Why We’re Here

I’d like to ask you all to put on your Armchair Philosopher hats for a moment and ponder two things. Ready? Here we go:

Who was I when I was a teenager?

AND

Why am I here now, working in a public library, working with teens?

To me, librarianship is a calling. It’s about books, yes, but it’s more about bringing what’s inside those books (and websites, audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, newspapers, programs, etc.) to PEOPLE! And my extra special favorite people are teens and tweens.

Many of you have heard me say that I would not relive my own tween and early teen years for all the money in the world. This is what I think about when I’m working with a particularly . . . challenging . . . teen. It’s hell being a teenager—thank goodness it doesn’t last long and it’s not contagious! But teens are still sponges—they are learning, growing, changing--often right before our eyes.

Did you know that what teens experience in these years actually gets hardwired into their brains? So if they are being exposed to new things, new information, new skills, that will make their brains all stretchy and bright.

And what better time to help them figure out who they are and who they can be and make their brains and stretchy and bright as possible than summer?

If we frame Teen Summer Reading (for ourselves, at least) as an adventure and an opportunity to help teens in this way, not just as a two-month long exercise in pain and futility, it can’t help but become more fun, not just for teens, but for us, too.

To misquote Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby: "If you're a LIBRARIAN," Abby says, "you get to help people find their dreams. Not just with magic. My mommy says that you don't need magic for everything. Sometimes magic is just being a good listener to someone and helping them find their way. And know what's in their heart. If you can help people see be what's in their heart, that's magic AND LIBRARIANSHIP."

Cash in the Coffee Can = $54.00