In Our Mailbox: How to resurrect a long dead TAG?

My library at one time had an active and thriving Young Adult Advisory Council, but from what I’m hearing, interest waned, and it sort of died a natural death sometime during the previous (retired) librarian’s tenure. I’ve had some recent inquiries by teens interested in joining it (they never took the information about it off the website) and my director is definitely interested in resurrecting it, but is leaving the details up to me. I was hoping to get the benefit of your experience working with teens and see if you had any ideas or suggestions?

I have a great group of summer teen volunteers that I’m hoping to interest in being part of the YAAC once school starts back, but I don’t want it to be just a “show up, eat pizza, gripe about school and life, go home” social club. I am toying with the idea of setting it up as simultaneously a Harry Potter Alliance chapter, because I love their focus on citizenship and doing good in the community and the world if I can get my director to go for it.

Sarah, I think you’re actually in a great position here to start something wonderful and cool.  Here’s what you have going for you:

You’re new in your position 

Everyone expects new employees to shake things up a bit. You can use this more pronounced flexibility to either try out something new and radical, or revitalize what used to be there with your own spin.

Your administration supports you

Holy cow – how great is this?! You’ve been given the go-ahead to deal with the details. I’m going to assume that this go-ahead comes hand in hand with the full support, understanding, and dare we hope funding of your director.

You’ve got kids who are interested already, and more you can tap

You have an idea of what they can do and why they’d want to do it.

Create a link between the club and the mission of the library 

Find a few moles

Report on your successes … and failures

Be genuine in your reports to the director. If you have the support of admin, consider them allies. Share your excitement with them when you have excellent meetings, and show your vulnerability and disappointment and problem solving skills when things don’t go the way you hoped and you have to change gears. It sounds like you may be a department of one, which can feel like a heavy burden to bear, but remember that this makes you agile. If the path you’re on isn’t working, pivot and change directions. Chances are good the teens will follow.

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If you or anyone else in your situation wants more in-depth information on teen leadership and revitalizing TABs, I highly recommend Amy Alessio’s chapter, “Keeping the Teen Advisory Board Relevant—and Real: New Clubs, Themes, and Attitudes” in our new book The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services. Amy has a really great, down to earth approach with her teens, and has been able to reshape and revitalize her teen groups into dynamic, purposeful, popular programs for years now. 

-Heather