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While librarianship is an apolitical profession for many, I endeavor to practice advocacy and activism in the library and dispense with the fallacy of neutrality. In my first year as a librarian, I have not been successful in implementing the tenets of what may be called radical librarianship and I am still trying to figure out what it means to cultivate social justice in and through the library. The best way for me to do this may be to incorporate activism into youth programming. My first project is an Amnesty International chapter at the library.
My friends and I belonged to our high school AI chapter and Wednesdays after school consisted of a clutch of punks eating pizza and writing a letter or two but spending most of our time messing around. It was a good time and I talked to people I wouldn’t have talked to otherwise. I do not know yet how successful AI will be at the library. Young people are particularly interested in their freedoms and rights, which may easily extend to a concern for the freedoms and rights denied to political prisoners from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Burma, and throughout the world. Perhaps AI will provide a context for understanding about the Other, for fostering compassion, for fighting injustice. Maybe it will just be a fun gathering of letterwriting and pizza. That would be enough.
 In a great interview in the November 2004 issue of Arthur Magazine musician and activist Kathleen Hanna said, “I think it’s completely political for people to feel joy in a joyless culture. That in itself really is doing a great service to the planet.”
This is a guiding principle for me. I think in our programing and outreach efforts, joy is a most worthy aim.
If anyone else wants to start an AI chapter at their library or school, there is some information here.
This past week, I joined the ranks of teen librarians attending the American Library Association annual conference in Washington, DC. The majority of the conference was spent networking, participating in meetings, and attending programs such as the To I-Pods and Beyond Presentation and Video Games as a Service: Hosting Tournaments @ Your Library.
One of the empowering aspects of the Washington DC trip was the tour of Capitol Hill that I worked into my schedule before the flight home. There I began reflecting on freedom and democracy while absorbing the sight of the Lincoln and World War II memorial. My thoughts drifted to all the soldiers that have died to secure the safety, culture, and democracy of the United States. You could say these people died for our freedom and I think the best way to repay them is to get involved with making the world a better place. I like to imagine that the soldiers would be proud to know that some of us are not taking our freedom for granted and are instead actively contributing to the progress of society.
By working with teens, I think this activism translates into several things. It’s about empowering teens and providing them with programs that support their developmental needs. It’s about being a friend when a teen needs someone to talk to. And sometimes this means being the only person in your library that is a teen advocate.
Activism is also about contributing ideas to national organizations like YALSA, so that it is relevant to all types of teen librarians. One of my colleagues complained to me that YALSA isn’t relevant to them and lacks the types of resource they want. So I encouraged this friend to take action by joining YALSA and attempting to start something new or at least get involved on some level to make a difference.
But even so, we still need outlets that aren’t tied to national organizations, where we can discuss teen library services without fear of a public relations stigma or having to express our ideas within Robert’s Rule of orders. Online communities such as the listservs and blogs can in many ways provide this type of grassroots forum. I hope that in some ways Alt. Teen Services can also be that type of resource.
Although it has already been mentioned over on the Yalsa Blog I felt it was time to throw in my support for the new Myspace Channel called Impact. This is a very interesting new channel, which provides myspacers with links to the myspace pages of presidential candidates as well as a link to a page that will help someone register to vote online. There are other things the page offers, such news, videos, and more, which relates to making an impact in the world.
 Channels like this could have a big impact on our youth. It gives politicians a means to try and reach an age group they hadn’t previously been able to communicate with very well. Now a teenager can simply get on myspace to read about candidate’s issues, and even comment on the page or send a message with a question to them. Even better, this has the potential of spreading quickly because every teen that is interested in a candidate or issue, can add links to their profile, include that candidate as a friend, or mention it in their blog. For more info about the channel and the impact it could have check out this recent NY Times article.
So what does this mean for us as librarians? Well, as librarians obviously we should be excited about anything that helps provide information to the people who need it. So something that connects youth and political information should be worth a look. There are a lot of ways we can try to get the word out about this source. Link to it on your websites, mention it in your blog, have a program centered on politics for youth, or even create a bookmark or pathfinder with political info for your teens. If you have a myspace, mention it there and add a banner for the register to vote page. Also, when you are talking with your teens simply mention that you saw this cool new site. This is a great new site which goes along with other resources such as Rock the Vote, which we need to be encouraging our youth to check out. Don’t forget many of our 16 year olds right now will be eligible to vote in the next election.
A couple of months ago I mentioned the group Knitta in the post “Knitta pleasa for a causa” as a resource for inspiring teens. When I presented Knitta and other established Outreach groups to my teen knitters, I had not anticipated the ambition and readiness that would ignite them towards starting their own awareness-raising effort.
Perk up an ear
and listen here!
For this is our story,
in all it’s radiant glory!
THE BIRTH OF CREATIVE ACTIVISTS: Our teen library knitting group, the Purlers, began about 2 years ago amidst the craze of associating knitting with cool. Purlers attracted dedicated teens whom are now 16-18 yrs old and have been party to:
- throwing their knits down in frustrated torment
- jubilant outbursts upon the discovery that they’ve been purling without realizing
- twisting an item on a circular needle and despairingly surrendering to the act of frogging (frogging = to completely unravel your knitting)
- knitting a strip that stretched the length of the meeting room, approx. 50 ft.
- meeting Debbie Stoller during her 2005 Stitch ‘n Bitch tour
During our first years, Purlers meetings were delightful and energetic. But as teens became more expierenced in the craft, they comparatively became more restless. If Purlers were to survive, it was understood that the hobby alone wouldn’t continue as the group’s sole muse. Trails Teen knitters needed agendas, goals to cross off, and a purpose to knit other than pleasure; they craved empowerment. Twas the fall of ‘06 when I shared Knitta to the Purlers. Knitta’s theme of warming the city with knitted art appealed to Trails Teens and pumped their enthusiasm to “vandalize” our KC community using a similar idea. During this new venture, I realized Trails Teens would no longer be grouped with humble beginning knitters; I was now mentoring creative activists.
DANIELLE’S POLYCHROMATIC PURLERS: One teen in particular, a senior who started as a teen volunteer and became a library aide, took the leadership role in organizing and directing the actions of our Purlers knitting group. Danielle combined outreach knitting with tagging to create the Polychromatic Purlers. To garner support and spread the word to the knitting community, Danielle made flyers and arranged with local knit shops to distribute advertisements to their customers. She also created and currently maintains (with the help of other PolyPur members) online accounts on Blogger PolyPur and MySpace PolyPur.
To participate in planning for PolyPur’s annual event, members meet monthly to knit items that may benefit a child (ages birth thru 17). On Jan 2, knitters throughout the KC metro area will take their items and hang them throughout the city. Attached to every knitted garment is a tag listing information on statistics and websites pertaining to child abuse. For more information please visit the Blogger and MySpace accounts or contact us directly at polychromatic_purlers@yahoo.com (underscore between polychromatic and purlers).
JANUARY 2, 2007 and BEYOND: Teens from the Polychromatic Purlers met early afternoon 1-2-07 to “vandalize” the Plaza area with their knitted garments and informative tags. Two and a half months of planning yeilded approx. 14 knits from various knitters. Items were placed upon the city’s abundant statues, elegantly showcasing their hard work. Later that afternoon, teens observed a homeless man benefit from their giving spirit. A slideshow of the teen’s 01-02-07 event is available to view on the MySpace account.
There are still kinks to work out, nation-wide knitting groups to enlist, and other projects to develop. The group is currently scheduling knitting classes with local libraries and charging a small fee. Monies will purchase supplies for the PolyPur knitting group. A summer Knitting Olympics idea for the KC-Metro area is also in the works. I don’t think it necessary to delve into the postive characteristics resulting from this experience, frankly I think it’s all too apparent. But for the longevity of the PolyPur program, I’m reduntantly expressing a request for support. Please add the teens as a MySpace Friend to your library accounts, share this idea with your teens, and email us if you or your teens are interested in participating. Finally, any feedback and support is greatly appreciated.
A fellow kickbutt Teen Associate,
bloodymandy
The teen space at London Public Library received a makeover! Grafitti artist Bryan Jesney painted the neighboring stairs, making the space more colorful and inviting. Wouldn’t you love a bit of paint and creativity to spice up the space for teens?
View the entire photoset here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/londonpubliclibrary/sets/72157594415192325/
AND the teen space has MONTHLY performances by INDY bands. What a way to create a teen movement and identity.
I had to post this video of the Fayetteville Public Library Teen Fashion Show. The nationally recognized blog that Jenine mentions is us! This fashion show is so amazing, and the ultimate display of teen empowerment and involvement. Way to go Jenine and the Fayettville Teens. And it ALL STARTED WITH A BOOK!
I’m finding the Maplewood “Lock the Library” situation to be very distressing (see library’s announcement here). I know teen behavior has often been a topic for discussion on this blog, but I would be interested in hearing some thoughts on this specific situation. The behavior problems exhibited by the teens in the Maplewood community are extreme and would certainly necessitate an extreme response. I feel for the librarians who have to endure this and realize that this action was pretty much a “last straw” response, but locking the library during the prime hours of the day defies reason and could only end badly for the Maplewood library. I personally feel it shows the community/library board’s inability, perhaps even incompetency, to deal with a major problem. If the library itself is unable to handle the over abundance of teenagers with disciplinary problems then shouldn’t the community (including the library) pull together and find an alternative that doesn’t include such a drastic and unfair step as closing the library entirely? This is one of those situations where having a teen librarian would be very advantageous to a public library. We should be here to advocate for these teenagers and promote more constructive solutions for situations like this.
Linda Braun also blogged about this situation on the YALSA blog last week.
Here is a long overdue post about the Fayetteville Public Library’s Alternative Teen Fashion show, put on for teen read week 2006. This post is also titled, “possibly the coolest teen read week program we’ve mentioned so far on the Alt. Teen Services Blog”. And yes the program involved reading! the teens read books to make their outfits! — Stephanie
- - -
Teen Alternative Fashion Show:
the ultimate fashion event for teens by teens
By Jenine Lillian and the Teen Alternative Fashion Show Planning Team
For Teen Read Week 2006
Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville, Arkansas
It all started with a book…
In April of this year, a Young Adult Librarian (um, that’d be AMANDA! of YaLibrarian.com) posted an entry on her nationally recognized blog about some cool, new fashion books for teens. I ordered the books for our YA Collection and while visiting schools in Fayetteville, featured the book Generation T and a spark flew among the teens. This book proved to be inspiring to young artists in Fayetteville and in August, we formed a Teen Alternative Fashion Show Planning Team, setting our sights on National Teen Read Week in October. After many months of hard work, generous donations of time and supplies, and unfettered creativity and dedication of the Planning Team, we created an artistic experience.
 
I had about 200 attend this once-in-a-lifetime performance art event. Members of my Teen Anime Club dressed in Cosplay and teens from a 30 mile radius planned and implemented this event—we met every two weeks since August, with weekly meetings the last two weeks before the show and a dress rehearsal two nights before the main event. The teens designed and created their own outfits using altered tee shirts, vintage clothing, knitting, plastics, costuming, packing materials, marking tape, office supplies, duct tape, paint, ties, bubble wrap, and fabrics. [I MC’d the event and wore an alt. fashion piece that I’d made (a “skirt”) out of slides and paper clips. It was a cool day to be a librarian.]
 
I worked with the University of Arkansas’ Apparel Studies Program/Fashion Merchandising Club to stage the show and tutor us on how to walk on the catwalk. And, the UofA’s radio station DJ (whom I work with a lot with my Teen Anime Club) to have specific outfit element-themed tunes for the event. I arranged for the local beauty college to send students to do hair for models, booked three teen photographers, and paid a friend to record the show. I also partnered with a popular local resale shop to raffle gift certificates and library volunteers served food and drinks at the short break. All told, the event took about 70 people to pull off. It was an incredibly powerful event for the teens of this community—we made something unique and beautiful and teen-powered, unlike anything that has ever been done before.
Below is a list of the books we used to get ideas and patterns. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to create your own alternative fashion…
Alternative Fashion Book List
Additional Information
I made a previous post about the security issues we were having at the library, specifically with staff being too harsh with teens. Since the incident, I have made it a personal habit to get to know security staff, and it turns out that the problematic situation was a one-time incident that hopefully won’t happen again. I have positive thoughts about security, and I think we’ll be able to reach the end goal of having a safe library without having to approach youth in such a negative way.
 Previously, our library branch sounded like a noisy cafeteria. Among other issues, our equipment was often vandalized and fights broke out between patrons. Local educators were hesitant to schedule a field trip to library, for fear of exposing their students to dangerous environment. But with the arrival of new security staff, the safety level improved dramatically.
“I’ve never seen this place so quiet before. It actually looks like a library, and I can get some work done”, an elderly patron remarked.
“Wow, everyone in here is either on the computer or doing homework. This is amazing.” added one of our parents as teacher’s representatives.
How did this complete turn-around come about? It wasn’t easy, but the newly hired security worked with the branch manager to enforce rules that made the library a safe place. The rules were cut-and-dry and no exceptions were allowed.
But once our big safety issues were resolved, our non-problematic patrons started getting targeted over minor issues. Teens and youth who weren’t problematic started getting kicked out for violating minor issues. Sometimes these violations were in the eye of the beholder, or security enforcement. It was as if the “problem” teens has ruined it for the rest of the group. Yesterday, the final straw was drawn when three teens involved with the advisory board were asked to leave the library for the day.
As the children’s librarian, it is my job to advocate for the teens in my community, and I’ve been brainstorming some ways to create a security balance so that teens are not targeted as a problem group. How do I go about striking a balance that respects the safe place that security has established, but also protects teens that are not here to make trouble?
My plan is to work with both security and teens to accomplish this balance. I will have conversations with security about establishing constructive relationships with teens. In return, I plan to explain to teens the importance of our rules and maintaining a safe library environment. This is not a one-time conversation, but an ongoing discussion and process.
My question for you is this: If you have ever had to deal with such as situation, how did you go about working with security and staff so that teens were not kicked out for minor issues? What can we do as teen advocates to ensure our teens are not wrongly targeted as problem patrons? Any tips or stories would be greatly appreciated!
I’m guessing most of our readers subscribe to the YALSA blog, but in case you don’t, please be advised that YALSA is providing coverage of the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), but from the perspectives of a teen librarian. The latest news posted by Beth Yoke follows:
Today the US House of Representatives passed the amended Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) bill by a vote of 410-15. The proposed legislation will now go to the Senate. The Senate may or may not have time to vote on this before their session ends for the year. In the meantime, you can help out in two ways. (read more on the YALSA Blog).
Beth Yoke sent out this message today:
Please send a fax to your member of the House Wednesday morning indicating yours and ALA’s opposition to DOPA (HR 5319). Below is a sample message that you can use or adapt for the fax.
To find out who your Representative in the House is & what their fax # is, go here:
http://www.house.gov
July 26, 2006
RE: Opposition to H.R. 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA)
Dear Representative;
I write to indicate my opposition to H.R. 5319, the Deleting
Online Predators Act (DOPA). I understand this bill may come to the
House floor this afternoon and ask that you oppose this bill as it
presently reads.
No profession or community is more concerned about the safety of
children than our Nation’s librarians. Librarians in public libraries
and school library media centers work continuously to assure that
children have appropriate and safe access to the materials and
information services they need so that each each young person can become
literate and educated with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the
digital and online world.
I had hoped following the July 11th hearing on H.R. 5319 before the
Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet, that an amended version would seek to resolve some of the
problems expressed in ALA’s testimony. Unfortunately, the revised
language that ALA received only last night, does not make the necessary
changes that I believe would better serve the public interest and
contribute to true online safety for young people. As a voter in your district, I
urge opposition to H.R. 5319 for several reasons:
1. The terminology used in DOPA is still overly broad and unclear. As written, this legislation would block access to many valuable websites that utilize this type of communication, websites whose benefits outweigh their detriments.
2. DOPA still ignores the value of Interactive Web applications. New Internet-based applications for collaboration, business and learning are becoming increasingly important, and young people must be prepared to thrive in a work atmosphere where meetings take place online, where online networks are essential communication tools.
3. Education, not laws blocking access, is the key to safe use of the Internet. Libraries and schools are where kids learn essential information literacy skills that go far beyond computer instruction and web searching. Indeed, DOPA would block usuage of these sites in the very environments where librarians and teachers can instruct students about how to use all kinds of applications safely and effectively and where kids can learn how to report and avoid unsafe sites.
4. Local decision-making - not federal law - is the way to solve the problems addressed by DOPA. Such decisions are already being made locally, in part due to the requirements of the Children’s Online Protection Act (CIPA) for E-rate recipients. This additional requirement is not necessary.
5. DOPA would restrict access to technology in the communities that need public access most. H.R. 5319 still, as presently drafted, would require libraries and schools receiving E-rate discounts through the Universal Service Program to block computer users from accessing Interactive Web applications of all kinds, thereby limiting opportunities for those who do not have Internet access at home. This unfairly denies the students and library users in schools and libraries in the poorest communities from accessing appropriate content and from learning how best to safely manage their own Internet access in
consultation with librarians and teachers.
It should also be noted that key witnesses at the July 11th hearing, testified that limiting access to social networking sites in E-rate schools and libraries will have little impact on the overall problem since young people access these collaborative sites from many locations and over a period of time.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
(put your name here)
-Posted by Beth Yoke
Teens visit the library to get in touch with friends and catch up with the latest social news via the intarweb. They use web sites such as MySpace to message each other. But if DOPA goes into effect, only youth with home computers will be able to use MySpace and other social web sites, per the DOPA legislation. Please help prevent the digital divide from getting even larger! Do your part to prevent DOPA from being passed!
_______________________________________
From: Beth Yoke
Date: Jul 25, 2006 4:31 PM
Subject: [YA-YAAC:5830] URGENT Action Needed regarding DOPA
To: ya-yaac@ala.org, yalsa-bk@ala.org, yalsa-l@ala.org, pubyac@lists.prairienet.org, LM_NET@listserv.syr.edu, nexgenlib-l@topica.com
URGENT Action Needed: The ALA Washington Office has learned that the US
House of Representatives may try to expedite passage of H.R. 5319, the
Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), TOMORROW, July 26th. The bill is
moving forward as is, with no changes to the original language.
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE’S OFFICE TODAY and ask that he/she
oppose HR 5319. The Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121.
To find out who your Representative in the House is, go here:
http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html
To learn more about DOPA, please go here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washnews/2006ndx/073jul25.htm
Thank you for your efforts to ensure that all library users will
continue to have access to critical Internet resources via library and
school computers!
Readers, please check out the YALSA blog post about the DOPA hearing that is scheduled for July 11th.
We must do what we can to save social networking internet access for library patrons!
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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