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Hennepin County Library - Teens Online
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Group Name:
Teens Online
Library Name:
Hennepin County Library (HCL), Minnesota
What year did the TAG start?
School year 2001-2002. This is year three of our Teens Online advisory board.
How often does the TAG meet?
Once a month, on Sundays 2 – 4 pm, from November – April.
How many members does your TAG currently have?
Year 3: 10 members
Boys: 5 Girls: 5
Grade 9: 1 Grade 10: 1 Grade 11: 3 Grade 12: 5
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How do you recruit members for your TAG?
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Teens Online job description and online application are posted on TeenLinks home page for 6 weeks, mid-August through September.
Recruitment information is also included in the Hennepin County Library public newsletter.
Youth Services librarians encourage interested teen volunteers to apply.
Area high school media specialists encourage interested teens to apply.
Our library Volunteer Coordinator screens and interviews (often by email) teens who have applied.
The Volunteer Coordinator and TeenLinks Coordinator together select the Teens Online advisory board.
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Does the TAG have a particular focus? For example, do members work primarily on collection development projects, intergenerational projects, reading projects, technology-based projects, and so on? If so, how did this focus come about?
Teens Online is a technology-based group, and focuses on TeenLinks, a website created and maintained for teens ages 12 – 18 by Hennepin County Library. Teens Online works to:
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Develop and maintain web pages for the Free Time section of TeenLinks
Write book, game, software, or music reviews
Review TeenLinks web pages and suggest improvements
Suggest and review websites for TeenLinks
Offer advice on marketing TeenLinks
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Why did we initiate Teens Online? Hennepin County Library has made a commitment to increase effective service to teens. Customer driven service is one Critical Success Factor in achieving our library's mission. This teen volunteer opportunity has a technology emphasis, which appeals to teens that we might not have reached in the past, such as computer-savvy high school boys. That said, this is the first time we've had equal numbers of boys and girls apply to join Teens Online!
What recent projects have TAG members developed?
You can read about our projects and programs at the TeenLinks website. You can read more about us at about TeenLinks , and via the following web links:
What is a favorite or unique project that your TAG developed?
 I am in awe of each and every web page created by Teens Online because each completed project represents an opportunity for our teens to display their creativity and skills on the web. In addition, each teen has different interests and skill levels.
What advice do you have for someone starting a TAG?
Practical issues:
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Catch teens' enthusiasm early in the school year. Start in October or November.
Avoid working on large projects in April & May.
Serve food and beverages at meetings!
Be aware that middle school and high school teens bring different maturity and energy!
Establish email communication protocol. Example: Start emails with [Teens Online] followed by subject content of message.
Have a computer with projector operating at all meetings. Have a teen “drive” the computer.
Have an agenda for everyone at all meetings . . . then be flexible!
Have a teen take minutes, especially recording action items and decisions.
Promote Teens Online web pages to staff, to the public via TeenLinks, and to local newspapers.
Evaluate and learn each year! Ask each teen to complete an anonymous, written evaluation.
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Leadership issues:
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Be ready to lead, to explain the big picture, to find answers to technical questions, to encourage, to debate, and to set limits where needed. Thank you to Anthony Bernier, Oakland Public Library, first TAGS Spotlight for emphasizing leadership qualities. Above all, enjoy the process!
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What do you think is the hardest part of running a TAG and how do you handle that difficulty?
Leading a technology-based TAG offers a unique challenge. My first year was hard because I was new to my job, and needed to learn html. Admittedly, it was difficult to guide a technology based teen group without some fundamental web page skills. That said, I still fall short of many teens' technical savvy. That delights me now! I know enough web coding to edit their pages, post their work online, and offer support. Teens Online is also wonderfully supported by the superb technical abilities of our library web administration staff.
An ongoing challenge lies in encouraging teens to work together (or individually) to create their web visions. We are a project based group. As Teens Online advisor, I am neither their teacher, nor their parent, therefore I'm neither grading them nor setting their priorities. (But it helps that in 'real' life I am the parent of a teen and I was a teacher!) Teens have busy lives, and sometimes promise more than they can deliver. (Yes, adults do, too!)
How do I handle this challenge? I send them gentle email reminders. I have a check-in time at our meetings where we all report on our projects for Teens Online (myself included). I provide time for them to work on my staff computer before or after our Sunday afternoon meetings. Mostly, I have patience galore, and I recognize that these fabulous teens are volunteers. I'm providing just one avenue for them to grow and learn about themselves in the world.
What is your favorite part of running a TAG?
I always look forward to our monthly meetings. I love the teens, their ideas, and their enthusiastic, occasionally controversial, discussions. These teens keep me informed about the Internet, and make valuable contributions to TeenLinks. They make my job zing!
I am proud to sponsor the web pages our teens produce. I love seeing a new web page, and being able to link that page from our TeenLinks website, knowing that its main page averages over 8,000 hits a week now. Our Teens Online pages will be seen by many other teens, and it gives a web place for tech-savvy teens to display their creativity.
Are there materials you suggest librarians planning a TAG read/access to help them get started?
Managing Teens Online is a “learn-by-doing” process for me. I talk to others who work with teens for support and ideas. I rely on my teaching background to help organize and engage the teens. I'd recommend getting support from your local high school media specialists and your library web page administrator.
If you would like to talk to Ann Melrose about her TAG she can be contacted at amelrose@hclib.org
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