Ideas for School/Public Collaborations/Programs: Engaging Teens

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ENGAGING TEENS

• Summer reading
• Teen Advisory Group/Board
• Book clubs – middle and high school
• Author visits
• After school programs
• Readers’ café
• Contests
• Games (chess, checkers)
• Tween programs
• Video games
• Dance Dance Revolution (DDR)
• Newsletter
• Movie nights
• Online book clubs
• Teen Group Wiki/Blog
• Banned book week
• Volunteers teen zone
• Mother-daughter book club
• Reading programs
• Tailoring collection to YA needs (and location)
• Book reviews/contest (summer and in conjunction with schools)
• Teen volunteers (summer) with incentives to earn points/prizes
• Clean up, shelf reading, shelf shifting, technological assistance, assisting story times
• Volunteering for other locations/community service (quilts for Cooper Hospital neo-natal)
• TABoards = gaming; photography; reading
• Library in-service to discuss youth services/book talks
• Outreach to schools – teen book clubs (pizza and a paperback)
• Craft projects
• Book talk at middle schools
• Bookmobile to Alt. school
• Video Game drop-ins
• Teen advisory group
• Virtual meetings for (TAG) using AOL/IM Chat
• College prep
• SAT prep
• Focus group
• Librarian visits to school
• Informal meeting group
• School outreach
• TAB (mother-daughter) spa
• Guest speakers/workshops
• Face out displays

• Volunteering

• Teen room
• Music program
• Drawing program
• mailing lists of programs
• Back to school nightAttend college night
• Promote library card
• Teen programs
• Homework club/study nights
• Services to home schoolers
• Readers’ advisory
• Booklets/displays
• Reading lists
• Read across America
• Teen read week
• Teen tech week
• Tours
• Pizza/movie
• Network with school
• School visits
• Teen craft nights
• Teen programs – Battle of the Bands
• Book club collaboration between high schools
• T-shirts
• Blogs
• Author visits
• Student volunteers
• Commercials during morning announcements
• Gaming program
• Buddy program – reading, tutoring
• Yoga
• Nutrition
• Massage therapist
• Card games
• Back to school and parent/teacher conference
• Manga and Anime
• Familiarize YA with databases and library resources as well as outreach to schools to familiarize
• Reach out to YA during summer months – not just school year
• More diverse program
• More accessible/friendly – less restrictive
• Better communication with schools (e-mail brochures)
• Public library card push for every student
• Presence during parent-teacher conference night
• Public library comes into school libraries for fun stuff – lunchtime Manga discussion
• Make it easier to get cards; Online sign ups; Let school handle residency checking
• Build rapport with high school media specialist/principal/facultyBring your own book
• Book buddies
• Teen spaces hip, cozy environment
• My Space page
• Join senior citizen and teen program
• Programs that appeal to teens (video games, music) and are later in the evening
• Advertise in high school and middle school
• More with homeschoolers
• Newsletter for teens
• Electronic access to teens (listserv) – school provided email addresses
• Readers’ café
• Solicit teens for suggested materials