Teenagers. Who are they? What do they want? How do we communicate effectively with them? What issues are they and their peers affected by? How do we access their language and culture? What are the behavioural issues that they present? What information do they need? What do they need information for? What skills do they have? What resources do they need?
These are just some of the questions that came to mind when I first approached this title and they are central to the text. In order to provide an effective library service to teenagers, it is essential to try and understand them. The book is aimed primarily at public library staff; they are likely to have had much less experience of dealing with teenagers on a regular basis than school librarians. There is a considerable amount of advice on working with school librarians and teachers in order to gain a greater understanding of the needs of this group of users and it is vital that in order to ensure the most effective, relevant and timely service is provided that public librarians open up and maintain these channels of communication and discussion.
The teenagers referred to in the title are young people age between 13 and 19. It is vital that public librarians work to secure the custom of this age group for it is at this time that library use will dwindle among young people. Children under this age are regularly taken to the library with an adult and once past the age of 19, young people sparingly make use of the services provided. Securing the custom of this group ensures that the library remains a relevant and exciting place for all its users. It also enables library staff to ensure that stock remains exciting and modern. As well as, this the information sources that can be provided by public libraries may be essential to the ongoing health and prosperity of their community.
Providing a crash course in teenage library services requires a snappy and relevant overview of what should be included in a collection for teenagers, programmes that could be run, what to include in a “teen” area and how the library staff can ensure that they remain current. Miller encapsulates all of this information in seven accessible chapters with advice on what to include in a teen collection – both print and non‐print material; books that could be offered; innovative ideas for using the material; programmes that could be run and even suggestions for events.
In the UK, there is a growing realisation that more needs to be done in libraries for young people. Public libraries need to be modern and welcoming places, inviting the whole community to take an active role in their use. Many secondary schools have libraries but these are increasingly places in which teenagers do homework and research. If public libraries are able to present themselves as places that teenagers can visit in order to relax then they will find this group an enjoyable and thought‐provoking set of people. Teenagers can enliven the library through the opportunities they present to the staff.
Innovation is the key word to consider here. If public librarians act innovatively in providing a variety of resources from adult books to graphic novels and even picture books then they will begin to see that by having something for everyone they automatically broaden their appeal. More than this, however, they also need to be broadminded and remember that for teenagers all reading is good reading. It is important to offer journals, magazines and newspapers with teenage appeal. They may consider offering sessions of storytelling and having author visits. Book clubs are increasingly popular, particularly, if offered with the incentive of refreshment! Collating an events calendar and basing school holiday or weekend events themed around national initiatives is always a great draw. Why for example, should the UK public library summer reading challenge only be open to children up to the age of 12? What happens for the 12‐year‐old reader the following year? Are they turned off and away from the library because there is no further provision for them?
Perhaps the action should not be entirely one‐sided. Miller focuses on how the public librarian can make the library an inviting and relevant place for teenagers. That is certainly part of their role, but, why should it not also be encouraging parents, teachers and school librarians to be actively working with their peers and colleagues in the public library to help achieve this ideal. In fact, a very innovative idea may perhaps be to invite the teenagers themselves to have a say in the provision they would like to see made for them.
Miller's closing chapter focuses on professional resources to consult; professional growth and public relations. These are perhaps the three most crucial aspects of her book. The main body of the book gives plenty of advice on what to do and suggestions on how to move forward but, by focussing on the issue as an aspect of professional development most librarians will be able to achieve the support of their management and the training required in order to create a library service that truly encompasses the whole community, offering something for everyone. If the librarian is able to capture the important but, elusive teenage market they will find that their libraries are enlivened exciting places to work and study for all their users. They may even inadvertently help to address some of the wider social issues surrounding teenagers today but that is a matter for discussion in another place.
Miller's excellent and highly accessible crash course is a must read for all public librarians providing both insight and innovation for the twenty‐first century librarian and their service development.
