Teens and Reading

We are librarians; therefore, we want teens to read. Right? Right! However, in our fastpaced technology driven world, instilling a love of reading in today's teenagers often seems to be a daunting and unattainable goal.  Nevertheless, teen reading is not a phenomenon of the past. We must remember that students are reading when texting or on Facebook. They are engaged in literacy building activities when playing a video game or uploading a video to YouTube.  And most importantly today's teens do continue to engage in and love reading traditional paper and ink books.

How do we reach out to our teens and show them that reading a book is okay? How do we help them develop a reading for enjoyment habit that carries them throughout life?

The most obvious way for librarians to help teens learn to love reading is to build a collection of books, audio books and graphic novels that meet their educational and entertainment needs.  We must talk to teens about what they are reading and what they want to read. Put a suggestion box in your teen space so they know that asking for a title or author is welcomed. Let the teens be an active part of collection development. Many libraries now have Teen Advisory Boards that help with program planning.  But do not forget the value of on-the-go teen advisory when they are browsing the stacks or wandering the library.

So what types of programming, besides summer reading, can we do throughout the year that places books in teen hands?

I am really interested in starting a monthly teen book club but am apprehensive about choosing appealing books, participation and conducting beneficial discussions.

Any adivice or success stories would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

In my next post I will describe a successful program I hosted during the summer that has turned into an ongoing activity.