Not the usual suspects: YA programs as social capital

Carolyn Bourke

Presented at the Young Adult Librarians' Network of New South Wales Seminar Wednesday 26 November 2003 at the State Library of New South Wales

Who are we?

This presentation is intended to raise questions but doesn't promise to answer them! As the phrases 'social capital' and 'triple bottom line' are bandied about, we as young people's librarians need to discover whether this has any relevance to us. We need to ask some questions about who we are and what we do. Does our role need to move beyond that of the traditional youth librarian to encompass a broader perspective of our clients' needs?

Are libraries repositories of information?

This has been our traditional role and continues to be a core service to our communities. The cost of the traditional printed word, whether monograph or journal, continues to rise. Not many families could afford to buy the amount of literature needed to see their children through school! Libraries remain the key place where the members of the community can access these items free of charge.

Are libraries gateways to knowledge?

The growth of the internet has not sounded the death knell of libraries as many feared. Instead it has allowed libraries to expand their service delivery beyond the physical boundaries of the stock held within their four walls or that which could be borrowed from other libraries. The internet allows us the freedom to access information (and rubbish!) from anywhere in the world.

Are libraries centres of lifelong learning?

More and more public libraries have looked at supporting the informal learning requirements of the whole community, not just school students. This may encompass parenting workshops, English conversation classes, book clubs and volunteer programs just to name a few. Some libraries are considering the learning needs of their clients literally from cradle to grave, with services such as lapsit storytime sessions through to services to the housebound.

Are libraries places for social interaction?

This has certainly not been the case to any great degree in the past! However, we are finding that for young people who have a limited choice of places simply to 'hang out', the library has become the place to meet your friends. It has the advantages of parental approval, being free and being open reasonably long hours. Young people can stay in libraries for hours at a time as long as their behaviour and noise levels stay within an acceptable range. That range, of course, may vary pretty widely from library to library.

Public libraries in the 21st century probably fill all the roles listed above but are there other areas that we haven't yet explored?

Who can we be?

An interesting article appeared on the BetterTogether website ¹ about the libraries of Chicago, Illinois. It reads, in part:

With the advent of the internet, many people predicted that public libraries would die. But in Chicago, the libraries are thriving and expanding because they embody a new idea of how a library functions. No longer a passive repository of books, the new Chicago library is an active and responsive part of the community. It is also an agent of change that can bring together very different types of communities, from the wealthy Gold Coast to the impoverished, mostly African-American communities. As one librarian observed, 'Like the Marines, we go in first' to help link and change neighbourhoods.

This gives a very different view of the role of libraries in the community. In our library services are we leading the charge or are we dragging the chain? In Fairfield statistics in the State of the Community of Fairfield Report ² show that 50 per cent of young people (aged 10-24) had not accessed a computer in the week prior to the 2001 Census compared with 30 per cent Sydneywide. Lack of access to computers is considered a measure a social exclusion. This means that these young people may be seriously disadvantaged technologically, educationally and socially compared to their cohort in other areas. Whose responsibility is it to address this and other areas of social exclusion and need? Is it the responsibility of Governments, schools or perhaps even our own?

'Smart libraries build smart communities' State Library of Queensland ³

The State Library of Queensland is setting benchmarks in the area of building social capital into the core services of libraries. Queensland State Library Young Peoples Librarian Laney Robinson in her paper Families & Communities Connect @ Public Libraries ⁴ states:

By providing a wide range of resources and services, public libraries play key roles in the development of social capital, cultural enrichment, lifelong learning, citizenship and economic regeneration.

One of the ways that libraries can help build social capital is through encouraging parental involvement in children's learning. The Saguaro Seminar is an initiative of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to research community connectedness and develop methods to improve it. One of the many pieces of information to have come from this work is the following ⁵:

If you had to choose between 10 per cent more teachers or 10 per cent more parents being involved in their kids' education, the latter is a better route to educational achievement.

What can we do to encourage parental involvement in the learning and development of their children? Most parents are only too willing to be involved but are prevented by time pressures and often a sense of inadequacy. In our highly non-English speaking background community in the Fairfield LGA the Library Service has set up various programs such as a Homework Centre, Babytime training, Family Literacy programs, Online Homework Tutoring and English conversation classes in order to meet the needs of our community. One of the interesting results of this is the passion and enthusiasm parents show in getting involved with the learning process. We had expected our Homework Centre parents would sign their children in and then go shopping. We found instead that many parents stay so that they too can understand what the teachers are explaining to their children.

Who are they?

For most libraries the young people who are our clients are students. Traditionally young people have only darkened the doors of our library services because they have assignments to complete. Fortunately, this has begun to shift and now many young people use our libraries as a meeting place, a safe place to socialise with their friends. They are also attracted by an increased willingness on the part of libraries to provide 'youth friendly' environments (and staff!). Many young people use the library as a place to study away from the distractions at home and also participate in the many programs being run. This is great for the majority of young people who are at school or further education, but what about the ones who have fallen through the cracks?

The most at-risk young people in our society are those who have dropped out of the formal education system and who are unemployed. Youth unemployment in Fairfield of almost 30 per cent is depressingly high - what kinds of programs and services can reach these very vulnerable young people?

Thinking outside the box...

Can libraries offer programs to our clients that add value to their lives - socially, educationally or vocationally? Libraries tend to do the social and educational programs for young people fairly well, but what can we do in the vocational area? One of the issues we have noticed is the difficulty for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to get their drivers' licence. Young people who do not have a family car and where the parents don't speak English find it difficult to get in their 50 hours of driving practice. A partnership of community agencies and business may be able to help with this, with the library service offering workshops and the RTA practice site to the mix.

Other possibilities are job expos, networking with local Chambers of Commerce and providing support to existing job training programs. For example, in Cabramatta, the Salvation Army runs Café Horizon which trains young people in the hospitality industry. The Library Service has been able to offer research and study support to these students in their training.

What can you do?

Each community is unique and our clients have different needs and aspirations. Discover what is important in your community but don't reinvent the wheel. Local Councils have access to masses of data which they use for social planning - tap into it! Find out whether the data backs up your instincts about what the young people in your area need.

Join committees of local youth workers and build networks with the other agencies that are working with your client group. Look at partnership possibilities - it is always easier to get funding for projects supported by several agencies.

Hopefully, the series of questions we've raised will encourage you to start looking at your youth programs as social capital. Let's make sure that our libraries are positioned so that they are active and responsive to our communities, ready to lead rather than following long behind. Libraries are safe, trusted centres in our society, let's build on the social capital we already have to make a difference to the lives of young people and their families.

References

Branch Libraries (Chicago, Illinois) http://www.bettertogether.org/stories.htm
Nesbitt, Heather (2003) State of the Community of Fairfield: Draft Report, October 2003. Sydney: Australia Street Company with Heather Nesbitt and Hirst Consulting.
State Library of Queensland (2001) Smart libraries build smart communities: future directions of the State Library of Queensland. Queensland Government, Arts Queensland, November.
Robinson, Laney (2001) Families & Communities Connect @ Public Libraries. Newcastle: Family Strengths Conference, University of Newcastle, 5 December, 2001.
Saguaro Seminar factoid www.ksg.harvard.edu/saguaro/factoids.htm

Carolyn Bourke is community outreach librarian - Children and Youth at Fairfield City Library Service in New South Wales.

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