Types of Youth Participation Programs in Public Libraries: An Annotated Webliography

In this brief article, Asis discusses three common ways that libraries facilitate teen participation: teen advisory groups, teen volunteer programs, and Teen Friends groups. Each of these opportunities for participation gives teens responsibilities and privileges within the library community. Teen advisory groups invite teens to act as advisors for the young adult collection and teen programs. These groups sometimes operate in online spaces such as blogs or groups on Social Network Sites. Volunteer programs are another opportunity for teens to participate in the library community, sometimes taking responsibility for programs in the young adult area or helping in a more general capacity within the library. Finally, Teen Friends groups introduce teens to the networking and fundraising aspects of community organizations. Teen Friends generally work in conjunction with (Adult) Friends of the Library groups to assist with fundraising. The bulk of the article is a collection of links to examples of each type of group.

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