SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

January 25, 2016 by Karen Jensen, MLS

#MHYALit: How Libraries Can Help Teens, by Librarian Dawn Abron

January 25, 2016 by Karen Jensen, MLS   3 comments

Today an experienced teen librarian shares with us some of her tips for helping teens who want to investigate mental health issues with anonymity navigate the library.

project2

As a teen librarian, we get to know a large number of teens. Many of the teens in our library see us as a nonjudgmental confidant and they come to our office and to talk about their home life, their friends, and their relationships. Through observation and conversation, we’ve learned that several of our teens suffer from depression.

Two years ago we learned that one of our teen regulars and volunteer was in the hospital. We later learned that it was a suicide attempt and that she was currently on anti-depressants.  When she was well enough to return to the library, we didn’t ask her about it; we instead offered her a safe place to hang out and talk.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s been two years since her diagnosis and I’ve heard her talk to other teens about her suicide attempt so I was comfortable asking if books helped her deal in any way and what she said was eye opening.  She said that during that period in her life, she read upbeat books because books about depression made her feel worse.  Now that she is open about her mental illness and her suicide attempt, she likes to read more serious books especially books about abduction.  At the time of our discussion, she was checking out Bone Gap by Laura Ruby and Pointe by Brandy Colbert.

My degree is in recreation and I was new to the library world when I started six years ago.  I thought working with teens in a library would be programming and reader’s advisory. Little did I know that I would meet teens with such “adult” problems.  However I’ve learned that working with teens in the library means being a soundboard and a friend.  When teens come to us, we don’t sensor their speech and we don’t offer advice unless we’re asked. What we do is listen.

Other things we do in our library to help teens deal:

1.  We have an infographic on the YA stack that list social sciences and their call numbers. These issues include sexual assault, drug abuse, bullying, and mental health.  The infographic also informs teens that they may use the self check out for confidentiality.
2.  We have a reader’s advisory binder in the stacks that include fiction books about specific mental health issues including OCD, depression, schizophrenia, etc
3.  We have a poster on the door of our office, which is in the teen room, that contains various hotline numbers. See example here.
4.  Do no not allow harmful speech in our teen room such as gay, retarded, stupid, etc

You can read all the #MHYALit posts here.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2023

Have Some New 2023 Mysteries and Thrillers by Riley Jensen

by Karen Jensen, MLS

April 2023

Behind the Recipes in the WINNIE ZENG Series, a guest post by author Katie Zhao

by Karen Jensen, MLS

April 2023

A Vanishing of Authors, a guest post by S. A. Patrick

by Karen Jensen, MLS

April 2023

Your Body Belongs to You, guest post by Ruchira Gupta

by Karen Jensen, MLS

April 2023

Cindy Crushes Programming: Unicorn Photo Frame

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Watch The Yarn LIVE with Kate DiCamillo at ALA!

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Heists, Celebrity, and Mystery: An Interview with Nicholas Day About The Mona Lisa Vanishes

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Teen Titans | Series Review

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

More Mock-Newbery Titles Needed: Share June Suggestions Now

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

“Enough with the chicken noises.” A guest post by Sean Ferrell

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Trying Something New: SPEED ROUND w/ Marla Frazee, Doug Salati, Dan Santat, and Amina Luqman-Dawson

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

"Hip-Hop Isn’t Just Music, It’s a Culture" | An Interview with Tiffany D. Jackson

Five Debut YA Authors On Their Challenges, Surprises, and Advice for Teens

February’s YA Debut Authors on Love and Inspiration

First Flames: An Interview Between Debut Authors Hafsah Faizal and Nafiza Azad

The Astonishing Achievements of M.T. Anderson, Recipient of the 2019 Margaret A. Edwards Award

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hope Hall says

    January 28, 2016 at 11:13 am

    Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas and how you implement them in the library with teens. I’m a high school librarian. I would love to have a digital copy of the infographic and the bookmark, etc. Would you be willing to share with me? Thanks!

    • Alisha Hasson says

      January 30, 2016 at 11:24 am

      I’d also love to get a digital copy of the infographic and bookmark, or information on where I can get something like that. Thank you!

Trackbacks

  1. This Week in Libraryland: Everyone Benefits from the Weed | Bang Bang BOOK Blog says:
    January 29, 2016 at 11:14 am

    […] post about mental health and working with teens went live on the School Library Journal […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023