December 2017 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 7
Teen Council: Getting teens involved at the library
By JENNIFER COSTLEY
Five years ago I had just graduat-
ed library school and, dreaming of
becoming a teen services librarian,
I volunteered in the teen room of
the Beaverton City Library. Beaver-
ton, with its service population of
142,000, was fully invested in its
teen patron base. In the short time
I was there I got to see a full reno-
vation of the teen room, excellent
teen programming and interaction
between the staff and teens that
made me proud to be starting the
profession. What made Beaver-
ton’s Teen Services successful? Two
things: two full time teen services
librarians and a Teen Council.
Upon moving to Pendleton and
taking the job of Youth Services
Librarian I knew that having a teen
room and full-time teen librarian
were outside of the budget, but I
also knew that providing teens a
space and generation-based pro-
gramming was an essential part
of my job. After all, the library
has a lot to offer teens. It can
serve as a safe place for them to
hang out, a resource for home-
work assistance, and an oppor-
tunity to contribute. Pendleton
couldn’t be Beaverton, that much
was clear, but we could create a
welcoming space and we could
give teens buy-in through the
creation of a teen council.
The Pendleton Public Library
Teen Council started two years
ago with the help of city volun-
teer coordinator Tiffany Hegarty,
who works tirelessly to ensure
that teens who express interest
are both dependable and en-
P SYCHOLOGICAL S ERVICES
gaged. What does the teen council
do? They plan and implement their
own programs, make purchase sug-
gestions and serve as advocates for
the library among their peers.
Currently both Pendleton Pub-
lic Library and Hermiston Public
Library have active Teen Councils.
If your library does not have a teen
council, that doesn’t mean your
teenager can’t help improve their
library. If you think your teen might
be interested in helping the library
provide teen-friendly service,
please give your approachable local
librarian a call and ask what volun-
teer opportunities are available.
________
Pendleton Library’s current Teen
Council (clockwise, from top): Kaya
Palmore, Sam Attridge, Kipling Bose
and Daphne Chen.
OF
Jennifer Costley is Assistant Director
and Youth Services Librarian at the
Pendleton Public Library.
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