This presentation was given at the Computers in Libraries conference in Washington DC on April 7th, 2013.

1. +
Teen Library Users:
Engaging the Next
Generation
Margaret Portier
Director of Innovative Family Services
Fayetteville Free Library

2. +
Fayetteville Free
Library
 Suburban library
 Chartered to serve 10,000
 School district highly ranked in
science and math
 Supportive community
 Active volunteer base
 7 full-time librarians

3. +
Fayetteville Free Library
Culture of Innovation
 Open discussions
 Monthly staff forum and
directors’ meeting
 Flexibility
 LIS student clerks
 Universal staff buy-in
 Maker culture

4. +
Full STEAM Ahead!
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math aren’t just for
schools.

5. +
Common Core and STEAM
 More age-interesting nonfiction
 More historically accurate
fiction
 Displays that match current
school projects
 Growing graphic novel and
manga collections
 Fiction and nonfiction
 More programming around
these core subjects
 Maker Culture
 Embrace the community’s
interests
 Trick teens into learning
 Start young
 Don’t leave out the parents
and educators
Common Core STEAM

6. + Teen Programming at
the FFL
LEGO Robotics
First Lego League
Mission:LEGO
STEAMPunk Club!
Creation Club
Teen Volunteer Opportunities
Future Teen Engagement

7. +
FIRST® LEGO® League
FIRST LEGO League is an international competitive LEGO Robotics
team for 9-14 year-olds that involves programming LEGO robots,
completing a public service research project, and learning teamwork
and cooperation.

8. +
FFL’s The Inside Joke
 10 members
 Ages 9-14
 All levels of abilities
 2012 Challenge: Senior Solutions
 Robot Game
 Project
 Core Values

9. +
Mission:LEGO
An opportunity for teens to learn about programming and LEGO
robotics in a hands-on mission based after-school program

10. + Your Mission:LEGO, should you choose
to accept it…
 Materials:
 LEGO Mindstorms Kits
 Computers (one per kit)
 Kids
 Process
 Introduce the pieces
 Introduce the software
 Separate into teams
 Announce the Mission
 Or have them come up
with it
Materials Process

11. +
STEAMPunk Club!
A steampunk genre reading club that includes
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math projects.

12. +
STEAMPunk Club!
• Each month sponsored by
a steampunk YA novel
• Book discussion
• Hands on projects

13. +
STEAMPunk! Projects
• Hot air balloons
• Salt water and air batteries
• Wind turbines
• Takeapart
• Skeletons

14. +
Creation Club
An afterschool club for middle school students interested in digital
media.

15. +
FFL Community
Creation Lab
(and FFL Fab Lab)
Adobe Creative Suite
Green screen wall
Video cameras
Podcast station
iLife Suite
iPads
3D Printers
3D modelling software
http://fflib.org/learn/make

16. +
Creation Club
•1st week of the month – Workshop on how to use something in the Creation
Lab
•Last week of the month – Share what you made this month

17. +
Creation Club
 February – Podcast
 Audacity
 March – Image editing
 Adobe Photoshop
 April – Movie editing
 iMovie
 3D modelling
 Google Sketch-up
 Autodesk 123D
 Blender
 Advanced video editing
 Using the green screen
 Adding effects
 Music creation
 Garageband
 Audacity
So far in 2013… Coming soon…

18. +
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the
Creation Club’s creations!

19. +
Teen Volunteer Opportunities
Getting teens to volunteer to do what they do best.

20. +
Teen Corps of Volunteers
 Adopt a Shelf
 Event support
 Display arrangement
 Program prep support
 Processing project assistance
 Smart Play

21. +
Teen Tech Squad
 One-on-one technology
assistance
 Drop-in help desk
 Trained on troubleshooting
most common technology
issues
 Assist with FFL IT initiatives

22. +
Digital Media Expert League
 Trained on all technologies in the Creation Lab
 Provide support and training of patrons during drop-in hours in the
Creation Lab
 Create digital content for the FFL

23. +
Bookworms
 Prepare and run FFL Book
Sales
 Use detective skills to
determine category/genre of
books
 Add books to FFL Book Sale
LibraryThing account
 Shelve FFL Book Sale books

24. +
Future Teen Engagement
To infinity and beyond…

25. +
Onward and Upward!
 Minecraft free play drop-in
program
 Comic and Manga Read/Write
Forum
 Recruit teen volunteers
 More Making
 More STEAM programming
 More involvement with families
 More opportunities for teens to
participate collaboratively
 More teen leaders
 More fun!
Coming Soon Big Goals

26. +
Margaret Portier
Director of Innovative Family Services
mportier@fflib.org
Twitter: @tophile
www.fflib.org