Spontaneous Combustion: School Libraries Providing the Spark to Connect Teens, Books, Reading-and Even Writing!

For the last Library Connection column, media specialist Lisa Bowen from the Stapley Junior High library in Mesa, Arizona, described how her library is a vibrant, attractive hub of much school interest and activity. In the last few years, I have discovered many other libraries like Lisa's that are becoming a school focal point by directly involving teens and developing a variety of fun, enticing, and educational activities. In schools that have such libraries, teens discover a place to belong, a place to express themselves through reading and writing, a place to explore literature, and a place to encourage them to see that books and libraries are wonderful for research and entertainment alike.

In this issue, I am featuring three school libraries that have ignited the spark and have made promoting the library, sharing books and reading, and reaching out to their communities an adventure. One library is from a junior high, one from a middle school, and one from a senior high school. All three have connected teens with their libraries through some impressive programs and activities that you might think about suggesting to your media specialist if you are a teacher, or implementing if you are a media specialist. Of course, you will also want tell any interested students about these ideas!

How Our Library Resource Center Became Center Stage

Paulette Goodman, Library Resource Center Director at Kennedy Junior High School in Naperville, Illinois, shared with me information about the inspiring things she has done through her school library media center:

"In creating a new library environment eighteen years ago, I knew that it needed to be interactive, allowing students to not only roam the stacks, but also to partake of a different menu - a menu of authors, storytellers, poets, musical groups, read-ins, contests and anything that kept them coming into the library and discovering its riches. Books are meant to crown a library's mantle, and through connecting them with the authors of those books, young adult readers can develop a desire to continue the process of reading into their adult lives. So with that philosophy in mind as our library began, several years followed that were filled with a smattering of visiting authors. The number of these visits grew and grew, until we reached an average of about eight authors/ poets/storytellers per school year, and I contract for additional presentations that are supplied by our local book vendor, Anderson's Bookstore in Naperville, Illinois.

"In preparation for each visit, teachers and students throughout the school read a copy of the author's work and plan to have their students come to the library for an author fest. The authors are often surprised by the seasoned questioners and the quality of the critical inquiries they receive. Teachers have also hopped on the bandwagon with three adult book discussions each year lead by me, complete with a catered lunch and sprinkled with lively discourse. Reading is our mantle, and we wear it proudly!

"Among our students, fantasy is the genre of choice, followed by adventure and science fiction. Inspired by the author fests, student interest in these and other genres has reached such heights that a unique young authors group was formed, sporting the name 'Screaming Pens.' These young adults have committed themselves to writing now, and they each foresee a future that will include writing as its main focus, whether as an author, reporter or newspaper columnist.

"The shining jewel of each year's activities takes place during National Poetry Month in April with a program entitled, 'A Night at the Blue Iguana Café: A Poetry Blast!' Young adult poets seem to come out of the woodwork, and students, parents, siblings, grandparents, and even former students come to enjoy this glistening night of poetry, music and café desserts. It's a wonder to behold and leaves each participant with satisfied sighs.

"Library work is a passion for me, and it is exciting to see my efforts gain momentum through the years. Each book, author, reader, or performer leaves an indelible mark with memories lingering for years to come. They say I may never know what effect my library will have on the students in my school, but I have had some hints. Sometimes a former student meets me at a restaurant or train station and remembers something that was significant to him or her from my library program and its strong connection between reading and writing. It is then that I know that what is being done here goes beyond a moment's pleasure, leaving a taste for literature and a love for libraries that defies extinction."

"Small but Mighty" Fosters Contagious Enthusiasm

Joan Arrowsmith, TeacherLibrarian at Summit Ridge Middle School in Littleton, Colorado, shared her perspectives on the LLAMA Book Club:

"This group was formed to meet a need I felt to have something similar to a teen advisory board at the public library. I was trying to do promotions throughout the year by myself, and not too successfully. The name LLAMA, League of Library and Media Advisors, was created by an assistant principal in response to my plea for help on a name for the club. I didn't want it to just be the Summit Ridge book club. It is listed as a school club in the document that is handed out in the fall to all students. There are always lots of questions about LLAMA and what exactly its function is.