Teen Advisory Board Meeting

Today I stood in for my partner in crime and facilitated the Teen Advisory Board. It was so refreshing to be around such a great group of teens, the gave me energy and smiles in a pretty dismal view of life. We started by talking about upcoming programs and they were fueled by my passion for BBW and I am so glad to have such a neat group of teens inspired by something that inspires me so much.
Another topic we talked about was Teen Read Week. My co-worker and I are going to do a display together and we want to recreate a teens bookbag. I had them bring their bookbags and share their contents with me. I thought they might think it was cheesy, but it seemed they really enjoyed letting me and the other teens at the meeting into such a frivilous and personal aspect of themselves. Here are some neat still-life photos they help me compose...









We then painted some of the bookends for the shelves in the YA area. It gave them a chance to put a bit of themselves and their creativity into the YA area. They had a lot of fun and I think they will look great on our shelves.

Banned Books Display

Every year I look forward to Banned Books Week and plan a big event for my teens at the library. BBW really stirs a passion in me that reminds me of the flame I had as a teenager... believing that some how I can make a difference in the world and caring enough to speak my mind and go against the grain. I also love how talking about BBW to teens gets them surging with that passion. Readers or not, teens feel something about this issue.
This year will be no different and I have kicked off the crusade with a display in the foyer of the library. Here are some pictures...