Teens and Tweens: What they need from us and what we want from them.

Friday, May 18, 2017, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg

The purpose of the workshop is to provide sessions aimed at meeting the needs of this dynamic category of library patrons. Four different presenters will such diverse topics as: addressing health science outreach and programming; youth advocacy and activism; learning collaboration and teamwork through board games; and using maker projects to encourage project based learning in a library setting. The purpose of the workshop is to help librarians develop successful and engaging library programming, whilst at the same time meeting the educational and information needs of students transitioning from middle school to high school, and high school to college.

How does program appeal specifically to academic libraries?

Often the skills and training high school students receive do not fully, or even adequately, equip them for what will be expected of them in a collegiate environment. Each of the four presenters will speak to different topics aimed at helping libraries begin to bridge this gap through topics not often found or thought of in a library context. Specifically, sessions will include: harnessing the resources of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, not only for effective research, but also to create informative and engaging health and science related programs; teaching older teens and early college students the power they possess as advocates and activists, through the educated understanding of issues and meaningful engagement with stakeholders; teamwork and teambuilding, an often under-taught but important collegiate skill; and the power of hands-on, experiential learning through maker-based programs.

Following the conclusion of the workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Help students conduct health- and science-based research, as well as conduct relevant, topicalprogramming
• Effectively channel student skills into positive and meaningful activism for the topics they care about
• Create programs centered around successful teambuilding and teamwork aimed at accomplishing common, shared goals
• Provide practical and inclusive maker programs, which encourage participants to actively explore STEM-related skills.

Contact:  Barbara Zaborowski, Dean of Learning Resources, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, BZabor@pennhighlands.edu