Teen Tech Week, Despite Limited Access

I have been honored this past year to serve on the committee for Teen Tech Week (TTW). Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the March 2–8, 2008 celebration marks the second year of the annual event intended to position libraries as places to engage technology productively, responsibly, and creatively, with the help of knowledgeable and supportive librarians.

Committee members and YALSA staff have worked hard to provide a robust set of resources to help librarians plan activities, market their efforts, and improve their knowledge of technology. A related Web site and wiki are chock full of ideas for celebrating TTW. Related mini-grants have been funded and a song contest to promote this year’s Tune in @ Your Library theme is underway.

It would seem that everything is in place. Librarians who serve teens have been provided with the tools they need to launch a fun and fulfilling event. But as it turns out, a large proportion of libraries that serve teens face significant obstacles when trying to implement programming for TTW. In school libraries, technology use is highly controlled and restricted. As a school library media specialist involved with planning TTW, it has been my frequent obligation to reign in the enthusiasm of my colleagues. I’ve often felt like the committee’s Eeyore, the proverbial naysayer who takes the air out of every suggestion. Propose an activity in which teens redesign their MySpace pages? MySpace is blocked in most schools. Suggest that teens create book-themed playlists on their MP3 players? Personal MP3 devices are not allowed in the classroom. Recommend teen-led online discussions using blogs or wikis? Sorry, accessing social networking services is out of the question. You get the picture.

Why these restrictions? And why do so many media specialists appear to accept the status quo? Mary Ann Bell, in her SLJ article “The Elephant in the Room,” (January 2007), points to fear as the root cause, generated by media hysteria over the triple threat of online pornography, predation, and bullying. Schools have responded by ramping up their oversight role, applying overly broad interpretations to their acceptable use policies. Schools routinely block social networking sites and a host of Web 2.0 tools. Mechanisms for unblocking individual sites are typically cumbersome and rarely timely enough to satisfy student needs. Schools may limit their students to pre-approved sites or, in extreme cases, not allow Internet use at all. More often than not, Web content is accessible only if it serves instructional purposes. Meanwhile, library collections are adopting more and more “non-instructional” content on sports, popular music, hobbies, and other teen interests.

So what can media specialists do to celebrate TTW? Is it even feasible to do so? Yes, absolutely.

• Start small. Pick something manageable to do and then build on a record of success.
• Celebrate TTW on your own terms. Is standardized testing scheduled for your district from March 2–8? Celebrate the following week, or during the entire month.
• Think tech-related. Host discussions about how social technologies have changed students’ lives and invite speakers involved with technology.
• Low-tech and old-tech are still tech. Even paints, pencils, and hand-cranked ice cream makers involve technology.
• Use the event to educate school administrators about the many safe and productive ways technology can be used in schools. Confront the fear-mongering with facts, figures, and concrete examples. Distribute copies of the National School Board Association’s recent publication “Creating and Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social—and Educational—Networking,” which urges schools to reassess restrictive policies regarding technology.
• Have fun! A media specialist’s attitude towards technology will likely have the biggest impact of all.