2019 Round Table Discussions

Brain Development & Serving Teens in Libraries

April Pavis Shroeder

Each age group of library users requires unique services and programming. Teenagers are the most under-served of all age groups, usually due to library staff’s uncertainty in providing services to a group they know (and/or remember) little about. Learn about the brain development of teenagers and how that should influence your programming and your expectations.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this session participants will be able to:

• understand the connection between teen brain development and teen behavior.

• meet teen patrons where they are and plan appropriate programs and services for them.

• manage their own expectations of teen patrons and teach those to their colleagues.

Mindfulness Practices with Teens

Cindy Maxted, Mid-Atlantic Mindfulness

Description:

• What is mindfulness, and meditation?

• Where mindfulness came from, the many benefits of a mindfulness practice.

• Understanding the teen brain. Giving it the space and safety to grow

• Why it is important for people who are teaching mindfulness to practice themselves

• Experience a guided body scan and meditation session

• Current opportunities for professional training and development in mindfulness

Learning Objectives:

After completing this session participants will be able to

• incorporate mindfulness practices into activities with teenagers.

• Experience a guided and relaxing mindfulness practice.

• Learn ways to begin a mindfulness practice!

Beyond Buzzwords: Developing & Demonstrating Cultural Competence in the Library

Renee Hill, Senior Lecturer & Director of the School Library Specialization at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies

There is tremendous interest in topics related to diversity and inclusion in libraries. However, conversations are often limited to discussions of the latest fads, catchphrases, and buzzwords that do little to advance efforts toward helping library staff develop the skills needed to strengthen their cultural competence skills. This interactive session will focus on coming to a shared understanding of cultural competence concepts as well as presenting strategies that can be implemented by all library staff to effectively serve teen patrons.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this session participants will be able to

• Identify the components of cultural competence;

• Define principles of inclusion for all library user groups;

• Articulate at least one strategy that can be immediately implemented in the library in order to provide more effective outreach to teen library users.

Libraries and Users as Part of their World- YA Collections for Diversity & Representation

Sasha Dowdy, Library of Congress Young Reader's Center

We will articulate the context of our libraries and identify steps to highlight our teen populations' diversity and representation in our libraries’ collections. Ms. Dowdy will outline how the Young Readers Center’s collection goals evolved to be more representative of its populations in terms of nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, religion, socioeconomic status, physical and mental health, and more. With the Young Readers Center as an example, we will discuss acquisition policies, financial restrictions, organizational missions, and opportunities to develop a diverse and representative collection for teen library users.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this session participants will be able to

• Share the diversity of collections as a concept

• Discuss various population represented in various libraries

• Evaluation tools to determine diversity and representation in a library collection

• Working towards a representative collection

• Identify similarities and differences with LOC and home libraries

• Articulate unique feature of home library and its story

• Learn how to become a stronger connector of information in a diversity of formats