Library Program Proposal Accident Branch of the Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County December 10, 2013 Program

name: Teen Book Clubs Our county currently has no programming for teens, other than their being invited to attend homeschooling programs, which are aimed at elementary school-age children. This program would fill a gap between elementary and adult programs, meeting our librarys goal of providing services designed to meet the recreational, educational, and cultural needs of the community. It would be for grades 7-10, primarily because once they hit sixteen, their lives become too busy with work, sports, and socializing. I thought of having one club for girls and moms [or substitutes: grandmothers, aunts, guardians] and a second club for boys and dads [or substitutes: grandfathers, uncles, guardians] because at this age, the girls and boys can establish a relationship with a role model/mentor who reads, thinks critically, and expresses her or his opinion before a group. Ideally, through discussing the same books, a channel of communication will develop between them, a shared language, that will continue to bridge the generation gap during the teen years, when such channels become frayed, yet are more important than ever. Potential community partners would be the nearby schools: Northern Middle School and Northern High School. I think the English and Social Studies teachers, especially, would support such a club, and would announce its creation to their students. Any After School Activity Coordinators would be notified. I would also contact the Garrett Mentors group, to see if any of them are working with kids of this age group. If so, they might consider this as a possible shared activity. The steps necessary would be: 1. Find a male volunteer to lead the boys group 2. Decide on names, dates, times, and location (Perhaps meeting while the library is closed, since we dont have a meeting room, or meeting in Grantsville instead) 3. Decide on books for each group 4. Decide on size limits? 5. Find funding for the purchase of paperback copies of the books, two per family 6. Order copies of the first few books 7. Develop brochures for each book they can use as bookmarks, on which will be questions about the book, such as: why you liked the book, why you disliked the book, questions you would like to ask the author, a favorite quote, and book-specific questions. 8. Develop possible activities and/or snacks for each book (?) 9. Develop and implement an advertising campaign The program would be evaluated by attendance and whether or not the participants are reading the books. This is a program I would like to implement, but I would have to do more research about how teen programs have been attended in the past and get approval.

Monday, January 6 , 2014

Ruth Enlow Library Oakland, Maryland

News Release For Immediate Release Contact:
Bonetta Winters 301-334-3996 x117

Teen Book Clubs Offered at the Accident Branch Library The Accident Branch of the Ruth Enlow Library will host two new book clubs for teens (grades 7-10) and their parents or other relatives or guardians. Books will be provided and the clubs are free and open to the public. Free pizza will be available at the first meetings. Reading and discussing the same books will open lines of communication between the generations that should continue through the teen years, said a library spokesperson. Participants are asked to register by signing up in person or calling Susan at 301-746-8792 or by emailing susan@relib.net. The first club, for girls and moms, will meet on the first Wednesday of each month during the school year, from 5:30 6:30 p.m., starting on February 5th, 2014. It will be led by branch manager Susan Haydel, and the first book to be discussed will be Rebecca Steads When You Reach Me. The second club, for boys and dads, will meet on the third Wednesday of each month during the school year, from 5:30 6:30 p.m., starting on February 12th, 2014. It will be led by Mike Voelgel, and the first book to be discussed will be Gary Paulsons Notes from the Dog. The librarys book collection includes many award-winning juvenile and teen books, which can be browsed online at www.relib.net. To access the online catalog, patrons should click the Catalog tab in the top navigation bar of the Home page. A listing of events and services at the Ruth Enlow Library is available on the website at www.relib.net. Follow the library on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RuthEnlowLibrary.

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