Program Idea: Featuring Local Teens

Brian Mathews, a librarian at UCSB and blogger at The Ubiquitous Librarian, shares an program idea he’s implementing at his library. Each month, he plans to feature a person or group on campus, whether they’re artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, or whatever. For the kickoff month, the library is offering a free mp3 download of a campus band, hosting an outdoor concert, and highlighting the group on promotional materials. He says:

One of my guiding principles is that academic libraries should highlight the scholarly, cultural, creative, and service contributions of the community. Not only highlight, but strive to make them tangible and engaging.

The same can be said about public libraries, of course. Featuring local teen talent on in-library displays or in programs is a cost-effective way to build community ties and encourage teen participation. Some libraries host battle of the bands competitions and others solicit teen-written material for literary zines. What other ways can you highlight the achievements of local teens?

January 25th, 2010  ♥  Program Idea  ♥  No Comments »