Building Great Programs for Patrons in Their 20s and 30s

1. Building Great Programs for
Patrons in Their
20s and 30s
Presented by Katie LaMantia & Emily Vinci
October 21, 2015

2. Before we get started…

3. Happy Back to the
Future Day!

5. Officially established October 2013 and gaining momentum
ever since.

6. Let’s start with a question...
Does your library currently have programs that
cater specifically to the 20s-30s demographic?

7. Getting Started
❖Defining the Demographic
❖Defining your Mission and Goals
❖Reaching all genders and programming themes

8. Who are Millennials/New Adults?
❖ Wide range of life experiences and current situations: graduations,
establishing careers, marriages, births, relocations, etc.
❖ Comfortable with technology
❖ An established social scene
❖ Developed means of exploring their interests
❖ Want a social element to their activities
❖ Born after Gen X
❖ Broadly defined as reaching young adulthood around the year 2000

9. Traditional Library Programming
Kids
Teens
Adults/Seniors

10. Mission and Goals
We want…
❖ patrons of all ages to see the library as a place for them in
the community.
❖ all patrons to view the library as relevant to their lifestyle.
❖ to provide social opportunities as well as opportunities for
personal growth and fulfillment.

11. Reaching all genders
Include a variety of programming to appeal to many interests:
● Crafting
● Gaming
● Movie Night
● Home Brewing
● DIY Home Repairs
● Financial Planning

12. Themes to consider
Pop Culture/Entertainment
• Oscar Night
• Karaoke
Education/Personal Growth
• Money Smart Week
• Fitness Fair
DIY/Crafts
• UnValentine’s Day
• CrafterWork

13. NextGen Programs
❖The Nostalgia Factor
❖DIY and Crafting
❖Education and Personal Development
❖Getting Out of the Library
❖Strategic Timing
❖Series

14. The Nostalgia Factor
Don’t discount the power of nostalgia.
Basing programs on the pop culture of this demographic’s
childhood is a great way to appeal to and involve a wide variety
of people.

15. Nostalgia/Pop Culture Resources
● Buzzfeed
● Huffington Post
● Reddit
● Jezebel
● Tumblr
● Pinterest
*Patron and staff interest*

16. 90s Halloween Throwback
★ Pumpkin painting
★ DIY dirt cups
★ Goosebumps
★ Fruit Roll-Ups, Gushers,
Fruit-by-the-Foot
★ Trick-or-Treating candy
assortment

18. 80s Halloween Throwback to the Future
★ Watching Back to the Future II
★ 80s board games
★ Making scrunchies
★ Trick-or-Treating candy game

19. Preschool for Adults ★ Fingerpainting
★ Shrinkydinks
★ Playdoh
★ Legos
★ Coloring books
★ Spirographs
★ Juice boxes, animal
crackers, pudding
cups

20. Preschool for Adults

21. Say cheese!

22. B(ring) Y(our) O(wn) G(ame or system)
★ After-school snack
assortment
★ Participants brought a
variety of board games
as well as game
systems and video
games

24. DIY and Crafting
There’s virtually no end to the
different kinds of crafting and/or
DIY programs that you can hold.
These kinds of programs are
great for providing a fun, creative
atmosphere that encourages
participants to share and get to
know one another.

25. CrafterWork ★ Relaxed, social
atmosphere
★ Patrons were free to
bring their own crafts to
work on
★ We also provided
various craft supplies

26. UnValentine’s Day
★ Combined crafting -
making unValentines
and worry dolls
★ And activities - a piñata
and smashing candy
hearts

28. DIY Terrarium Workshop
★ Educational, but
messy, crafty and fun
★ Incorporate into
DIY/Crafting or office
decor
★ Participants were
able to leave with a
finished product at no
cost to them

30. Education and Personal Development
Opportunities for education and
personal development are
important for patrons of all ages.
Creating programming for patrons
in their 20s and 30s, however,
does bring with it different kinds of
education and personal
development programming that
can be as broad or as specific as
fits your community and the people
in it.

31. Kombucha
★ Instructor-led information
session about the health
benefits of kombucha and how
to brew it at home
★ Demonstration of the process
while allowing for tons of
questions and participant
interaction
★ Due to interest, we opened this
program to anyone 18+

32. Money Smart Week
★ First time renter
★ First time homebuyer
★ Deciphering financial
information
Adult Milestones

33. Fitness Fair and Self- Defense Class
★ Partner with local
fitness centers
★ New Year’s resolution
for healthy living and
exercise
★ Community event

34. Getting out of the library
In addition to meeting our patrons where they are in terms of
social media and digital outreach, we also need to meet them
where they are in the community.
If the members of this demographic are not spending a lot of
their time at the library, we can’t necessarily expect them to
come to us for programming. Instead, we take the programs
to them.

35. Strategic Timing
Work, family, friends take precedence
Experiment with days/times- gauge your community, ask for
feedback from your patrons
Try after-hours programming, like a Saturday night

36. Community Partnerships
Another plus to holding your programs outside of the library
is the strengthened community partnerships that can come
as a result of doing so. Whether you’re holding Trivia Night
at a local pub or teaming up with a local winery to hold a
tour a tasting, opportunities abound to create programming
that benefits your patrons, your program, and local
businesses.

37. Lynfred Winery
Tour & Tasting
November 2013

38. Junk Food and Wine Pairing
June 2014
Lynfred Winery

39. Beer Market
Tour & Tasting
June 2015

40. Cupcake Decorating at
Michaels Arts & Crafts
★ Held on a weeknight at a
local craft store
★ Taught by an employee of the
store
★ We purchased cupcakes and
supplies
★ Participants got to leave with
a finished product

42. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
★ Fall Night
★ Bonfire
★ Storyteller
★ Creepy walk in the woods
★ Crafts
★ S’mores and hot cider

44. Camp NextGen
★ Summer afternoon
★ Storyteller
★ Board games
★ Crafts
★ Snacks!
★ Scavenger hunt
★ Outdoor games

45. Series
Creating a programming series enables you to provide
consistent, reliable programs with a set date and location.
Participants know when and where to expect these
programs and are thus likely to keep coming back. Having
an established audience for your series programs can be
particularly helpful for promoting your stand-alone
programs.

46. Trivia
❖ Partner with a local restaurant or
bar
❖ Create trivia answer sheets
❖ Write trivia questions- use a trivia
board game, online generator,
etc.

47. Trivia can be done in many
different ways, here’s how we
run ours:
❖ 6 rounds, 5 questions in each
round
❖ Round 1- each question is worth 1
point, Round 2- 2 points, etc.
❖ Bonus Round- wager total

48. Young(ish) Adult Book Club
❖ Bi-monthly
❖ Books available 1 month prior
to program
❖ Alternate genres
❖ Incorporate other events-
viewing film adaptations

50. Questions?

51. What interests and hobbies do you have that would
make a good 20s/30s program?
- Share your thoughts in the chat
Now a question for you…

52. Marketing, results, and outcomes
❖Marketing & promotion
❖Budget
❖Measuring outcomes

53. Marketing
How will you reach this demographic?
Promoting your programs through your standard library
newsletter and website is a start, but consider also where
your demographic spends a good deal of their time online -
social media.

54. Branding
Creating branding for your
20s and 30s programming
isn’t absolutely necessary -
especially if you’re planning
to hold these kinds of
programs only sporadically,
but it can be helpful in
distinguishing your programs
as unique and set apart from
the rest of the library
programs.

55. Social Media
Facebook Group vs. Page
● Group allows all members to
contribute
● Posts show up as notifications
vs. not all page posts showing
up in a person’s newsfeed
● Being added to a group by an
administrator vs. “liking” a page
Other social media to
consider: Goodreads,
Instagram, Pinterest

56. ➔ contact information
➔ links to social media
➔ feed from library
calendar with
upcoming programs
➔ link to sign up for
constant contact
newsletter
➔ information about
community partners
Website & Direct Email Newsletter

57. ➔ pulled from patron database based on set age parameters (20 - 39)
➔ sent during the fourth week of the month advertising the next month’s events and
programs
➔ all-patron library newsletters are sent during the 1st and 3rd weeks, and we did
not want to overload people with library promotion

58. Working with your budget
❏ Pulling from multiple budgets
❏ Pooling resources
❏ Cultivating staff talent
❏ In our case, success of NextGen programming, shown
through statistics and monetary tracking led to creation
of new budget line for next Fiscal Year

59. Measuring Outcomes
How will you measure the success of your programs?
What outcomes are you hoping to see as a result of your 20s
and 30s programming?

60. Statistics and Breakdowns
❖Sign in sheet
➢ Name
➢ Age
➢ How did you hear about this program?
➢ Email
❖Post-program surveys

61. Post-program Sample Survey

63. Program breakdowns and results
Keep track of time and money spent: planning,
marketing, setup, length of event, etc.
Communicate back to management the results of
program, age breakdowns
Don’t discount the power of qualitative comments

64. Lessons Learned
and
Positive Outcomes

65. Out of the demographic
“Because the goal of this programming group is to provide unique programming
for people in the 20-39 age group, we prefer not to have anyone outside of this
age range, including young children, attend our events. If you feel you have
special circumstances and would like us to reconsider, please let us know.”
● With support from management, this was the policy we initially enforced
● Not dissimilar from YS and Teen having strict age restrictions on their
programs
● As the programs have grown, however, we continue to target
20s and 30s demographic, but do not enforce an age policy.
● Collaboration with other programmers in the library

66. Adults Facing Social Challenges
From our very first program, we have had participation
turnout from patrons on the Autism spectrum and others who
face social challenges.
After receiving feedback from parents of adults on the
spectrum, we researched the needs of these adults in our
community and reached out to organizations in the
communtiy to see what needs we could fill.

67. NextGen AFSC
 Launched in December 2014
 Programs held once a month and
attended by at least one professional
from one of our community partners
 Partners include Alexian Brothers
Autism Spectrum and Developmental
Disorders Resource Center, Harper
College Career Skills Institute, and
Northwest Special Recreation
Association

68. NextGen AFSC
 Casual, low-stress
 Emphasis on social interaction in
a space that feels safe
 Programs have included crafts,
board/video games, a genre
discussion, drawing class, green
screen workshop and a dating
rules/etiquette information session

69. Staff Involvement

70. - New to the Area
- Social Opportunities
- Post-College Life

71. Transition from Teens to Adults
Teens aging out of teen services want to continue
attending programs with members of their peer group.

72. Final Thoughts
● Numbers don’t always matter, especially in the
beginning. This is a great opportunity to try new things
and see what sticks.
● Some programs will fail, and you might for awhile like
you’re constantly having to tweak things and readjust.
● Patron feedback can be hugely helpful in deciding what
direct to steer in next.

73. A Year of Programming for
Millennials and More
Amy J. Alessio,
Katie LaMantia, and
Emily Vinci
American Library
Association

74. Additional Resources
Facebook Groups:
• Millennial Programming Ideas
• ALA Think Tank
• Programming Librarian Interest Group
Anythink Libraries, Colorado https://www.anythinklibraries.org/
Sacramento Public Library’s alt+library http://altlibrary.com/

75. Contact Information
Katie LaMantia Emily Vinci
klamantia@stdl.org evinci@stdl.org
schaumburglibrary.org/nextgen
facebook.com/groups/nextgenschaumburg/
nextgen@stdl.org

76. Questions?

77. Thank you for attending!

78. Image Credits
http://knitschtick.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/moving12.jpg
http://www.cupandvine.com/images/cupandvinelogofinal-01.png
http://www.toystorywallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/wallpapers/buzz_lightyear_flying_in_space_wallpaper_-_1280x800.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jo8oghvq0iU/UPLkBDO5y-I/AAAAAAAAADA/65vx5fI-MLE/s1600/open-book3.jpeg
http://pixabay.com/p-26604/?no_redirect
http://images.popmatters.com/news_art/c/chnnlsurf-90sallthat-splsh.jpg
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/01/31/video.games.smarter.steinberg/
http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/blog/50-more-craft-blogs
http://jumpnjax.com/?page_id=811
http://beradiantsquared.com/the-shift-financial-planning/
http://images.bwwstatic.com/tvnetworklogos/14A520B9-C1A3-ED0B-9AB1E4DAC880B252.jpg
http://hermentorcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/adulthood.jpg
http://www.ghvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/clock.jpg
http://www.openingdoorsdbq.org/photos/trivia2.gif
http://littlepinkchic.com/images/thumbnails/Frozen-olaf-thanks-thumb.jpg
https://tsc-site-page-resources.s3.amazonaws.com/prepare-for-preschool-F10837AD3C7C4075911A9F2BF36AA360.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/SaluteYOurShorts.png