Library TimeWhile Doing Time

Reaching Out To At-Risk Teensin Detention and Shelter Facilities

Laura E. KauffmanSpecial Services, Library System of Lancaster County

A little about me

• [2006-Present] Special Services, Library System of Lancaster County (Pennsylvania)

• [2004-2008] Millersville University• [2008-2010] Clarion University• [May 2008] Began services to the

Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center

Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center (YIC)

• Location:

Lancaster, PA• Juvenile detention• Shelter care• Ages 10-18• Serves Lancaster and surrounding counties• My contact: Bryan Hubbard, Program

Coordinator

• Already visit a youth shelter facility?• Already visit a youth detention facility?• Thinking of visiting a facility?• Having difficulties “getting in” the facility?• Already in a facility and doing programs?• Already in a facility and running contests?• Already in a facility and maintaining a

library collection?

What is your level of involvement in this area?

Life Inside the Facility

• Know your patron!• “Know” the environment

they came from– Be aware of the

possibilities– Realize what kind of

attitudes/needs this can create

• Understand the environment/rules inside the facility you are visiting

Life Inside the Facility: The Environment They Came From

• Abusive homes• Learning disabilities• Environmental factors

(where they live, what they’re parents are like)

• Runaways

• Low-income• Low self esteem• Minimal positive role

models• Teen pregnancy• Etc.

Life Inside the Facility:Inside the YIC

• Closely scheduled• Visitation: parents, grandparents, legal guardians at a

designated time, no children or siblings, only two visitors at a time– Detention: only once/week for one hour– Shelter: twice/week for one hour each visit

• Somewhat strict environment• Always monitored

– Shelving position in library• Inappropriate programming materials

– Sharp, “useful”– Photographs and confidentiality

• Book construction

Life Inside the Facility:Entering As A Visitor

• Take nothing in!• Enter small foyer, ring

intercom• Door unlocks, enter• Signing in, I.D.,

locker, medal detector• Series of locked

doors

Life Inside the Facility:From the YIC Website

• According to the board of directors of the National Juvenile Detention Association (NJDA), the definition of juvenile detention is:– Juvenile detention is the temporary and safe custody of juveniles who are

accused of conduct subject to the jurisdiction of the court who require a restricted environment for their own, or the community’s protection, while pending legal action.

• Further, juvenile detention provides a wide range of helpful services that support the juvenile’s physical, emotional, and social development.

• Helpful services minimally include: education; visitation; communication; counseling; continuous supervision; medical and health care services; nutrition; recreation; and reading.

• Juvenile detention includes or provides for a system of clinical observation and assessment that compliments the helpful services and reports findings.

Why Get Involved?Common Excuses

• They don’t stay very long, I probably won’t make an impact

• Many of the students will be from outside my service area

• Someone is already helping them• It will feel uncomfortable• I may not be safe

Why Get Involved?This population is under-served!• Librarians can provide positive role models• Foster positive attitudes towards libraries

– Libraries can be safe places for teenage friends to meet, hang out, and join together in library programs

– Initiating interest and respect for libraries can help students assimilate back into life outside the facility and encourage patronage at your library

• Cut back on learning loss• You are not a police officer, a guard, a person

from AA, or someone else with a “don’t do that” agenda

What to do?Ways To Get Involved

• Contact your local facility– Find out if they do programming– Do they have volunteers?– Do they have a library? Is there a librarian or staff

member that manages the library?– Tell them you are from the local public library and

you’d like to volunteer your time!• Plan

– Decide what you’d like to focus on– How will you meet this population’s needs?– Name your program (Ex: What’s Up With The

Library?”– Create a logo

• Visit for programming• Organize/maintain the library if no one else is really

spending time doing this

Program Ideas:My Program Structure

• 1 hour and 50 minutes• 1 unit of students: Max 12, plus staff• Structure:

– Icebreaker– Game and/or craft– Read Aloud– Another game and/or craft– Library Awareness– Evaluation– Treat– Sometimes a book talk at the end until time is up

• Remember the importance of their feedback, verbal and thru evaluation form

• Don’t be so serious!

Example: Pink and Say

• Theme: The Civil War• Book for Read Aloud: Pink

and Say by Patricia Polacco

• To prepare:– Collect books about the Civil

War– Research Civil War

game/craft ideas– Research Civil War food

ideas– Collect several copies of the

book

Example: Pink and Say Continued

• Icebreaker: Adjective/Alliteration Names to introduce ourselves and our personalities– Example:– Each person must say the names given before them and then their own.

• Movement Game: Ampe– An African game similar to Rock, Paper, Scissors– Video on laptop from Ghana that shows how to play– A tournament!

• Game: Civil War Slang– A matching game of civil war slang and the modern definitions– Examples: Bread Basket, Lucifers, Sheet Iron Crackers, Jump the Broom

• Read Aloud: Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco– Let each student have a copy to follow along and see the artwork up close

• Library Services Awareness– Tell them about the public libraries, share bookmarks and brochures, answer

questions– Recent contests or events the library is hosting at the facility

• Closing: Snack and discussion– Eat hard tack! Give them water and a piece of candy to “fix” the taste

Other Program Ideas• Native Americans – The Absolutely True Diary

of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie• Building Big – The Man Who Walked Between

the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein• Integrity – Black and White by Paul Volponi• Books with Bite (Halloween) – Featuring a

short story about a vampire• Kids as Writers – Teen Ink• Under the Sea – The Fantastic Undersea Life

of Jacques Cousteau• Oodles of Doodles – The Pencil by Alan

Ahlberg• Shakespeare Can Be Fun – The Reduced

Shakespeare Company• Science Fiction – The Hunger Games• Origami (and paper art) – One Red Spot by

David A. Carter

Program Structure & Ideas

• Anything to add to program structure?• Any other program themes?• Any books that you’ve used?

Evaluations

Contest Ideas

• Summer Reading– Read 7 hours– Staff initials– Coupon to a local restaurant– Entered into a grand prize drawing

• Book Review– Entered into a grand prize drawing

• Drawing Contest– Cover of the next what’s up? magazine

• Reading BINGO– Example: Printz Award winners on the squares, read in a line to

win a cool prize and be entered into a grand prize drawing

Other Ideas

• What’s up? magazine

FRONT BACK

Other Ideas

• What are your ideas?

Book Ideas• Walter Dean Myers• The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne

Collins• Bluford High• James Patterson• Gary Paulsen• Money Hungry by Sharon Flake• Begging For Change by Sharon Flake• Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser• Can’t Get There from Here by Todd Strasser• Boot Camp by Todd Strasser• Kimani Tru• Ellen Hopkins• Orca Soundings• Maximum Ride series by James Patterson• The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon• The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

(although this has died down some)• Religious books

• Biographies about teens/adults living on the streets, overcoming addiction, were locked up and are turning their lives around, abuse, etc.

• Books about teen-parenting for moms AND for dads (this is popular!)

Outside Visitors

• Find authors, artists, local business owners, magicians, musicians, motivational speakers, etc. to visit the facility during your program

• Examples of visitors:– Owner of local Comic Store– Magician– Author: Elizabeth Wein (A Coalition of Lions)– Author: Holly Payne (Kingdom of Simplicity)– Musician: Tammi (African Drumming)– Flow Circus: Juggling Workshop

Books/Online Tools For Librarians

• Serving At-Risk Teens: Proven Strategies and Programs for Bridging the Gap by Angela Craig

• Hold Them in Your Heart: Successful Strategies for Library Services to At-Risk Teens (Teens @ the Library Series) by JoAnn G. Mondowney

• Extreme Teens: Library Services to Nontraditional Young Adults (Libraries Unlimited Professional Guides for Young Adult Librarians Series) by Sheila B. Anderson

• BLOG: What’s Good? School Media Reviews for the Passages Crew (the library team at Passages Academy, the New York City Department of Education school for incarcerated and detained youth) http://whatsgoodinthelibrary.blogspot.com/

Writing Grants

• Check local newspapers• Check websites for local organizations like United Way,

Rotary Club, etc.• Collect data now

– Evaluations after each program– Surveys after contests– Track participation in contests– Know the number of students you are serving/have served and

their demographics• Have “possible projects” in mind that you’ve already

thought out• Having these ideas in place will make it less time

consuming when an opportunity arises!

Library Organization& Acquisitions

• Consider involvement in other ways!• Label books and shelves• Catalog books through a program like LibraryThing

(librarything.com)• Create a check-out station if possible (self-help if no librarian)• Self-help posters if librarians are not on duty in the library

– How to find what you like– How to return a book to the right place on the shelf

• Create a “book drop off” place for returns• Learn what the students like to read

– Give them opportunities to request books: Evaluations, Verbally, Suggestion Box

• Purchase books for the center with your library budget or work out a system with the center where you can give input

• Use posters and other fun displays to make the library a happy place – You can even paint the walls!

Photos inside the YIC Library

Communicate Constantly

• Be in constant communication with your facility, if you can

• Find out how your contact likes to communicate– Email– Phone

• Find out what’s going on:– How are numbers – are they up or down?– What are the current demographics – have they changed?– New programs you could collaborate with?– What ways can you help?– How many students will you have in your program? Will it be

boys or girls?

Share With Others

Thank you!Laura E. Kauffman

Special Services, Library System of Lancaster County

Email: lkauffman@lancasterlibraries.orgPhone: 717-207-0500 x1254

Blog: www.whatsupwiththelibrary.blogspot.com Website: www.lancasterlibraries.org