Research in ten communities across four Australian states explores how adults and adolescents experience work, home and community. Oung people are construed as dangerous, antisocial and ill disciplined. Public libraries can sustain their psychosocial development and confer enduring benefits for them and their capacity for citizenship.
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Original Title
Williams & Edwards (2011) - How Libraries Mitigate Impacts of Parental Work & Urban Planning on Young People
Research in ten communities across four Australian states explores how adults and adolescents experience work, home and community. Oung people are construed as dangerous, antisocial and ill disciplined. Public libraries can sustain their psychosocial development and confer enduring benefits for them and their capacity for citizenship.
Research in ten communities across four Australian states explores how adults and adolescents experience work, home and community. Oung people are construed as dangerous, antisocial and ill disciplined. Public libraries can sustain their psychosocial development and confer enduring benefits for them and their capacity for citizenship.
LIBRARIES MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF PARENTAL WORK AND URBAN PLANNING ON YOUNG PEOPLE
Pip Williams and Jane Edwards Centre for Work and Life University of South Australia Received September 2011 Refereed paper
This paper provides the findings of research in ten communities across four Australian states exploring how adults and adolescents experience work, home and community, and examines two best practice public libraries which have explicitly considered the needs of adolescents in their design and services. It is demonstrated that public libraries, by providing often displaced young people with legitimate space and resources, can uniquely sustain their psychosocial development and confer enduring benefits for them and their capacity for citizenship, for their families and the wider community. This is particularly significant for young people from a lower socioeconomic background.
oung people are construed as dangerous, antisocial and ill disciplined. 1,2,3,4 They fail, allegedly, to participate in their society, in ways far wider than a narrow focus on labour market participation. 5,6 Stereotypically, they are depicted as being disengaged from the political and community spheres and as being poor citizens. 7,8 We do not share the presumption that young people are disengaged, disorderly or threatening. Our argument in this paper is that their needs are not well addressed by the structure of parental working lives and by urban planning practices. These factors play a significant role in shaping young peoples capacity to engage with their communities and to develop their capacity for citizenship. In a previous study, we documented that long hours of work and increased labour market participation are increasingly impacting on the availability of adults in the homes and communities of teenagers. 9 The working time of parents did not correspond to young peoples time schedules. These incompatible schedules resulted in young people having reduced access to various social and recreational activities and to interaction with other people, including friends, in their communities. Young people reported that they were missing out. They felt they had no place in their communities and could not utilize many of its facilities because of a range of barriers such as lack of money, lack of public transport, lack of an adult to drive them to places. As well as affecting mobility, long working hours, inflexible working conditions and work related stress resulted in a lack of adult support for many. Some teenagers indicated that they never, or rarely, had assistance with homework, or were rarely able to participate in activities with their parents. The impact of adult work extends beyond the family, however. Work interferes with the development of intergenerational social networks by keeping teenagers and adults separate; it inhibits the sharing of time and space. This is particularly the case when the workplace is geographically separated from the community and when adult work schedules are not coordinated with teenage schedules. 10
This study also discovered that the experiences of suburban adolescents are spatially driven. 11
The location of schools, community amenities (including libraries) and parental work determines what young people do, when they do it, who they do it with and who guides them. Specifically, the spatial realities of most suburbs to a large extent determine the capacity of teenagers to access opportunities for things such as social interaction and the development of social capital, vocational experience, extracurricular education, physical activity and independent agency and citizenship. To a large extent many of their reduced opportunities are due to the fact that they are spatially disenfranchised. The decline in the amount of public space and the privatization of public space has been noted. 12, 13, 14 Those spaces in the community that are available to adults frequently discourage or exclude adolescents on the grounds of age eg pubs, financial capacity to participate eg gyms and restau- rants, or the threat they are perceived to pose eg malls, where their activities very often attract disapproval. Unlike younger children, adolescents have few areas for play or exploration that are sanctioned by their Y
Aplis 24(4) December 2011 143 community. 15 They find themselves in a liminal space: not fully belonging in childhood or adulthood. As such they are not afforded the protection of childhood nor accorded the rights of adulthood. 16 Public spaces are important Despite the spatial disenfranchisement of young people, the ability to participate in public space is critically important for them. Public spaces are crucial sites for youth development. They are sites for learning and developing social competence, including independence and interdependence. Within public spaces, young people interact with other people; some of whom they know, others they do not. Youth inclusive public spaces are needed to allow psychosocial development. 17,18 However, young people also need access to public space because of their relatively high level of dependence on public transport and public venues. 19,20 This dependence (and thus the marked visibility of young people) is a consequence of regulatory restraints, such as not being old enough to drive, and economic limitations on their capacity to use a range of venues for leisure and interaction. Public spaces are needed to enact citizenship and to facilitate a fair and inclusive society. Young people as members of the community have the right to participate in economic, social and cultural life and as such are legitimate users of public spaces. The alternative is for young people to be simply considered as other, as outside the community. 21, 22
Libraries and young peoples access to space and community resources It is within this context of young peoples disadvantage in relation to public space and their marginalization within their communities that libraries assume particular importance. They can be spaces in which young people have a legitimate right to be; they can give them the experience of citizenship and of being active members of their community. Libraries can also be a crucial resource in helping young people and their families juggle competing time schedules that exist in the context of urban planning practices that place families under greater time pressures. 23 The role of libraries in creating social capital has been recognized. 24
However until recently there has been less attention given to examining the way libraries are an important resource for young people. Public libraries are a vitally important space for young people. 25,26 They give young people a space in which they can legitimately be, without having to consume or to undertake particular tasks. Libraries, unlike sporting or recreational clubs, do not specify times or dates of attendance, nor do they require young people to undertake preordained activities. Young people can use libraries, if they wish, as places to simply hang out. 27 Hanging out is a preferred form of interaction among young people. Whether it is in each others homes or at a mall, hanging out is developmentally appropriate and necessary. 13 Libraries give young people a place where they are welcomed (depending, of course, on the practices of particular libraries) when home and school are unavailable. This helps young people, and their families, juggle the time related issues that frequently arise because of the misalignment of young peoples needs and their parents working lives. 28 They are also important social resources for young people because they give them a place in which they can interact with peers, other community members and library staff. 29,30 Finally, they provide young people with an experience of citizenship in that they learn about, and put into practice, their rights and their responsibilities in this particular public institution. 31 Libraries thus give young people (and by extension their families and the wider community) important spatial, temporal, social and developmental resources. Research methodology The findings presented in this paper draw upon data collected from two consecutive studies. Study one was part of a larger project designed to explore how adults and adolescents experi- enced work, home and community in 10 Australian communities across 4 states: New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. 32 As part of this project, focus groups were conducted with 174 adolescents aged 11- 18 years. Questions focused on teenagers views and experience of the households they lived in, their parents work and the people and places available to them in their residential community, school and surrounding areas. Focus groups were utilised because they provide a way of gaining insight into a range of young peoples experience through group dis- cussion. Further, they facilitate understanding of how young people view the world in which they live, what they value about it and what 144 Aplis 24(4) December 2011 they find difficult or distressing. 33 Analysis of the focus group data revealed the importance of public libraries for young people. To investigate this more fully, interviews were conducted with librarians working in public libraries in five of the ten case study communities. The libraries were in Queensland (Library 1), Victoria (Libraries 2 and 3) and South Australia (Libraries 4 and 5). The interviews were semistructured and covered the following broad topics who used their library; for what kinds of purposes; what made it easy for people to use this library; what factors were potential or actual barriers to library use and what place did the library have in the life of the community. Semistructured interviews generate insight into peoples perceptions, values and experience; they yield indepth data that cannot be garnered in any other way. 34
Study two was a response to the findings of study one. Two case studies were conducted of best practice libraries libraries that have explicitly considered the needs of adolescents in their physical design and service programming. Library A is located in a low socioeconomic status neighbourhood in Adelaides northern suburbs, while Library B is situated in an area of socioeconomic privilege in the Adelaide Hills. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 individuals across the two case study sites. The interviewees included young people who used the library (3 in Library A and 3 in Library B), parents of teenagers who used the library (1 in Library A and 2 in Library B), other adults users of the library (1 each in Library A and B), library staff (2 each in Library A and B) and key community informants (2 in Library A and 2 in Library B). The questions centred on the times young people used the library; the purposes for which they used the library; the interaction of young library users with staff and other library patrons; barriers and facilitating factors to using young people using the library and the issues that arose for library staff and library users in attempting to cater to the differing needs of particular groups. Table one summarizes data collection methods in study one and two.
Table one Data collection and methods used in study one and two Table two Benefits and issues for young people, parents, communities and libraries Study Method Data Study one Focus groups 22 groups with 174 people 11-18 in six communities in three states Semistructured interviews Five librarians Queensland (Library 1) Victoria (Libraries 2 and 3) South Australia (Libraries 4 and 5) Study two Semistructured interviews in Libraries A and B Library A 3 Young library users 1 Parent I Adult library user 2 Library staff 2 Key community informants Library B 3 Young library users 2 Parents 1 Adult library user 2 Library staff 2 Key community informants
The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analysed for emergent themes by each member of the research team. Once these themes had been identified, the research team clarified the way they were defined, and they were refined. The revised themes became the codes used to analyse the transcripts. The following section discusses the themes that emerged from the data. Results and discussion Temporal and spatial resources Librarians point to the way that young peoples schedules and those of their parents often do not align. This situation is made worse if parents have long commuting times to and from work The impact is a few things. No one at home, so the kids need to be somewhere. Kids can get left behind ... As we all know, you get caught at work and then the child is left (Librarian 1 Library B). The demands of parents work can leave teenagers with few spaces available to them. Schools are typically unavailable outside school hours and teenagers (and their parents) may be reluctant to spend the time between school
Aplis 24(4) December 2011 145 finishing and parents getting home from work in an empty home. It is therefore not surprising that librarians in many settings told us that libraries functioned as a form of de facto child care: ...we tend to be an after school care area if you like (Librarian Library 4). For these young people, and their families, libraries can be an important element helping them juggle conflicting demands of time and space. In the words of one librarian We have quite a few kids who come over here after school and just wait and then you see their parents or their big brother or someone coming to pick them up (Librarian Library 5). The comments of one young woman reveal how the library mitigates the conflicting time and space needs of parents and young people. Her ability to use the library helps meet the needs of both parties ... my dad will pick me up here because its such a safe location and its a safe environment. So if my dad was running late from work, I would come here and, say, read a book for half an hour and he will pick me up from here (Young library user 1 Library A). Another young person illuminates how few places there are in her community where she can fill in the time between school and her parents returning from work. Places where she might be able to sit are effectively out of bounds, unless she spends money. Weather conditions can make being outdoors unpalatable. Without access to the library Probably Id just have to roam around [suburb name]. Its just easier being here [the library] in a nice comfortable environment cause its warm and its heated and stuff, especially in winter... cause theres no place that you can just go sit (Young library user 2 Library B). Another teenage library user elucidates how shopping areas arguably the dominant form of public space in contemporary Australia are not conducive to simply being present in a communal space ...the shopping centre, its very made for buying things. Theres not lots of sitting down areas. Here [at the library], not just the seating [is here], but there are areas that are more closed off and there are more open areas... At the shopping centre, theres really just a couple of seats (Young library user 1 Library B). Libraries provide a space to be and access to activities, where other facilities are unavailable for whatever reason. The comments of one teenage user illustrate how few spaces and activities are available for teenagers and how significant the library is in filling those gaps Sometimes in school holidays Ill come here basically every day just for something to do (Young library user 1 Library A). Another young library user indicates how the library gives access to resources that are otherwise unavailable to him I went there every day most of the time... when Im bored, Id go to the library... I usually use games (Young library user 1 Library A). Libraries as a space are preferable to many other settings which are more anonymous and impersonal, as one teen explains [Libraries are] more comfortable because youre not around a bunch of strangers (Young library user Teen 2 Library B). Libraries thus provide young people with a public space where they can read, use computers, play games or interact with others. Another important element that made libraries attractive to both young people and their parents is that they are perceived as safe. Librarians, teenagers and their parents commented frequently that the library was a safe place for young people to spend time. The widely held belief in libraries as safe places has been documented. 35,36 Some librarians, and some parents, question the view that libraries are automatically and uniformly safe environments. One librarian, for instance, suggests that ...the bigger the library, the bigger the floor space...theres little pockets of the library [that are hidden from view] ...the library can attract an element of the community that isnt so desirable...things could happen to kids (Librarian Library 1). Notwithstanding this observation, young people themselves do consider libraries to be safe places. This is in part because libraries have adults in them (particularly library staff) and library buildings themselves are regarded as safe enclosures from external environments that are frequently described as threatening. Young people expressed considerable disquiet about 146 Aplis 24(4) December 2011 their safety in their communities. 5 One male teenager considers his library a safe place because ...there are people inside. Its good (Young library user Library A). Another young person feels that the library is safe because of adult presence If there werent adults here then that would be kind of an issue [bullying and other bad behaviour] and it could lead to things not being safe (Young library user 2 Library B). A female teenage library user argues that the library provides sanctuary ...its like going to school, you automatically feel safe because...its open but its quite enclosed. They [library staff] have control of the building...so if anything happens, you know theres people quite close (Young library user 1 Library A). Libraries do more than just provide a space for teenagers when home and school are unavailable, however. They provide a space where teenagers can autonomously use space and resources provided by the library. Even when home is available, it may not allow young people to have access to space where they can exercise autonomy. One teenager illustrates how undisturbed access to space and other resources can be problematic in the family home my brother and sister always come and sometimes grab my pencil case. Do you have a black texta? Do you have a ruler? Do you have a sharpener? Stuff like that (Young library user Library 2). Due to demands on parental time, many young people are asked to undertake childcare and other duties around the home. 37 Libraries provide a space that is a respite from familial and household chores At home, there is little kids and Im the only brother... I choose to go to the library and stay there, maybe read books, play games, use computers (Young library user 3 Library A). A librarian describes how important libraries are in giving young people some autonomy over time and space ...we certainly have comments from children who come in here because it seemed a quieter space, as more of an open space ...thats commented on sometimes with teenagers, that they can spread out and study here a little bit more. Where at home there are a lot of demands on finite space (Librarian Library 2). Social resources Teenagers also value libraries that provide a place for them to interact with their peers in a way that does not involve a structured activity or a specific purpose; an activity that is crucial to their psychosocial development. 38 Librarians and teenagers say that even when adolescents have access to resources at home, particularly the internet and games, they prefer to use them in a library because of the social opportunities present there I just think that maybe they [teenagers] like sitting with their friends. So they basically can talk and chat while using the internet. At home maybe theyre bored a lotthey probably do use it (the internet) at home, but using it in the library gives them the opportunity to chat to other people (Librarian Library 3). One community worker considers that many adolescents experience loneliness because their needs are not well accommodated by prevailing adult schedules and the lack of public space in which teenagers can interact with other people. Libraries can therefore provide young people with a place where they can connect with friends, or with library staff The library is an opportunity for them to hang out with their friends, so its preferable to an empty home... there is a lot of loneliness going around, especially like with both parents working, the children might feel a bit isolated, in need more of our attention. So the library where they can at least socialise with their friends or they can bond with the staff and in some cases they do (Key community informant Library A). Some libraries try to respond to the need of young people for places where they can interact with peers in a recreational way. They offer resources, including space, that facilitate adolescent interaction Weve got games in the library and they [teenagers] get them out and play a game on the table or sit around in the childrens area and talk as a group (Librarian Library 5). In one setting, with few places for teenagers (or others) to hang out in the community, library staff set out tables and chairs in the foyer and encourage people to use it as a caf
Aplis 24(4) December 2011 147 style environment. A librarian tells how teenagers use this space they use our foyer to eat their fish and chips which they buy at the shop. So we provide that (Librarian Library 4). Another important resource that libraries give young people is positive contact with adults, other than teachers or family members. Young people commented very favourably on how friendly, helpful and welcoming many library staff are Theyre very friendly and very approachable and if you have any questions, theyre happy to show you where everything is (Young library user 1 Library B). Young library users valued the fact that library staff will chat with them and that they know them by name When he [library staff member] talks to you, and hes scanning the books... and having a chat to you... Also, he knows our names (Young library user 3 Library A). Libraries can give young people access to adult time and to their knowledge and skills. These can be important contacts, because, as discussed earlier, parental working patterns and urban planning practices, can often create barriers to young people interacting with adults. One librarian recalls how she has developed a positive relationship with young people who had previously been considered problems I was giving them the spiel on what to expect in high school ... they said, oh, then you can help us. I said, yeah, bring it [homework] in. Yeah, and that works well. Interesting because they were the girls who were the most, what can you say, undisciplined in the library. When I was first got here they had notes on their record saying, this child is abusive and dont take any rubbish from them, and that sort of thing. They completely turned around. Theyve just developed in the last year and become lovely responsible girls. Still loud as anything, but ... if you listen to them and hear their stories, theyre fine. I think weve got a good relationship with them now (Librarian 1 Library A). One young man who is a recently arrived refugee provides a salient example of the way library staff can act as significant social resources for young people. He spent a lot of time in his local library and outlined how the staff befriended him. In doing so, they helped him improve his English and they gave him needed computer skills. They also gave him a positive view of adults and, more broadly, of his new home ...they were trying to help me. Thats why Ive got much English. I went to a school of English but I couldnt understand. So I usually go to the library to talk so I can understand more...there was two ladies there that helped me a lot They came up to me because I couldnt use a computer. They had to show me how to go on the internet, use Google they were always smiling, welcoming people, even if you dont know how to do it, they come to you and ask you if you need help. It was good, they were good. I liked it. Thats the one thing I like about Australia, even if people are angry, they dont show it. Its good (Young library user 2 Library A). While library staff and teenage library users did relate that there was sometimes conflict between adults and young people, there are also instances of libraries being the site of positive contact between different generations. As one librarian explains We... have people using the computer that arent sure where they go to find something and you will often find the younger people will turn around and say, you click on here and you click on there (Librarian Library A). One young woman considers that the library is one of the few places that brings people together and she appreciates having the opportunity to interact with a range of people So, the library is really the main and often the only area that like, you can easily talk with people you know, but talking with people you dont know from different groups that arent related like work, school, or whatever (Young library user 1 Library B). One young man, who is an immigrant, made friends through sharing the library space with others I was the only [name of nationality] boy there. They came and asked me how could they get a library card and I told them... Most of the time I go there and find them there, we played games together, use computers (Young library user 2 Library A). Many young people also comment on the way the library acts as a vehicle for generating a 148 Aplis 24(4) December 2011 sense of community. One young woman articulates the central place the library plays in bringing together diverse groups and giving them a sense of ownership of the library and of the community more generally Its so open, like theres so many different nationalities of people that come here ... like its a very open place and its not closed off to really anyone ...its helped the community as well, I guess, too because Ive always grown up [knowing] that you can go to the library, where I know some people they live in [name of neighbouring suburb] and theyve never even gone to the [name of suburb] library... it shows that our community sort of comes to a certain spot and sort of, yeah, uses the facilities that they have... Yeah, like its a [suburb name] place.... (Young library user 1 Library A). Developmental resources Much of the literature on contemporary adolescents argues that they are regarded in many quarters as poor citizens; disengaged and unwilling to participate or to accept responsibility. 39,40 Our interview and focus group data do not paint such a negative picture of young people. While library staff do comment that young library users are sometimes loud and, on occasion, do not behave appropriately, they also describe many ways in which young people do respond positively to staff intervention. One librarian considers problematic behavior is often about testing boundaries and, vicariously, asking staff to impose them ...because [with] this huge spike in the youth using the space, theres also been a big spike in them testing boundaries and wanting boundaries from staff (Librarian 1 Library A). Schooling for citizenship A key community informant points to the way young people, even those who are not behaving in desired ways, can be engaged. This can be regarded as a form of schooling for citizenship. The very fact of sanctioning certain kinds of behaviour is an important part of the psychosocial development of young people. When it is done in nonpunitive ways, it becomes a mechanism to solidify young peoples inclusion and engagement. Young people, through being treated respectfully, become, in turn, respectful of others. They engage and become more capable of sharing public space with other people At the [library name] branch, a couple of years ago there was a problem with some young people. They would come in after school and they would muck about and cause a bit of [trouble], nothing too serious, but it was still a problem. So the youth and childrens officer ...went down there a few afternoons a week and just built some relationships with the kids. They were just bored, but they responded really well to him. He was fairly young himself, in his early 20s and he talked to them, he would give them little jobs to do. They learnt about the library. They would ask questions about why things went here? How would they find whatever? Some of them would follow him around and he would give them little jobs to do. They changed their relationship with the library and they saw it as a place to respect and that the adults there were people who they could talk to or get help from if they needed (Key community informant Library A). Many of the young library users we interviewed demonstrated ways in which they were learning to be citizens. They were able to outline their rights as library users, but also indicate what they felt they owed to the library and people within it Yeah, that were polite and respectful... That we treat them as wed like to be treated in the library (Young library user 3 Library A). They reveal a developing understanding of reciprocity in their engagement with the library and a capacity to judge their peers inappropriate behaviour ... its a two way street you have to give it and want it [respect], yeah. I think if you use the books and the dvds and the music and everything, and toys, to respect the property, then theyre [library staff] going to respect you. But if youre going to be ripping out pages of books or magazines or breaking dvds then theyre not going to let you to come to the library and not let you borrow. So its kind a two way thing... Yeah. I know if I see someone and theyre ripping out something out of a magazine, Im thinking, dont do that, dont youre not supposed to do that, you cant do that here. Its not right (Young library user 1 Library A). Some libraries have young people working casually in voluntary and paid capacities. This is another exercise in citizenship. Young people are engaging with key social institutions and learning about their rights and responsibilities in relation to them. One teenager relates how
Aplis 24(4) December 2011 149 happy she was to have library staff put their faith in her Then they invited me to do an application for a working position, so I jumped at the chance (Young library user 1 Library B). Another young library user tells how the lack of overt and direct supervision by library staff gives young people a sense of freedom and autonomy, which are important developmental processes for them ... its good because in any other situation, to allow kids to have that element of freedom to be able to just sit here and be able to talk to each other to have that amount of freedom, its really hard if you have people monitoring you, like just standing over you (Young library user 1 Library B). A young woman who was a keen user of her local library points to the way that using the library helps develop citizenship. Even when library staff need to comment on negative behaviour, they do so in ways that do not diminish young people or drive them from the library. Such encounters give young people positive experiences of authority and help them clarify their rights and responsibilities within public institutions They [library staff] always are very friendly, like they always are quite polite ... theyre always open, theyre not very closed off. Even when I was here with my friends and we were making a lot of noise, they were still quite polite (Young library user 1 Library A). Libraries also give young people the experience of citizenship by treating them in the same way as they treat adult patrons. They are offered the same services and are in our case study libraries at least treated with courtesy and respect. This implicitly tells young people that they have rights and a legitimate place in the public domain. In the words of one young library user I know that they go out of their way to borrow a book from another library and get it here for me so I can read it (Young library user 1 Library A). Socioeconomic differences between libraries The spatial, temporal, social and developmental resources that the libraries in our studies give young people are similar, despite the marked socioeconomic differences in the neighbour- hoods in which they are located. Our second study, using Library A and B as case study sites, allowed us to investigate the role of socioeconomic differences in greater detail than was possible in study one. Both libraries serve young people and, by extension, their families and communities well. However there was one crucial difference between the libraries. In the low socioeconomic area, the material resources that libraries provide are much more important in the lives of young library users. Library B is located in a suburb that is, by and large, characterised by socioeconomic privilege. The young people using this library do not have the same need to borrow books, magazines, dvds and cds as their counterparts in Library A did. The Librarian in library B indicates that The majority of kids ... are not borrowing books, theyre not borrowing dvds. All theyre doing... is using computers (Librarian 1 Library B). Most of them had computers at home, but like using the librarys because of the social contact it provides. This suggests that these young people do not have the same need of the librarys material resources as their counterparts in Library A. One staff member from Library A gives an indication of how important the resources provided for local young people are We have a limit of eight dvds per card, and every kid will be maxed out on their eight dvds and they will come nearly every second day. One young user of this library indicates how the library is a source of dvds to which he would otherwise not have access I used to go to the [name of dvd store] and read some movies names and write down and then I got to book it on the computer instead of buying them. I got to borrow them from the library because its free (Young library user 2 Library A). A young woman who is a frequent user of the same library also reveals how central the free access to resources is to her understanding of the library I like how its a place where youve got a variety of books that you dont have to pay for (Young library user 3 Library A). She considers she would read much less if she was required to buy books. A teenager who has only recently migrated to Australia reveals how his mother made him 150 Aplis 24(4) December 2011 join the library so that he had resources he needed Shes the one who forced me to get a library card so I could use the computers and do homework there, if I want (Young library user 3 Library A). Access to cds is important for young people, given the centrality of music to their social life, and one teenager reveals how her library gives her this access ... my parents are always saying, come here [library] check it out and see if they have it in the library, because then you dont have to buy it. Then you just burn it or put it on your iPod or something... (Young library user 1 Library A). The parent of one teenage user of library A comments on how important the library is for the community in terms of providing resources Some people havent got computers at home, or the latest technology, and things like that, so they come here. Even to read the paper; I know some people just come here to read the paper. I suppose if it wasnt here it would be hard on those people. A lot of people would miss out on books and computers, and the PS games. A lot of kids havent got those either (Parent 1 Library A). The kinds of material resources that libraries provide have an importance that goes beyond their instrumental use. Access to books, magazines, cds, dvds and the computer is a necessary condition for social inclusion. To be able to participate in social life, it is essential to be able to share in the common culture that is generated by books, computers, dvds and the like. Young people who are denied access to such things are stripped of the cultural competence that is a precondition of social inclusion and engagement. This issue is particularly acute for young people from nonEnglish speaking backgrounds and Library A, which has a high immigrant population, makes great efforts to carry dvds and other resources that in languages other than English. Issues for libraries Some libraries are making important and innovative attempts to provide resources that help young people juggle the demands of their parents working lives in the context of communities which frequently fail to note and respond to their needs see, for instance references 41, 42 . However this poses challenges for library staff. They may have concerns about young peoples welfare, but their roles and responsibilities in relation to them are unclear. A community worker alludes to the somewhat ambiguous position of library staff in relation to young library users Libraries are a bit different from schools in that our duty of care is nowhere near as clear (Key community informant library A). One librarian points out that groups of young people can be intimidating, for both staff and other library users [Teenagers] ... standing around in a group in spaces can be really intimidating if youre sitting down on a pc and theres four teenagers, like tall boys, standing up. It is intimidating for them. So yes, but its normal behaviour. Theyre just showing someone something on the computer, not being malicious... (Librarian 1 Library B). Librarians are aware that libraries serve different groups with diverse, not always compatible, views about how libraries should operate. As one librarian says ...traditional users...view of the library is [that] its a quiet environment....we have teenagers who are fairly loud.... (Librarian Library 2). Librarians ...have to strike a balance...and sometimes we get complaints and sometimes we have conflict situations (Librarian Library 2). Some libraries recognize the need for young people to have access to games, not just the serious activities of libraries, and their need for interaction with their peers. However this does require monitoring and, if needed, modifying their behaviour The kids all come in here and it gets a bit noisy, they go on the pcs or they sit around. Weve got games...they get them out and play a game on the table or sit around in the childrens area and talk as a group. The only thing we have to do is make sure they dont leave their rubbish around or that theyre not too loud (Librarian Library 5). The benefits and issues for libraries catering for young people and their impacts on various groups are summarised in table two.
Aplis 24(4) December 2011 151 Table two Benefits and issues for young people, parents, communities and libraries Benefits Issues Young people Safe place to be Access to resources Adult availability. Social interaction Sanction and guidance No official duty of care by library staff Conflict with other users Internal space not conducive to combined adult and adolescent use In low SES areas, level of resource provision may be inadequate for need.
Parents Child care Peace of mind Resources for their children Conflict between library opening hours and parental / familial needs Unreasonable parental expectations of library Ignorance about children's activities in libraries Community Adolescents bring knowledge and skills Facilitates positive intergenerational interaction Adolescents have a place; 'loitering' minimized Nurturing young people into citizenship Changing functions / use of libraries not accepted by all Unrealistic expectations of adolescent behaviour Conflict between adolescent and adult users Library Services used by all of the community Satisfaction with services Establishing good relationship with next generation of users Adolescent behaviour Child care is not part of a librarian's job Juggling needs/ expectations of different users Spatial and other resource constraints
Conclusion Young people may be displaced by the conflict between their needs and the demands of adult working lives, together with the spatial disadvantage they experience as a consequence of urban planning practices. These factors can hinder their capacity to interact with peers in informal, unstructured ways, to interact with adults other than parents and teachers, to engage with their community and to develop their capacity for citizenship. Public libraries are spaces that help offset the conflict between teenage and adult schedules and the lack of community spaces that cater for young people. By providing young people with legitimate space, it gives them resources that are crucial for optimal psychosocial development. In addition to the important nonmaterial resources libraries can provide for all young people, they are especially significant for young people from low socioeconomic neighbourhoods. Libraries give this particular subset of young people much needed access to the books, dvds, cds, computers and magazines that are essential to their capacity to engage with friends and the wider community. While making libraries accessible and acceptable to young people does pose significant challenges for libraries themselves, the benefits of engaging young people are significant and long lasting for young people, their families and the wider community. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the University of South Australia through an EASS divisional research grant. We also acknowledge and thank Dr Alan Bundy for his assistance and support. Council and library staff in the two case study locations provided invaluable assistance. Finally, a particular thank you to all the people who were interviewed or participated in focus groups. Their generosity in sharing their time and their experience is greatly appreciated. References 1 Edwards, K Disenfranchised not deficient: how the (neoliberal) state disenfranchises young people Australian journal of social issues 44(1) 2009 pp23-37 2 Hart, S The problem with youth: young people, citizenship and the community Citizenship 2009 3 Harris, A, Wyn, J and Younes, S Young people and citizenship: an everyday perspective Youth studies Australia, 26(3) 2007 pp19-27 4 Crane, P The changing character of public space: implications for young people and community action, in Space invaders: young people and public space forum Melbourne, Youth Affairs Council of Victoria 2005 pp15-20 http://www.yacvic.org.au 5 Edwards,K op cit 6 Harris et al op cit 7 Hart op cit 8 Harris et al op cit 152 Aplis 24(4) December 2011 9 Williams, P, Pocock, B and Bridge, K Kids lives in adult space and time: how home, community and work affect opportunity for teenagers in suburban Australia Health sociology review, 18 2009 pp79-93 10 ibid 11 ibid 12 Copeland, A Public space: a rights based approach Youth studies Australia 23(3) 2004 pp40-45 13
Salmon, K Young people and public space forum report, in Space invaders: young people and public space forum Melbourne, Youth Affairs Council of Victoria 2005 pp7-14 http://www.yacvic.org.au 14 Voyce, M Shopping malls in Australia: the end of public space and the rise of consumerist citizenship? Journal of sociology 42(3) 2006 pp269-286 15 Williams et al op cit 16 Edwards, J and Williams, P The role of libraries in helping adolescents and their families juggle the demands of work and life, in Bundy,A ed 12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand, Beenleigh Queensland 11-12 June 2010 proceedings Adelaide, Auslib Press 2010 pp3-8 17 Crane op cit 18 Woolley, H Freedom of the city; contemporary issues and policy influences on children and young peoples use of public open space in England Childrens geographies 4(1) 2006 pp45- 19 Crane op cit 20 Williams et al op cit 21 Crane op cit 22 Woolley op cit 23 Edwards and Williams op cit 24 Swinbourne, K A safe place to go: libraries and social capital Sydney, State Library of NSW 2000 www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/public_ libraries/docs/safe_place.pdf 25 ibid 26 Derr, L and Rhodes, A The public library as urban youth space: redefining public libraries through services and space for young people for an ber experience, in Bundy, A ed 12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand, Beenleigh Queensland 11-12 June 2010 proceedings Adelaide, Auslib Press 2010 pp9- 16 27 Rice, F and Dolgin, K The adolescent: development, relationships, and culture 12 th
edition Boston, Pearson Education Inc 2008 28 Edwards and Williams op cit 29 Swinbourne op cit 30 Rutherford D Building strong community partnerships: Sno Island Libraries and the teen project Youth adult library services Fall 2010 pp23-25 31 Burnett, L, and Spelman, A Creative citizenship: building connection, knowledge, belonging and leadership, in young people, in Bundy,A ed 12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand, Beenleigh Queensland 11-12 June 2010 proceedings Adelaide, Auslib Press 2010 pp33- 41 32 Williams et al op cit 33
Liamputton, P and Ezzy, D Qualitative research methods South Melbourne, Oxford University Press 2005 34 ibid 35 Swinbourne op cit 36 Johnson, C and Barbeau, D Social capital and the public library: an investigation of the relationship Proceedings of the American Society for Information, Science and Technology 44(1) 2008 pp1-4 37 Williams et al op cit 38 Rice and Dolgin op cit 39 Edwards K op cit 40 Harris et al op cit 41 Bourke C Library youth spaces vs youth friendly libraries: how to make the most of what you have, in Bundy,A ed 12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand, Beenleigh Queensland 11-12 June 2010 proceedings Adelaide, Auslib Press 2010 pp 84-89. 42 Gayton J Manix: a teen reading odyssey, in Bundy,A ed 12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand, Beenleigh Queensland 11-12 June 2010 proceedings Adelaide, Auslib Press 2010 pp96-105
Jane Edwards is an academic with a background in anthropology and sociology and an extensive background in research related to community participation and social inclusion. Her work has included investigation of community participation in health planning, the implications of water policy for rural communities and how urban neighbourhood characteristics shape the capacity of people to juggle the demands of work and life. Email jane.edwards@unisa.edu.au
Pip Williams is an academic with an extensive background in research in community based studies with a focus on social inclusion and social support. Pip is interested in the way libraries are third places that meet multiple needs within neighbourhoods. Email pip.williams@unisa.edu.au
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