Friday event to explore what teens want in a library
PRESQUE ISLE — When Mary Barton Akeley Smith donated $1 million for an expansion of the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library, a group of teens from the Presque Isle High School Community Service Initiative wanted to ensure that teens would be served in the expansion.
The resulting “Mark and Emily Turner Expansion Expo: Teen Night at the Library,” on Friday, April 29, 6-8:45 p.m., will offer library explorations, hands-on activities, presentations and discussions — all designed to invite teens to learn more about library offerings, to help library staff learn what motivates teens make greater use of the library and to help teens make the case for teen-specific needs in the library expansion plans.
“The library has an incredible history of enriching Presque Isle and its surrounding communities,” said Paul Elish. “Now, with technological innovation defining our society, the library is looking to continue fulfilling its role as a focus of community activity. This Teen Night seeks to generate conversation among teens about the library’s evolving role in Presque Isle. The library has been a wonderful partner.”
Dianna Leighton, youth librarian, said, “The library is integral in the early childhood stages but there’s a drop-off in use for teens. We know they have massive academic and personal schedules; we work hard to find ways that the library can fit into their lives. We want it to be a welcoming and safe place with nooks of activities where teens can freely wander and learn.”
She added, “We’ll be expanding our e-books and technological services. We offer video book reviews and social media. I also go to the high school on a regular basis so the teens recognize me. Once they know all our offerings, we hope they’ll become community advocates for the library. We welcome their feedback as it will allow us to be even better at our jobs.”
The event was spearheaded by Presque Isle senior Paul Elish and English/psychology teacher Jennifer Bourassa. Elish and Bourassa were selected as 2010 Bezos Scholars at the Aspen Institute, one of only 12 public high school juniors and 12 educators from across the nation to receive the honor.
The scholars program has a simple formula.
Each student scholar and educator scholar receives an all-expenses-paid scholarship to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival (AIF) in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. There, they take part in all AIF offerings, and also get scholars-only time with world leaders, global thinkers and acclaimed creative artists. 2010 scholars shared meals and private conversations with Sandra Day O’Connor, Sir Ken Robinson, Nicholas Kristof, Tom Friedman, Sylvia Earle and the founders of twitter, KABOOM and IDEO, among many other notables.
Here’s the twist: Following their time in Aspen, the student/educator scholar teams return home, inspired by their experiences at AIF, to create Local Ideas Festivals in their schools and communities. The scholars are encouraged to create festivals based on their passions and issues of relevance in their school and communities.
The “Mark and Emily Turner Expansion Expo: Teen Night at the Library,” is Elish and Bourassa’s Local Ideas Festival.
Activities planned for Friday include:
• Library of Tomorrow: Technology Showcase;
• Kindle, Wii, etc. set up for use — book review presentation;
• Booth with basic information on book reviewing available all night;
• Presentation (15-30 minutes) on book reviewing with Dianna;
• Teen section renovation;
• Creation Station with a multitude of craft materials — Create something! Help us decorate this section;
• “What Do You Want the Library to Become?” visual, modeled after a Facebook wall — bulletin board size;
• People “post” by placing sticky notes with comments/pictures/whatever on the wall;
• Downtown Revitalization Committee Photo Project;
• Music, use Pandora;
• Creative writing presentation with Wendy Koenig, self-expression through writing/literacy;
• Fun writing activity;
• Jeopardy. Students take preliminary quiz to qualify (must be at least 12 quiz-takers) before Expo, top six scorers will vie for $50.00 prize at the Expo; and
• Library, technology, Presque Isle-themed categories included.
For more information, e-mail Elish at pne04769@yahoo.com; or contact Leighton at the library by calling 764-2571 or e-mail diannaleighton@presqueislelibrary.or
For information on the Aspen Institute, contact Linda Shockley, Bezos Scholars Program at the Aspen Institute by calling
917-521-0711 or e-mail shockleyny@aol.com.
