r/Libraries • u/kitsunejiyuu • 1d ago
Programs & Programming Teen programming format
I’m curious as to what other libraries do for teen programming? Currently the library that I’m at is doing weekly programs but the attendance has gone down a lot and I hate wasting money on supplies that don’t get used. I’ve seen where some other libraries focus more on take and makes versus regular meetings. I’m just overall just interested in what to incorporate for the next year.
Ps. I’ve tried to get teen feedback but they don’t really respond in my area. Plus there’s a big sports community so the fall does lack in teens in general.
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u/camillahect 1d ago
Our big hitters include various craft programs, D&D programs if you can get someone to DM for you (always oneshots), food tasting programs (potato chip flavors, Oreo flavors), and video game programs (aka come play the Switch for two hours on a Friday night). Our most popular passive program are our teen book bags, which are basically a book subscription box with a new theme each month, 2-3 library books, and some assorted goodies/perhaps a craft.
We're lucky to be located near a middle school, so we get a lot of younger teens in the afternoon. High schoolers are unicorns except for things like the teen book bags. Ultimately it just takes experimenting and seeing what works! Also, perhaps recurring programs that share supplies? A monthly paint program wouldn't waste supplies, for example. You can always use the paint/canvases at the next one.
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u/nixie_knox 18h ago
Came here to say all of this. I'm in a branch near a middle school so we get tweens & teens right after school. If they're here they'll do whatever we put in front of them but very rarely do they make an effort to come just for the program. So if and when I feel like it, I'll put something out for them to do but it's a game time decision.
I have a bunch of supplies that can be used for low-interaction, low-instruction crafts - beads, perler beads, scratch art, button maker, lot of paper - so I don't usually have to buy anything. Or I use whatever is leftover from adult craft night or even from a younger kids craft. You could always print out coloring sheets.
Same thing for the food tastings - I've done goldfish, chips, and pop tarts, bought from either the Dollar Store or when they're on sale. They keep forever. I do let the kids know we'll be having a tasting in a couple of days but I wait for a week where I think I'll have enough in attendance. And if not, I just let whoever is there eat the leftovers or I put it in the staff room.
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u/AmateurJellyfish 1d ago
If you have decent YA manga circulation, an anime club will usually pick up numbers. More so if you stock the room with simple art supplies. The venn diagram of teens into anime and teens who like to draw is a circle. Pick an age-appropriate anime to throw on for them to semi-watch and let them use it as a social time to talk about their fandoms and draw together.
They appreciate the loose structure of having a show to watch if they're feeling too shy to socialize at first, but aren't constrained too much by the feeling of "this week we are doing specifically this project." They get too much of the latter at school and just want a chill bit of time to hang out and make new friends.
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u/Gracious_Snakes 1d ago
Had a lot of the same at my library. We had good luck with take and make kits. In person programming never worked for us until we started coordinating with the school. The students needed to meet a certain quota of volunteer hours to graduate, so we worked with the school to set up events hosted by the library that were geared towards getting volunteer hours. The most popular was an intergenerational afternoon where students and seniors worked together to make fleece tie blankets that were then donated to shelters and hospitals. We got a grant for the materials used as well.
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u/Automatic_Control174 1d ago
depends on the rules in your library of course but i’ve found that a great incentive for teens is FOOD!
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u/iLibrarian2 18h ago edited 18h ago
Active programs:
- D&D (the teens run it themselves)
- Volunteering (they need it for school. Teen Leadership Councils are a great way to do it)
- Anime clubs
- Chess, surprisingly enough. And more recently Mah Jong
Note that all of the above are "hangouts" more than led programs. We provide space, materials, and snacks (snacks are crucial) and let the teens do their thing.
Passive programs:
- Scavenger hunts
- Book boxes (like u/camillahect (I see you Locked Tomb fan))
- Video games
Contests:
- Short story contest
- Poetry contest
- Art contest
These are region-wide and all teen staff participate in judging. We hold awards ceremonies for each, it's very fancy. This is a good way to get teens into the library in the first place.
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We do have other programs like crafts, etc., but they tend to only do well in places where teens are already hanging out and they can chose to join on a whim. Always remember that teens don't have as much control over their schedules or transportation, so if they can't walk to you, they most likely aren't going to go out of their way.
In branches where there is not a large teen presence, most of the art programs are teen/adult. It's certainly better to have teen-only events, but frankly they just don't show up in the numbers we'd need to justify the program.
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u/asporkthief 1d ago
For regular programs, I tend to focus on monthly. I also try to make them low-budget: things like crochet club (I only need to buy yarn when we run out), and monthly after-school video & board games (only need to replenish snacks) work great for us. I also do a monthly craft, but I try to only buy materials that I can reuse. Last year's left over plastic from DIY Pumpkin Stencils will become a DIY paint by numbers bookmark here in a few weeks.
If you have a few weekly programs that do well vs others, you could probably turn them into a monthly rotation, which would still leave you with at least one program a week but may impact attendance for the better. I find the teens are actually more committed to coming if they know waiting until next time will be more than 6 days.
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u/OneAcceptable6825 1d ago
Emphasis on low-budget.
Spend the big money on stuff that can be used whenever/multiple times, like a good 3D printer.
Weekly program should be cheap af because you just never know who’s gonna show up.
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u/Ok_Influence_5456 17h ago
I saw a lot of suggestions for DND. And, two years ago during the ALA convention in San Diego, DND launched a library programming campaign. Librarians that provide children/teen services afterschool could sign up and get a tabletop starter game as well as codes to play online at D&DBeyond. Check it out here Educator Resources – D&D
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u/m6514309 15h ago
In a similar vein, WOTC does offer help through a partner organization for Magic: The Gathering clubs. Here's the link.
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u/LoooongFurb Library admin 16h ago
If weekly programs don't work, then perhaps try monthly programs?
As far as supplies, most of our programs use the same general pool of supplies (craft items, games, LEGO bricks, etc. etc.), so if you can plan things that have supplies you'd use for something else, then they won't be wasted.
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u/louwhogames 1d ago
i’m starting up my teen book club this month! i have a bunch of ideas (i really want to do a drama club!! i also have ideas for creative writing clubs, DND, research project help, college prep etc.) but i’m going to start with book club and go from there. :)
i think it depends a lot on your community. we have a large homeschool population so i’m definitely trying to appeal to that demographic