Fostering Teen Engagement in Public Libraries Through Connected Learning: New Reports Released

We are excited to announce the release of two reports that offer valuable insights and recommendations for public libraries striving to foster teen engagement through connected learning approaches. The reports, stemming from the Transforming and Scaling Teen Services for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (TS4EDI) project, provide a comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities libraries face in working with diverse teen populations. Access the reports at the Connected Learning Through Libraries resource site for library leaders and staff.

The two reports, tailored for different audiences, are:

• Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engagement: How Public Library Leaders Foster Connected Learning Teen Services
  A strategic framework for library leaders to enhance teen services through equity, community engagement, and connected learning principles.

• Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engagement: How Public Library Staff Foster Connected Learning Teen Services
  Aimed at public library staff who are directly involved in the implementation of teen services, this report offers practical, hands-on recommendations to engage teens effectively and create supportive connected learning environments.

These reports are the culmination of a three-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The research team, led by the Connected Learning Lab at the University of California, Irvine, conducted an extensive review of literature, partnered with nine libraries, and interviewed 25 library staff members to gather the insights presented in the reports. Through this research and engagement with library staff and leaders, the TS4EDI team built understanding of the systemic and cultural barriers and challenges public library staff and leaders face when working to implement connected learning through their institution. The reports explore these challenges and supply recommendations on how to move beyond them.

Underlying the report findings and recommendations is the recognition that for public libraries, building connected learning-based teen services means re-imagining offerings to reflect the culture and needs of diverse teens and their communities, going beyond the more traditional canon libraries have historically represented.¹ Teens’ interest in technology and social justice can be at odds with the focus of some library staff. Authentically engaging teens also requires new partnerships with community organizations focused on offerings in areas such as the arts, athletics, media, technology, and youth organizing. All of this requires a cultural shift that goes beyond the implementation of specific programs – including:

• a focus on relationship-building
• a tolerance for risk-taking
• flexibility in responsibilities and schedules
• re-envisioning use of community and library spaces
• involving youth and staff in planning, decision-making, and implementation
• an openness to experimentation 

While both reports explore the same core findings, they differ in their recommendations and implementation details. Each report is tailored to the responsibilities and spheres of influence of the respective audiences. Core findings focus on four key areas and opportunities for teen services growth and advancement:

• Holistic Relationships: Emphasizes the importance of building deep, meaningful relationships with teens and community partners to foster authentic engagement. This finding also includes actionable strategies for engaging teens in ways that reflect their cultural and social interests, making library services more relevant and appealing.
• Community Partnerships: Focuses on the role diverse community partnerships play in expanding the library’s capacity to serve teens. Highlights that by incorporating a greater depth of community voices, it’s possible to support a diversity of teen interests.
• Impact Storytelling: Highlights the power of storytelling to convey the impact of teen services and recommends using both qualitative and quantitative measures to demonstrate progress and impact.
• Professional Learning: Encourages continuous professional development for library leaders and library staff, advocating for a culture of flexibility, innovation, and ongoing learning. Recommendations include the need for expanding learning opportunities outside of the library realm in order to foster new and innovative ideas.

Whether you’re a library administrator, front-line staff member, community partner, academic, or researcher, these reports offer actionable recommendations and real-world examples to help transform teen services in public libraries.

Also available are materials to help you move connected learning forward at your local library. These include inspirational stories posted on this blog and two checklists (one for library leaders and one for front-line library staff) offering steps for putting report recommendations into practice. These steps serve as a way for you to assess where you currently are in your support of connected learning teen services, and will also help you envision what to work on in order to better align your library’s services with connected learning approaches. Take time to discuss your ideas for moving connected learning teen services forward with colleagues, partners, and decision-makers.  

Download and explore these reports and other resources to support connected learning through libraries. They will serve as valuable assets in your efforts to create engaging and equitable teen services.  

Endnotes

¹ Swist, Teresa, Rachel Hendery, Liam Magee, Jason Ensor, Jen Sherman, Kylie Budge, and Justine Humphry. 2022. “Co-creating Public Library Futures: An Emergent Manifesto and Participatory Research Agenda.” Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association 71(1):71-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2021.2016358