Noemi Flores LIS 771 October 23, 2013 Service Statement

Mock Address to the Director of Youth Services and the Director of the Poppins Public Library: The Poppins librarys Vision Statement declares that we exist to serve as a, catalyst, advocate and place to advance the vision and ideals of our community. This is a noble and exciting role to play, and in order to achieve it our patrons must have access to our services and materials. The Poppins library suggests four values be utilized as we work on our mission: generosity, good design/beauty, friendliness/kindness, and efficiency. These are all excellent objectives and values to which my coworkers and I are deeply committed, but PPL would immensely benefit from revitalization. For a long time the library workers have had a less than pleasant relationship with the adolescent boys that frequent the library. They are disruptive, occasionally rude, and their only utilization of the library is to play computer games. Naturally the library employees are tempted to respond in kind. Constant aggravation is wearing. Last week, the Youth Services department had a Hispanic Heritage program which was open to families and children of any age. There would be bingo and prizes. The boys, as usual, spent their time on the computers. One librarian, however, ventured to directly invite the boys to the program luring them with candy and prizes. Unfortunately, the boys were unruly which resulted in their ejection from the program by the librarian leading it. Back at the computers, they began to eat the candy they had won and roughhouse trying to shove the wrappers inside each others clothes. Another librarian called security to remove them from the library for being too disruptive. In all instances, frustration and impatience colored the librarians actions. This incident is representative of our usual relationship with these boys. In each of these instances the librarian was trying to do what was best for the library and its patrons, but instead we are failing our patrons. For the boys are our patrons too. This can be easy to forget when they are disrupting what we perceive as the ideal atmosphere in the library. They can start to seem like adversaries when they are the very people for whom we should be advocating and with whom we should be building relationships. When we kick the boys out of our programs and building it seems like an easy solution to a problem, but it is so much more. First of all, we are violating the values of generosity and friendliness/kindness that we espouse. Secondly, we are denying them access to our materials. Maybe they only ever use the computers to play games, but perhaps that is because the few times they attend the programming they have a negative experience. Also, though it is human to judge, librarians must resist. The ALA states that equity of access applies to patrons regardless of age. Lastly, we have no hope of advancing the vision and ideals of our community if we keep pushing them away. Having experienced the embarrassment of being removed from the library they are likely to go act inappropriately in a different location. This is certainly not a service to the community. Later on, it is possible that having such a negative experience in the library will cause a future tax payer to not support the library. Again, teenage boys are no easy clientele to work with, but we must try. This is why I

suggest a series of professional development training which will hopefully inspire and teach librarians new ways to approach their challenges. For example, YALSA offers training kits on both teen behavior and teens and technology. Also, it is important to remember that the youth librarians are not the only ones who come into contact with the teens. So it would be wise to include people from all departments in these activities, paraprofessional as well as professional. There are webinars and videos about working with different populations provided by ALSC, YALSA, and the Public Library Association. There are other things we can do to ensure our success in working with teens. Creating programs that appeal to them might tempt them to form a more holistic relationship with the library. Once they attend the programs, they can be introduced to the other resources the library has to offer. Collaboration with other departments will help build a unified atmosphere of encouragement to the teen and allow them to feel comfortable in more than just the area specifically allotted to them. This is important because the teen will soon be moving to the adult section, or has already started moving in that direction. Seemingly little things like positive open communication between library workers about the struggles they encounter in the workplace can help create an atmosphere of teen support. Being honest with the patrons too makes them feel respected. Someone who feels respected is more likely to return the favor. Modeling successful behavior is another way to support ones coworkers. Sometimes learning from a real life example is more successful than any amount of seminars or workshops. None of this would succeed without the support of the administration. The administration is one of the most visible, and therefore has the best opportunity to lead by example. They are also the decision makers in terms of the way professional development is executed. Their encouragement holds the most sway. Please help us better serve our patrons.

Note to the professor: -The Poppins Public Library is imaginary. -I hope its alright to address the directors rather than a larger body, such as the library board. Since the issue is specific to the Poppins library, it made sense to try to fix it in-house before involving the higher authorities. -The vision statement and values are based on that of the Des Plaines Public Library. -The situation was inspired by a friend who works in a public library.