our library). Then try a second event that’s completely different, like a Fashion show or Pizza tasting contest. This way you’ll get a diverse sample of teens that you can size up and get to know. Provide suggestion boxes at each event and maybe a sign-up sheet to see if anyone is interested in starting a TAB.
4) Organize your professional tools
I know they’re expensive but I do think it’s important to have subscriptions to some of the essential publications like YALS and VOYA (in many cases employers will pay for them). If you can’t afford the subscriptions then remember to bookmark their websites and check them often for new links, resources and articles of note. Keeping up with blogs is also important but…yikes…that deserves a whole post of its own. There are a lot of good ones out there and it’s hard to keep up with them all. I try to keep my list pretty condensed. In addition to the Alt Teen Services blog, I also read Ypulse, Pop Goes the Library, the YALSA blog (they even have a catagory especially for new librarians).
5) Contribute to the profession
I think anyone would agree that it’s important to wait until you’ve found some sort of sense of balance between work and home before piling on any additional responsibilities beyond your initial job requirements. But after things have slowed down a bit and you begin feeling a little more comfortable in your position, it may be a good idea to look into contributing to your profession in some way. There are a number of different ways to do this. First, figure out how much time you are willing to commit. ALA and YALSA have all sorts of committees and task forces you can join. However, if that seems a little daunting then you may want to start with something a little smaller, perhaps on the state level (check your state library website for opportunities). Or even something more local like a seat on the literacy council in your community. If you like to write and do research about librarianship then start a blog of your own. Don’t have time for your own blog? Then join a collaborative blog or do something that requires even more of an irregular committment like contributing to the TeenLib wiki. Despite how small scale they are, these experiences have the potential of helping you on and off the job.
6) Advocating for teens
One of the most important aspects of being teen librarian is advocating for teens and their right to access information. This is also probably one of the most difficult aspects about being a teen librarian. Stay on top of intellectual freedom issues by being proactive. Know your library’s policies and the steps taken when a request for reconsideration occurs. Most important, know your support base (who to call if you need help) before an issue comes up in your library or community, as opposed to just reacting to it when it does. Look beyond your own institution. How can you as a teen librarian help fight censorship in your community? Anticipating these situations before they happen will help you deal with them better when they occur. In addition, make sure your teens are aware of their rights. Post links to the blog or print out information for them to look at while they’re hanging around in the library. Build a display around the theme of censorship. One of the best times to do this would be during Banned Books Week but you can also do it during the month of a Banned authors birthday.
7) It’s not always golden
Working with teens is a tremendous challenge but that is also what makes it so rewarding. I hate to say it but there will likely be a number of disheartening experiences that you will go through…a program will completely flop, teens will look at you like your from Mars, a parent may get angry at you for suggesting that their child read a Gossip Girls novel…in the midst of all this you will likely make all kinds of mistakes and blunders, all of which you will learn from if you allow yourself to. The important thing is to never loose your enthusiasm for what you do and never ever stop trying
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