Wiring Teens to the Library

Every day we welcome between 50 and 60 teens to the Carver Branch, one of Austin Public Library's (APL), TX, ten Wired for Youth (WFY) centers. They come in to use the computers for e-mail, do homework, or read the latest graphic novel or most current issue of Computer Gaming Magazine. Sometimes they come to Carver to socialize, get help with a school project, take a class on web development, or ask questions about anything from how to publish their own poetry to how to find information on the Internet about summer jobs. They feel that they belong here. They know someone is here to help them. They also come to the library because it is a better alternative to hanging around the neighborhood. They have a say in the development of the program, and they are always encouraged to share their ideas on how they envision "their" library.

The WFY program, made possible with funding from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, serves young people between the ages of 8 and 18. Dell offered APL a $500,000 challenge grant to develop the program, with a one-to-one match for every dollar raised by the library. So far, $350,000 has been raised. The target population for each WFY center is dependent on its location. At the WFY center at Carver, programs and classes are developed for and geared toward young people between the ages of 11 and 14, owing to the library's proximity to a junior high school. Through WFY, Austin's young people learn and practice an array of electronic information literacy skills that will assist them in their formal education, developing future goals, and ultimately becoming productive adult members of their communities as well as lifelong patrons of the library.

In the last year, WFY librarians report that more teens and preteens than ever before are using the library and its resources for homework, research, and net surfing for school and for fun. Statistics also show that a record number of teens and preteens have participated in computer classes in WFY centers throughout the city, with almost 100,000 young people using them since May 2000. Classes range from beginning-level word processing and Internet navigation to more advanced classes involving graphics editing and manipulation, animation, and web design.

Although all of the WFY centers are equipped with the same computer hardware and software, they are each different, depending on the patron base they serve. For example, the Manchaca WFY center offers a Colleges and Careers program for teens at the high school located across the street from the library. The Southeast WFY center has programs and classes for a variety of ages, since it is located near an elementary and a middle school. Each center is also greatly influenced by the language and culture of its surrounding populace. The WFY centers at both the Terrazas and Cepeda branches serve a bilingual (Spanish/English) community and feature bilingual computer classes, including introduction to computers and introduction to the Internet, desktop publishing, introduction to Spanish databases, photo imaging, and basic web design.

The WFY librarians have found that meeting together weekly as a team helps avoid any fragmentation of the program. These meetings give us a chance to share, brainstorm for future programming, and solve problems.

The WFY center at Carver, located in an African American community, has served a growing clientele of teens and preteens since it opened in March 2001. For many of the kids, this is their first experience with a public library. In the year that the Carver WFY center has been open, it has provided technology and technology-oriented programming to approximately 9000 young people. In the hopes of meeting the educational needs of our young patrons while fostering the strength of the culture and the community, we continually try to develop new educational activities so that the kids learn about themselves, one another, and their community. Computer classes cover topics such as web design, graphics manipulation, audiovisual production, Internet usage, word processing, and desktop publishing. We also have various groups and ongoing monthly activities that are not technology-centered but focus instead on the development of a community of young people in the library.

Youth Advisory Committee: This group comprises more than a dozen young men and women who accurately represent in age, gender, and race a cross-section of the teens and preteens who use the Carver Library, allowing the target audience to have a say in the development of the WFY program. The committee meets once a month to help plan and implement current programs and classes and to brainstorm for future programs and special events. They also spend time each month creating the Wired at Carver! Newsletter, a document published monthly in both print and pdf format (www.wiredforyouth.com/acb/events_acb.htm).

Sister Soldiers: This group of young women meets once a month for both planned activities and informal social interaction. The development of self-esteem and self-advocacy is its focus. The goals for these young women include increasing self-awareness, self-respect, and self-confidence. In the past year the group has been involved in journal writing, mural painting, creating wisdom rocks, and making self-collages.

Cool Careers: Each month a guest speaker visits the Carver WFY center, spending time with the kids and talking about his or her profession. The guest often presents a brief overview of his or her job, educational background, required education, degrees, or certification, and a look at salary (both today and prospects for the future). In addition, there is usually a Q&A session and a hands-on demonstration or activity. We have highlighted both traditional and nontraditional professions aimed at both young men and women, including television camera operator, forensic scientist, comic bookstore owner, and playwright.

The WFY program has attracted thousands of new users to the Austin Public Library. WFY has helped fulfill the library's mission of promoting lifelong learning, and has attracted a new generation of patrons who might not have otherwise ventured into a public library between story time and adulthood. We have received an additional $50,000 grant from the Dell Computer Corporation to provide extra summer help (cyberlifeguards) to increase the hours the WFY centers are open and to provide additional classes and programs. We will be adding additional equipment to increase the capabilities of all WFY centers. We also have been awarded grant money to improve the technology and YA collections and to add more library materials to entice teens and preteens to read.

The cyberlifeguards are library school graduate students who will be working 20 hours a week to provide one-on-one assistance and to help the WFY librarian with summer classes and programs. "Just like lifeguards at area swimming pools, the cyberlifeguards are there to ensure that kids use the Wired for Youth center computers safely and effectively," says Youth Services Manager Jeanette Larson.

Money and staffing are most likely the two biggest challenges you will face if you decide to develop a "wired" program for teens in your library. In the current economy, not many library systems can allot $1 million to create a brand new, state-of-the-art computer lab with adjoining space for teens. Also, chances are if you don't have a YA librarian currently on staff, you will not be hiring one any time soon. If you do have someone on staff who does have the time to work with teens, it is unlikely that he or she has the requisite background in computers and technology.

This gap in staffing often leads to the following scenario: your only children's librarian attempts to throw a teen book club into a schedule already overflowing with story times for toddlers, library tours, after-school fun clubs, and outreach programs for the neighborhood daycare center. Your library's circulation staff is already overworked and feels that teens just loiter and talk too loudly in the library. While this may not be how things are unfolding in your library, the sad reality is that many libraries don't have the necessary resources or staff to create a comprehensive library program for teens and preteens. While this is discouraging—and will continue until funding authorities realize that today's teens are tomorrow's taxpayers—it is still possible to develop a simple technology program for young people.

Another frequent problem is teens playing games on library computers. Although homework is always a priority in all WFY centers, we allow kids to play games on the Internet. We also let the kids chat on sites that have been approved by our filtering software management team. Through experience we have learned that computer games are often a gateway activity for kids who frequent the WFY center. We have witnessed that a majority of our users begin by playing games. Once they feel comfortable with the computer and within the library environment, they gradually begin to sign up for various computer classes and branch out to using software applications for both schoolwork and fun.

If you have your sights set on the development of a more elaborate technology program for teens, including new computers and the most up-to-date software, seek out public and private sources such as grants from the government and national and neighborhood associations that support libraries and technology. Also, your library's foundation or Friends group may be able to help you secure financial support for the development of a wired program for teens through corporate donations, grants, and other fundraising opportunities. Look for funding within your community, such as partnerships with local technology companies, computer stores, and other Internet-related businesses. Corporations, organizations, and independently owned businesses that support technology and education can be your greatest allies in locating funds for the development of a wired program for teens.

The most successful programs for young people are the ones that let kids take the lead in developing their own program. Ask them for help and honor and respect their opinions and expertise. Allow the teens and preteens in your library to help build a wired program, and chances are good that they will return with their friends, not only to use the technology but also to check out a book or two.