18. “ Librarians do not kick teens out of the library. Teens get themselves kicked out of the library, because of their behavior.” ~ Nick Buron, NYPL Reminder!
29. RI Tip: Smile like you mean it! Thibault, Pascal; Pierre Gosselin, Marie-Lise Brunel and Ursula Hess. “Children’s and adolescents’ perception of the authenticity of smiles. ” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology . Volume 102, Issue 3, March 2009, pages 360-367
They love to challenge authority and are notoriously moody - are we talking about teens, or two-year-olds? Teen brain development may rival that of the toddler years and perhaps that explains the attitude and characteristics of this historically underserved age group! Discuss underlying factors that may influence teen behaviours and learn how librarians can address patron behaviour issues in a way that will develop positive relationships with young adults.
1976-1996
“ If you work in a library, you know this scenario: You can hear them coming before they actually hit the door. They travel in duos or groups - perhaps better called packs – and they bring their noise and chatter with them. Once inside the library, they are a challenge to all. At the reference desk, they ask demanding questions that require constant follow-up. They have very specific needs, as though there is only one answer to their question and it is some kind of test for you to find it. Even worse are those who ask the same simple questions requiring repeatedly the same sources, year after year. Some are adept at computers and microfilm, but most are not. They may also dress funny and behave oddly. Disorganization rules as they spread out their mounds of paper until they’ve buried an entire table (or tables). They rarely say “Thank you.” To the nonreference staff they are pestering – needing change for the copies, wanting special favors because they are “regulars” and often leaving a mess of crumpled paper and food crumbs behind them. Because of this pestering, and also because they are loud disorganized, messy and difficult, most staff consider them obnoxious and are happy to see them go away or find a specialist to help them. They are a difficult user group indeed.” (Patrick Jones, Connecting Young Adults and Libraries, second edition 2000 p 71) Thank goodness I work with teenagers, and not with genealogists…
Cultural: Who taught you how to behave in the library? How do patrons know how to behave in the library Sociological Who do teens spend their time with? Personal What are some personal issues teens face the might influence behavior? Psychological What are teens going through during adolescence? What are the unique experiences that characterize them?
The corpus callosum stopped developing around age 5 (grows through adolescence) The brain didn’t grow after age 10 (grows through adolescence) Myelination was complete before puberty (continues well into young adulthood) The Frontal lobe grows at the same rate as it did during the toddler years! Poor decisions Poor management
Girl’s brains myelinate faster than boys – may account for earlier “emotional maturity” The amygdala prompter of gut impulses grows faster in boys, prompting development of physical and spatial skills, and other cerebellum processes The hippocampus memory center grows faster in girls, prompting development in social cognition Results: Reacting Poor memory/recall Lack of focus and attention Poor organizational skills Bad impulse control
Brain development REM sleep has been linked to learning ability Sleep deprivation results in: Crankiness Depression Insomnia Perceived laziness Lack of energy Poor judgment
Teens rebel when they have something to rebel against. Increase their responsibilities and freedom of choice, and they have nothing to rebel against, and can use their energy for other purposes.
Strive to offer quality service to all patrons. Take an interest in teen culture and activities. Get out from behind the desk. Be enthusiastic and respectful. Involve students as often as possible – volunteer opportunities, creating displays, tailoring your website to reflect current assignments, showcasing student work, etc…
Strive to offer quality service to all patrons. Take an interest in teen culture and activities. Get out from behind the desk. Be enthusiastic and respectful. Involve students as often as possible – volunteer opportunities, creating displays, tailoring your website to reflect current assignments, showcasing student work, etc… Talk to teens when they do something RIGHT Introduce yourself, repeatedly Greet teensby name Get out from behind the desk Get out of the library
Engage teens in meaningful participation Give teens positive ways to expend their energy Strive to offer quality service to all patrons. Take an interest in teen culture and activities. Get out from behind the desk. Be enthusiastic and respectful. Involve students as often as possible – volunteer opportunities, creating displays, tailoring your website to reflect current assignments, showcasing student work, etc…
Strive to offer quality service to all patrons. Take an interest in teen culture and activities. Get out from behind the desk. Be enthusiastic and respectful. Involve students as often as possible – volunteer opportunities, creating displays, tailoring your website to reflect current assignments, showcasing student work, etc…
PICKLES are those special or extra things you do to make people happy. It's a hand written thank you note with every order shipped. It's walking the customer to the item they're looking for rather than pointing... or maybe it's simply calling them by name. The trick is figuring out what your customers want and then making sure they get it. That's the message behind Give ’em the PICKLE! Dear Mr. Farrell, I’ve been coming to your restaurant for over three years. I always order a #2 hamburger and a chocolate shake. I always ask for an extra pickle and I always get one. Mind you, this has been going on once or twice a week for three years. I came into your restaurant the other day and I ordered my usual #2 hamburger and a chocolate shake. I asked the young waitress for an extra pickle. I believe she was new because I hadn’t seen her before. She said, “Sir, I will sell you a side of pickles for $1.25.” I told her, “No, I just want one extra slice of pickle. I always ask for it and they always give it to me. Go ask your manager.” She went away and came back after speaking to the manager. The waitress looked me in the eye and said, “I’ll sell you a pickle for a nickel.” Mr Farrell, I told her what to do with her pickle, hamburger and milkshake. I’m not coming back to your restaurant if that’s the way you’re going to run it. “ ~The Customer www.giveemthepickle.com
Be approachable! Don’t judge or assume. Recently, Thibault and colleagues described the Duchenne marker as a cultural dialect for the perception of smile authenticity. The current study had the goal to follow up on this finding and to investigate the cues that French Canadian children use to evaluate the authenticity of smiles from members of three ethnic groups. The authenticity of six smiles differing in intensity and presence of orbicularis oculi (Duchenne marker) was rated by 1206 children from 4 to 17 years of age. No differences were found as a function of encoder group. All children perceived medium Duchenne smiles as more authentic than equally intense medium non-Duchenne smiles. Furthermore, results suggest a decrease in the reliance on intensity across the age span. Younger children use the intensity marker along the whole continuum to infer authenticity. In contrast, older children (14- to 17-year-olds) rated all smiles that did not contain the Duchenne marker as roughly equally low in authenticity. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Volume 102, Issue 3 , March 2009, Pages 360-367 University of Ottawa, ON Canada
Be approachable! Don’t judge or assume. Recently, Thibault and colleagues described the Duchenne marker as a cultural dialect for the perception of smile authenticity. The current study had the goal to follow up on this finding and to investigate the cues that French Canadian children use to evaluate the authenticity of smiles from members of three ethnic groups. The authenticity of six smiles differing in intensity and presence of orbicularis oculi (Duchenne marker) was rated by 1206 children from 4 to 17 years of age. No differences were found as a function of encoder group. All children perceived medium Duchenne smiles as more authentic than equally intense medium non-Duchenne smiles. Furthermore, results suggest a decrease in the reliance on intensity across the age span. Younger children use the intensity marker along the whole continuum to infer authenticity. In contrast, older children (14- to 17-year-olds) rated all smiles that did not contain the Duchenne marker as roughly equally low in authenticity. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Volume 102, Issue 3 , March 2009, Pages 360-367 University of Ottawa, ON Canada
The readers’ advisory interview uses the same welcoming behaviors as the reference interview. Approachability is the key. Use appropriate body language and make sure patrons understand you have time to talk books and reading with them. The open question varies in the readers’ advisory interview from the reference interview. In the readers’ advisory interview, you are trying to engage the patron in a conversation that elicits a broad set of information about their reading interests and habits. The two phrases you can use are: “ Tell me about a book you read that you really enjoyed.” “ Tell me the story of the last book you enjoyed.” These will elicit the information you need from the patron to appropriately suggest books that match their needs and interests. Here are some categories to watch for as you try to gauge and match their interests. * Genre: Does the patron enjoy mysteries, biographies, or romance novels? * Setting: Where is the story set? One city or around the world? Outdoors? * Time: When is the story taking place? Past, present, future? * Length: Does the patron like short stories or epic novels? * Hero: Is the main character innocent or sophisticated? One hero or many? * Plot: Does the story have a point? A definite beginning and end? * Pacing: Does the author move the story with action or dialogue? * Subject: What or who is the book ultimately about? Readers enjoy books for many reasons. Some become connected to a particular type of story or genre. Some enjoy one genre, such as mysteries, but only if they are set in a particular country, such as English mysteries. They may need a particular setting, such as mountains or small towns, or need a particular subject in the background, such as horseracing, to pique their interest. Almost all readers go through periods of change in their reading habits as they move through life. Assuming that your regular patrons only want one type of reading material year after year limits them and you in achieving their reading goals. Some of the best ways to improve your skills in readers’ advisory are to keep a record of your own reading, browse the new book shelves and best seller lists regularly, and set a goal of doing at least one readers’ advisory interview each reference shift. Hints and Tips for Readers’ Advisory * Browse with the patron – be among the books as you move along in the readers’ advisory interview to allow them time to look over new materials. * Find the common thread in their reading habits and don’t be afraid to suggest books outside their normal genre or subject if you see a connection. * SUGGEST books, don’t recommend. Recommending books means that you are endorsing them, or creating the illusion that you know a “good” book from a “bad” book. When you suggest, you are letting the patron make a choice without feeling pressure from the “expert.” * Let the patron say “No” and don’t feel like a failure when they do. When a patron doesn’t like a particular suggestion, you can gain valuable information. * Watch for easily misunderstood phrases like “good literature” or “classics.” Some readers think Stephen King is a classic writer, while others will disdain any popular author. * Use a follow up question like “Be sure to let us know how you liked the book." or "Are there any other books I can help you find." Key Behaviors * Talk books at the reference desk with other staff so patrons can feel comfortable asking for help. Patrons will hear you and respond with questions of their own. * Be prepared for a discussion and for personal questions – Remember, in these cases the patron is not your friend, but your customer. However, there is more of a social connection with reading, especially for pleasure, than with searching for information, so be prepared to have patrons ask about your reading habits. A general response like “I enjoy all types of books, that’s why I work in a library. Let’s see if we can find something for you” is usually effective. * Use displays for attracting attention (new books, genres, formats). * Be VERY careful when suggesting books in a series. Some patrons love series, and some do not. Make sure if you are suggesting the first book in a trilogy that you tell the patron about the series. Or, if you suggest a book out of order in a series, make sure the patron knows how it fits into the larger series. Some series books can be read in any order, and some need sequence in order to make sense. * Encourage patrons to select more than one book. Patrons usually need several choices once they get home to make sure they have a successful reading experience. Choosing more than one item will encourage them to experiment. The key to successful readers’ advisory services is to have a commitment to serving readers in the library. A responsive attitude and maintaining a neutral stance on the “quality” of an individual’s reading habits will encourage good readers’ advisory interviews. Be aware of popular titles and hot topics, and understand that there are many tools to help you along the way.