I am the middle school librarian for the Glen Ellyn (IL) Public Library. But that wasn’t always the case. When I first started, I didn’t even have a job description. The position was previously labeled as an outreach librarian, but I was hired specifically to serve middle school students. I inherited two regular programs and a mission to wow these kids. Soon after I started visiting schools, my title was quickly changed to tween librarian. It was a step in the right direction, though not without its own challenges. The socially accepted definition of “tween” can vary. Webster says tweens are 11- and 12-year-olds. The ever-credible Urban Dictionary claims nine through 14. When you say “tween,” most people seem to intuitively understand what that means. But when advertising programs to my community, the lines started to get a little blurry. Our tweens were initially defined as children in sixth through eighth grade. We had included grade requirements when advertising programs, but still had parents of nine- and 10-year-olds wanting to join. They explained that their kids were technically tweens by their own social definition—and it’s hard to argue with that. I decided to embrace the expanded concept of "tween," offering programs for kids anywhere between fourth through eighth grades. I would split the programs up a little, sometimes offering specific times for grades four and five, other times offering activities for fourth through seventh graders, and hosting special programs just for eighth graders. Unfortunately, I wound up with a full class of fourth graders, with a random sixth grader thrown in the mix. The seventh and eighth graders disappeared completely to the high school room. I had lost them. We were getting complaints, and the whole idea of tween service started to evolve again. This time, we went back to sixth through eighth grade and went through a marketing rebirth. I became truly “official.” I now had a job description, and my title was changed to middle school librarian. Ladies and gentlemen, I had arrived. Our library is filled with middle schoolers. After our recent renovation, we have a designated middle school space that kids rush to after school. They feel ownership of their space and are excited to return to the library. We offer up to seven programs for middle schoolers per quarter, with a good turnout for each one. Fourth and fifth graders don’t get to use the special middle school space, but they have something to look forward to and a welcoming party as soon as they graduate elementary school. Overall, things are pretty great. By being flexible, trying several methods, and ultimately listening closely to feedback from our users, we were able to nimbly adapt to the needs of our community. While things seem to be working wonderfully by focusing squarely on the sixth-to-eighth grade range, we’re always keeping an ear to the ground and thinking about ways to improve service. Do you have a dedicated space for tweens or middle schoolers in your library? Are you thinking of creating one? Share your thoughts in the comments below.