Why
YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) defines youth participation as “the involvement of young adults in responsible action and significant decision making, which affects the design and delivery of library and information services for their peers and the community.”
• Teens are the BEST resource for finding out what your library can do for them.
• Find out about local teen concerns, issues, attitudes and problems.
• Get input in designing programs that are relevant and appealing. Don’t waste time producing a program YOU think is a great idea only to discover out local teens won’t come to it!
• TABs give teens great opportunities for building the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents . TABs can provide: support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, opportunities for constructive use of time, experience in planning and decision making, self esteem and opportunities to help other people.
• Teens can promote the library to their peers.
• Teens are our future financial and political supporters. Give them some lasting memories of good library experiences and they will be there for libraries in the future.
There are some fascinating examples of videos and podcasts available online that have been created by members of TABs to promote the group, the library, the summer reading club, review books and generally be creative.
A TAB mission statement from Bay County (Michigan) Library System
TALK ABOUT BOOKS
EVALUATE AND SELECT TEEN MATERIAL
ENCOURAGE NEW IDEAS
NEW AND IMPROVED TEEN SERVICES
AUTHOR VISITS
DESIGN A TEEN LIBRARY WEB PAGE
VOLUNTEER AT THE LIBRARY
INCREASE LIBRARY AWARENESS
STUDENTS GRADES 6-12
OFFER YOUR IDEAS TO LIBRARIANS
REVIEW AND DISCUSS BOOKS
YOUNG ADULT SUMMER READING PROGRAM
BECOME INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS YOUR IDEAS
ASSIST WITH TEEN PROGRAMS
READ NEW BOOKS
DEVELOP TEEN LIBRARY PROGRAMS