When librarians bring people together, everyone wins

Like its politicians and wars," the late English essayist J. B. Priestly once lamented, "society has the teenagers it deserves." A recent discussion on the Young Adult Library Services Association's (YALSA) listserv led me to speculate that Priestly's observation may help us understand how the cultures we create in libraries shape teen behavior.

Recently a public librarian e-mailed the group about teen problem behaviors at the library—excessive noise, profanity, vandalism, the works. Anthony Bernier, director of teen services at the Oakland (CA) Public Library, came to the teens' defense. He charged that some librarians "cultivate, exaggerate, or actually manufacture problems" by overreacting to the annoying behavior of a few teens. Library designs often do little to accommodate the needs and library-usage patterns of teens, he added, and many librarians make the mistake of organizing "teen programs" that are better suited for younger children. "Why," he asked, "are we surprised when conflict arises?"

Is there a better way for librarians to help teens make a success of the journey from adolescence to adulthood? Experience and research suggest that there is, and that it involves building trust, mutual understanding, and shared values among people and institutions. Sociologists call the networks through which such bonds are made "social capital." Social capital is the glue that holds us together. It helps shape the way children develop, view others in their community, and relate to institutions.

Partnerships that build social capital come in all shapes and sizes. One example is the Collaborative for Children, Families, and Communities at the University of South Florida. The collaborative partners with local organizations and sponsors research as a way of addressing the needs of the Tampa Bay community. Last fall it held a "Summit on Empowering and Connecting Youth," a conference that sought ways to help young people feel that their community cares about and supports them. "Our effort is to redefine responsibility for youth success," says Judi Jetson, the collaborative's director. "It's not just the school or the parents. It's the entire community"—including, she might have added, libraries and librarians.

A second example comes from the Williamsburg (VA) Regional Public Library, which has partnered with civic groups, businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and schools to foster a love of reading and to teach teens how to access and analyze information in all formats.

A third example of an innovative partnership is the Joint Task Force on School/Public Library Cooperation, sponsored by the American Library Association's (ALA) three youth divisions. The task force was created in 2003 to stimulate partnerships between school and public libraries. The first order of business was setting up a clearinghouse on the Web where librarians could learn about successful partnering efforts. These cooperative efforts range from homework help and library-card sign-ups to book-discussion groups and storytelling festivals. If you want to learn more about your colleagues' projects, plan to attend the joint task force's program on June 25 at ALA's annual conference in Chicago.

Partnering is a way to strengthen the communities in which young people live. It's a way to ensure that libraries get the teenagers they deserve.