Many library systems around the country rely on the help of volunteers to make our workflows successful. In my system, this includes teen volunteers, and in the summer paid teen employees. If you are new to working with teens, you may feel apprehensive about how to manage their workflow. Whether you work with teens as summer volunteers or school year employees, these tips can help you set them up for success!
- Start with relationship building
- As with any working relationship, getting to know one another is essential. This will allow you to build a connection with the teens you are working alongside, and discover areas of interest for future projects.
- Teach them what they need to know
- While most of us know the basics of shelving and the classifications that our own libraries use, new teen workers do not! Taking time to explain how processes work, modeling for them how to do tasks, and then allowing them to show you the task with supervision is a great way to help them learn the skills they need to be successful. It can also help to prevent mistakes further down the line. Always presume competence, but don’t assume that they know the ins and outs of our chosen field!
- Support them
- Scheduling regular check-ins was a favorite of my summer employee this year. For the first week or so that she started in her position, we would touch base each morning and create a list of tasks for her to work on. These were often the same each day, but it helped her to see what tasks needed to be repeated daily and which were less frequent. These check-ins also allowed me to follow up on previous training and find out if more support was needed.
- Provide feedback
- It would be great if when we learn a new skill, we all mastered it straight away. However, that is not usually the case. If you notice your teen employees making mistakes, find ways to constructively correct them. Don’t be overly critical and offer to review any tasks that they might have questions about.
If you’re new to managing teen volunteers, check out these handy tasks guides that I created. One highlights my system’s shelving procedures, as well as other collections-related tasks. The other highlights program assistance. I really enjoy using these as a basis for training new volunteers and teen employees, as it breaks down tasks into manageable steps, and allows room for reflection and questions.
This post addresses ALSC core competencies 6.7, 6.8, and 7.8.
Annaliese Melvin (she/they) is a children’s librarian at a neighborhood library in Washington, D.C. Originally from Pennsylvania, she moved to the DC-area in 2020 to become a special education teacher after graduating with her bachelor’s from Arcadia University. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and transitioned into the library field. Annaliese currently works to bring more inclusive programming to DC Public Libraries for children of all ages. She is passionate about equity, inclusion, reading, and Philadelphia sports.