The Party Poopers: Teens will be teens, and we need to remind everyone on the library staff

We recently hosted a successful teen author visit at my library. We did our due diligence; informed everyone on staff (even the custodians); and promoted the hell out of it on our Web site and at the library.

It paid off. On the night of the visit, teens started lining up three hours before showtime. They were so excited about meeting this author that one teen even burst out in tears when she thought the room would fill to capacity before she got in.

Once it began, everything seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until I saw a security guard shoot a look at a group of loud teens, telling them to keep it down. He then shut the door in their faces as they stood in the doorway trying to get into the event.

The teens were initially shocked and looked to each other for some kind of explanation. Then they burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

There were more than 150 teens attending this YA author visit, buying books, CDs and T-shirts. It was a librarian’s dream: they were connecting with the author, asking questions about his writing, his character development, and ambiguous endings. They were having a blast with their friends, parents, and teachers, and connecting with other teens. But then one staff member spoiled it all.

For those teens, the security guard reaffirmed every negative stereotype of a library. I went home that evening feeling very sad.

It’s been ten years since I became a YA librarian, and here I am still fighting the same fight. When will other library staffers learn to treat teens with respect and understand the purpose behind teen programming?

Even the security guard should be held accountable for his behavior because, after all, he also works with the public—and he’s representing the library. In my opinion, he should get the same training that public library staffers do—and he should be held to the same standard as every library employee.

You’re probably thinking that this situation isn’t as bad as it sounds and that this type of situation doesn’t happen often. You’re probably right. There are worse encounters between adults and teens in libraries. But look at it from a teen’s perspective. How are they ever going to enjoy coming to the library if they’re not even allowed to act like teens?

How can we reverse this trend? It’ll definitely take some time. Indeed, there are no overnight solutions, but let’s give it a try by taking a few of these steps: get involved in the hiring process at as many levels as possible, or at the very least, influence the interviewing process by contributing questions and preferred answers; speak with your building manager prior to the program and outline specific expectations and boundaries for staff and teen behavior; specify any unacceptable behavior with staff with their supervisors; and make sure the entire staff is informed about all details—including the type of crowd that’ll show up and the expected turnout.

And once it’s over, make sure to praise anyone or any department that did a great job. Even if it’s obvious, it’s always helpful to tell the staff why the program was important to teens, what it taught them, and why they enjoyed it.

When I think about negative experiences between library staffers and teens, it doesn’t lead me to believe that cutting down teen programming is an answer to the problem. Instead, it makes me want to double or triple my efforts. It makes me want to stick awesome teens, who are using the library in the best ways possible, right in the noses of those cranky and grouchy librarians.

It’s really the only way they’ll learn. Join me, won’t you?