Communication 101: we have made contact with teens.

• Author: Hannan, Adrienne
• Position: Wellington City Libraries - Organization overview

Wellington City Libraries has used a variety of methods of initiating and maintaining contact with youth. 13 to 18 year olds are notorious for being a difficult user group especially in getting them engaged in libraries and convincing them how relevant today's libraries are for them. Over the last few years different methods of communication, engagement and entertainment to connect with Wellington's youth have been tried. Edited version of a paper presented at '12 to 24s @ your public library in Australia and New Zealand conference' Qld 11-12 June 2010.

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Wellington City Libraries is the public library system for New Zealand's capital city. Consisting of a central library and 11 branch libraries, this system provides service to the 190,000 residents plus many more students and workers who travel into the city each day.

In the central library alone

* 3-4,000 items are returned daily, all hand processed

* 12-15,000 items are normally returned over Easter, when the library is closed

* 1.6 million issues per year (3.3 million for the entire library system)

* 1.4 million visitors to the central library each year (2.7 million for the entire system)

* 30,000 visitors per week, 4,000 per day, 400 per hour, 7 per minute

* 100,000 new items are added each year--2,000 per week.

Across the whole library system there are 870,000 items, including 50,000 audiovisual items. A recent study evaluated the access worth of a Wellington City library membership to be $40million.

Teen services overview

Over the last two years Wellington City Libraries has embarked on a new way of providing services to teens. We have moved away from book clubs and reading programs. The thinking behind this process is that teens already know that they can get help from the library when they need it--for study, or reading for school. We needed to promote the library as a place of leisure, entertainment and a place that provides fun and high quality events for teens. We wanted them to get to know their librarians too, so that they would feel comfortable approaching them when they needed to.

Some of the recent events we have run are

* The Almost Amazing Race similar to the tv program teams of teens raced around the city to find answers, complete challenges and gain the most points. This has run successfully for two years, the second year with a slight change in format to keep them on their toes.

* Seminar series the Urban Survival Series was a series of seminars on topics such as moving out of home, getting a job, spending wisely, forming positive relationships. During NZ music month and youth week we ran Q&A sessions with musicians/bands, inviting youth to find out how to get going in the profession

* Twilight trivia night a pub style quiz focusing on the popular Twilight Series. This was a very popular event

* College promotions this differs in that it is driven by the school librarians and teachers. A specifically selected team of youth orientated librarians visit the 16 colleges in the city each year to promote the benefits of membership and encourage use of library services

* Teen blog and Urban survival webpage this is our one stop shop for teens. It is where we put everything--latest music, books and movies, competitions, event info, life info, reviews, top 10 lists, booklists. Coming soon is a webpage to support the Urban Survival Series. It will contain information, web links and catalogue links for each subject covered in the series

* Teen only nights an evening of gaming, food, music and general rowdiness held in branch libraries 3-4 times per year. No adults are allowed, except for a librarian or two, and there is complete freedom for teens to do as they wish.

It is easy to lump teens together, but it is important to remember that we are talking about a diverse group of people--diverse in age, interests, maturity, ethnicity, and also diverse in how they pick up information and what catches their eye. It is logical to suggest, then, that in order to connect with as many teens as possible you will need to consider a wide variety of forms of communication, as well as variety in the events, programs and services you provide.

Tips on keeping up to date

One of the key steps to take in planning your communication strategy, and making communication easier, is to get to know your teen user.

Find out about your population of teens--simple demographics and information such as

* population numbers

* age range

* where they live

* what schools they go to

* household income

* internet connections, number of cell phones

* availability of transport (public or private)

* where they work and hang out

* how many already have library cards

* how many actually use their library cards.

This information can provide valuable insight into the needs of teens, and how you can best connect with them. Some of this information can be gathered through census data, government departments, or general observations and feedback from teens themselves. The more you know about your customer the easier it will be to devise your communication plan.

Knowing how to communicate with teens can be made easier if you stay up to date with trends, technology, and jargon. Read teen magazines such as Dolly, Girlfriend and other technology and internet magazines, subscribe to blogs, and keep up to date with new technologies that will make your job easier and more effective.

Consider running focus groups. In doing this it is important to gather teens from across your region library users and nonusers. Do not forget to put out a plate of biscuits or hot chips--a definite drawcard. Find out their opinion of the library and the librarians, what type of library services they currently like, or would like introduced, find out how they think libraries can make themselves more attractive to teens.

Keep up to date with what other providers for youth are doing in your region. Make contact with them and maybe even make an agreement to help promote each others' services. Have regular catch ups with other youth librarians in your district. A great thing about public libraries is that they are usually not in competition with each other for users. Share and discuss ideas with each other.

Collect and keep...