Core Competencies for Youth and Teen Librarians

In addition to reading the ALA Core Competencies (my opinions on which I’ll discuss in class), I also looked over the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Competencies and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Competencies. I know that I want to work in a public library, and though I can’t decide whether I would rather work in adult, teen, or youth services (to tell the truth, initially, it will probably depend on job opportunities), I am interested in learning as much as I can about each area of librarianship. I’ll save my thoughts on the ALA competences for class, but in this entry, I want to discuss a few of the ALSC and YALSA points that I find particularly important.

Two of the ALSC points that interested me the most were Section III Point 2, “[The librarian] listens and interacts actively when speaking individually with children, families, other patrons, and staff, paying genuine attention to what is being communicated, and confirming understanding,” and Section V Point 3 “[The librarian] respects the patron’s right to browse regardless of age, and provides nonjudgmental answers to their questions.” Though the language doesn’t specifically say this, I interpret both of these points saying (among other things) librarians should not talk down to their patrons, including children. I remember, as a child, becoming frustrated with adults who dumbed everything down and babied me. Conversely, I remember loving it when adults spoke to me in the same voice they used when they spoke to my parents. It may be easy for librarians to break point III-2, and not take all requests from children seriously—they’re kids, what are they going to do? Do they really know what they want?—but if all librarians treat children as patrons with rights to be in the library, the library will become (or remain) a place the kids want to visit.

Which naturally transitions into the subject of the points that interested me most in the YALSA Competencies: namely, keeping teens interested in the library. Section II point 2, “Keep up-to-date with popular culture and technological advances that interest young adults,” strikes me a way that Teen Services Librarians can become, if not peers, relatable to teens, thus making the library somewhat relatable. Another point in the YALSA Competencies that caught my attention was section I point 4, “Encourage young adults to become lifelong library users by helping them to discover what libraries offer, how to use library resources, and how libraries can assist them in actualizing their overall growth and development.” Though this point is quite broad, it reminded me of some specifics that my local library is hoping to put forth within the next few years. These specifics are a part of the hefty strategic plan for the library (for those interested in reading, this issue is related to Service Initiative Three), and some of the ones I found particularly intriguing involved giving teens leadership roles in library (and community) volunteer efforts, promoting teens through volunteer ranks, and creating a mentoring program where teens mentor tweens. By creating programs that allow teens to grow within the library and get them involved in positions of responsibility, it keeps teens interested in the library (while helping them—bonus!)