Do the Slam Thing: CPL's TRW

It's almost TRW and here at CPL that means getting ready for Cleveland Real Star. This is the third year of competition and it works like American Idol. Teens compete at the branch, the best three from each branch compete in three semi-finals by area of the city, and then the top three from each semi-final make the finals in the auditorium. The teens get backpacks, t-shirts, and the winner gets a trophy. The branch gets bragging rights. The library brings in a couple hundred teens, families, and friends throughout the course of the competition.

The first year was a singing competition, last year was dancing, and this year will be performance poetry.

See our web page and listen to the podcast announcement.

Are you ready for Teen Read Week?

Teen Read Week is coming up fast (October 14-20), but it's not too late to plan an event.

Top Ten Reasons to celebrate Teen Read Week:

10. It breaks up that Labor Day to Thanksgiving slump quiet nicely.

9. Got a co-worker who hates teens? Bring in more just to spite them!

8. There are always Great New Titles to promote.

7. With standardized testing and AR teens need to be encouraged to read just for fun.

6. WWDD? What would Dewey do? Well, he'd celebrate TRW.

5. Teens need positive press.

4. Everyone needs to LOL sometimes!

3.It's a good time to connect with youth-serving partners in your area.

2.Between the Official YALSA site and the TRW Wiki you don't need to stretch for ideas.

1. We're teen librarians, we don't need a reason to celebrate teens and reading!

Coloring Books for Big Kids

Probably one of the cheapest and best investments I've made in the last couple years is to purchase several coloring books from Dover Publications .

They have a wide variety including famous works of art, ethnic designs, classic cars, and almost anything you could want.

The three that are most popular with my teens are:

• Big Book of Geometric Designs and Illusions to Color
  


• African Designs
  


• Japanese Designs

Paper Bead Craft Program

This one is more girly than most of my craft programs, but it's cheap and fun. It was inspired by this Martha Stewart Kit but could be easily done with scrapbook or wrapping paper for a bigger group.

Supplies

• Strips of thin paper (You can pre-cut the strips or have the teens do it themselves. )
• Bamboo skewers or really thin dowels
  
• Elastic beading string or similar
  
• Glue
  
• Decoupage medium and brushes (optional)

Directions

1. Roll the strips of paper around the skewers keeping the edges even.
   
2. When an inch of the paper remains coat with glue and continue rolling.
   
3. Slide the bead off the skewer
4. Coat bead in decoupage medium (this is not strictly needed, but the beads will last longer)
5. Continue making beads and string a necklace or bracelet.
   

Why Not?

When you do as many programs (3-5 a week) as I do you tend to go a little soft on the traditional boundaries of library programs. Sure, we have book related and educational programs, but sometimes it's enough to keep them entertained and out of trouble. Here are a few of my more random programs or upcoming program ideas:

• Contest for the best house of cards.
• Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament
• Identifying scenes from Jeffrey Metzner's book Stick
• Building towers with dry spaghetti and mini-marshmallows
  
• All Haiku poetry slam
  
• Giant color by number with a little help from the overhead projector

Any ideas?

Intentionally Untitled or What's in a Name

I wonder if we waste time and energy trying to think of clever names for programs and services? On one hand, I'm not sure the teens care, but there are some positive considerations.

I remember asking my teens to suggest names for a series of poetry programs. They said just call it "poetry club".

I wonder how many teens can tell you what the theme was for Teen Read Week last year? Likely few, but I bet there are many that could tell you about a cool program they attended at their library last October.

I will admit sometimes the name conveys key information that improves attendance, I'm sure more teens notice Pizza and Pages than Teen Book Discussion. Branding is also an issue when the program is ongoing. I've named my twice-weekly leadership program, but I did consider just calling it leadership program.

Your thoughts?

Low Budget Craft Program

I love doing craft projects with teens, it gives them a chance to be creative and they really open up when their hands are busy. After spotting these mobiles for sale I knew I'd found a great project that costs next to nothing. Have teens make them individually or collectively build one to decorate your teen area.

Materials

• Small diameter, flat, paper plates
• Glue
• Old magazines from withdrawals or donations
• Fishing line
  
• Large eye sewing needle
  

Directions

1. Using paper plate as a stencil trace the shape onto magazine pages and cut out
2. Glue magazine circles to both sides of paper plates
3. Using needle string fishing line through the center of the circle
4. Continue adding plates, hanging various strings from one central plate.
   

20 Things to Do With Your Anime Club

A fun video my Anime Club shared with me last night: Too Much Anime is Dangerous

20 Things to do with your Manga/Anime Club when you can't stand to watch another episode of Naruto or Bleach

1. Watch a travel video about Japan.
2. Pick a manga title to discuss.
3. Have a fan art or fanfiction workshop or competition.
4. Cosplay.
5. Manga related video games.
6. Anime Karaoke.
7. Watch classic anime.
8. Do anime improv by having teens create scenes using stock characters and situations.
9. Play Anime Jeopardy .
10. Create a fan newsletter.
11. Sample Japanese food.
12. Learn to play Go.
13. Arrange a webchat or other virtual social gathering with a club from another library.
14. Learn some Japanese.
15. Make color copies of cover art, black out identifying information, and have a contest to identify the series title and volume number.
16. Let teens help you create read-alike lists for manga series.
17. Watch YouTube videos related to Anime, you may want to get links ahead of time and pre-screen to be safe.
18. Make Twinkie Sushi
19. Learn origami.
20. Find dvds with interesting special features and focus on those.
    
    

All We Have to Give 4/4: Expertise

The similarities between the teen and the toddler brain don’t end with a lack of impulse control. Teens also soak up information like sponges, they are just a bit more selective in what they are willing to absorb. Here is where we come through again, this time offering expertise.

Sometimes it’s our own expertise in our reference work and programs we conduct ourselves. Sometimes it is teaching teens to recognize expertise through resource evaluation. In many cases we provide expertise by bringing in experts to teach, inform, and entertain.

Some well tested ideas for offering expertise to your teens:

• Invite a nutritionist to talk about easy to make healthy food
  
• Have a poetry workshop for teens featuring a local poet
  
• Put together a panel of college students and personnel to discuss the realities of college life.
  
• Ask your local yarn store about teachers for a knitting or crochet class
  
• Offer a safety and self-defense class in cooperation with law enforcement
  
  

How do you provide expertise to your teens?

All We Have to Give 2/4: Community

Libraries build community. I know, not exactly an original thought, but community is another thing that libraries have to offer teens. If play is a child’s work then it’s not that big of a leap to say that socializing is a teen’s. Providing opportunities for positive socialization goes a long way to providing for teens’ developmental needs.

Reading is generally a solitary activity, but libraries create a community of readers with programs like book discussion groups, Libraries all over the country are creating opportunities for teens get together over knitting, creative writing, anime, gaming, and anything else that interests them.

Libraries are building communities for teens virtually as well. Perhaps the best example of this is My Own Café, but it’s happening on MySpace, in SecondLife, and on library web sites like the Ann Arbor District Library .

What opportunities will you have this school year to build community?