Program Abstracts

Developing Successful Teen Programming with the Help of your Teen Advisory Board :

Increasingly, teenagers hope to gain volunteer and leadership experience in various capacities. This presentation will cover the history and growth of Round Rock Public Library’s teen programming, which is in large part due to expanding the role of the Teen Advisory Board (TAB). Giving teens ownership encourages participation and commitment. Last year TAB members suggested we appoint Presidents, Vice Presidents and Leads which has increased engagement. TAB meetings are now nearly 100% teen-led and TAB members have become Book Club Leads, Program Leads and Shelf Tidying Leads. Attendees at this session will learn about RRPL’s teen programming over the last 20 years, which started with a small book club. Today, it is a well-established teen community with successful, regular programs/events as well as a summer reading volunteer program with over 40 teens scheduled every year. Participants will walk away with many examples of programs that help teens gain valuable experiences with the advantage of providing great events for the community while using less staff time. 

Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Teen Library Advisory Boards and Volunteer Opportunities :

Effective teen volunteer programs balance autonomy, structure, and accountability. As teens transition from childhood to adulthood, libraries can provide positive working environments by offering engaging volunteer opportunities in the form of Teen Advisory Boards (TABs). Well-designed TABs offer participants opportunities to gain skills in leadership, collaboration, project management, and communication. In turn, teen participants provide the library with insights into a vital user group with unique social and information needs. 

In this session, you will learn to establish goals that benefit both teen volunteers and the library with a collaborative engagement model and clear expectations. The presenters will share examples from the Plano Public Library Teen Street Team in their exploration of how your library can establish a Teen Advisory Board or enhance an existing program.  

Learning Objectives: 

• Gain concrete strategies for assessing current teen volunteer programs and identifying opportunities for improved engagement 

• Learn metrics to assess the long-term benefits for participants 

• Be able to develop a program framework that combines clear project goals, communication practices, and accountability standards to support the experiences of both teen volunteers and the library 

• Understand how to evaluate a library's teen volunteer program by implementing a review process that leverages feedback from participants, surveys, and advisory questions

Learning in Disguise:

What if kids could learn without even realizing they were learning? This presentation explores how libraries can sneak meaningful lessons into fun, hands-on activities that kids are genuinely excited to attend. In Nature Quest, elementary-aged kids came back each week eager to see what “off-the-wall” activity was waiting for them! This program featured everything from making a wormery to building their own water filtration systems all while learning about ecosystems, science, and the natural world along the way. Young Explorers Book Club paired picture book biographies of famous explorers and historic figures with creative activities that brought their stories and discoveries to life. These are just a few examples of the fun, creative programs our Youth Services team offered this summer. During the school year, we continue that same approach with new programs that encourage kids to explore, create, experiment, and learn, often without realizing they’re getting an entire lesson along the way! 

The Power of Showing Up: Meaningful Outreach Strategies to Build Teen Engagement 

Libraries often try every marketing strategy and trendy program idea to encourage teens to utilize their services. Unfortunately, many staff members find themselves wondering why teens are still not walking through the door. This session will explore strategies for building sustainable community partnerships from the ground up with local schools, student organizations, and community groups. Becoming a familiar and trusted presence in the community allows library staff to foster a sense of connectedness and create a library experience that keeps teens coming back. 

Nos Vemos en la Biblioteca: Strategies for Reaching Your Spanish-Speaking Community 

Youth Services Librarians from Garland Public Library will discuss strategies that library staff can use to reach the Spanish-speaking population in their community, with an emphasis on youth services and programming. This presentation will include an overview of Garland Library's successful Spanish-language programs and outreach efforts, tips for connecting with Spanish-speaking patrons, as well as a discussion of potential challenges libraries may face when attempting to meet this community’s unique needs. 

Tiny Art, Big Teen Engagement at Lewisville Public Library 

When teen engagement with live programming was slow to rebound after COVID, Lewisville Public Library tried something different to reach area teens: an annual LPL Teen(y) Tiny Art Show. The goals of the mostly-passive program were to get teens interested and invested in the Library again, to encourage and celebrate young artists, to attract new Library visitors, and to convert passive participation into live program attendance. Learn how LPL accomplished those goals, and how you can design an art show (tiny or not) that works within your library’s available resources to create engagement with teens or any other target audience.