Rethinking Teen Services in Rural Communities
As a teen librarian in rural Minnesota, I was especially excited to attend the session Activating Teen Services in Rural Communities. It was the first session I attended at PLA 2026, and presenters Cejay Johnson, Marie Guenette, and Kristy Calhoun of the King County Library System absolutely delivered.
The presenters did not shy away from discussing the realities of working with teens in rural communities. Budget limitations, transportation barriers, and the challenge of building and sustaining a teen audience are all significant hurdles in creating successful teen services programs.
One of the most impactful ideas shared during the session was the importance of building networks with adults and organizations that work with teens, regardless of whether those organizations are library-related. The presenters emphasized that community partnerships are not only useful for cross-promotion, but also for relationship-building. Showing up to support community initiatives, even when they are not directly connected to the library, can help build trust with both teens and partner organizations.
The presenters noted that some of their biggest successes in connecting teens to library services came from seemingly unrelated community events. That idea really resonated with me.
Another concept I appreciated was the idea of creating a “teen asset map” for a community or region. What spaces, organizations, and programs already exist to support teens, and how can that information be shared publicly? As librarians and information professionals, gathering and disseminating that information fits naturally within our work. For me, this was one of those moments where I thought, “How have I never considered this before?”
The session also offered practical suggestions for addressing transportation and budget challenges. The presenters reminded attendees that “the library can be anywhere” and shared ideas for low-cost programming in offsite locations.
I was particularly interested in the presenters’ ideas for making middle school booktalking visits more interactive. Suggestions included incorporating trivia games or asking students to guess a book’s genre based on its cover. Anyone who has tried to keep a room full of 12- and 13-year-olds engaged during a booktalk knows how challenging that can be, and these ideas felt both realistic and adaptable.
Perhaps the most important takeaway for me was the reminder to rethink what success in teen librarianship looks like. The presenters described teen services as, at times, a “profession of failure,” because it often involves trying many different approaches before finding what works for a particular community. Even then, teens’ interests, schedules, and needs constantly change.
I appreciated the reminder that teens value consistency, fairness, and authenticity, and that meaningful teen engagement does not have to involve a packed calendar of in-library programs. Meeting teens where they are, both literally and metaphorically, is what ultimately creates strong teen services, and that approach will look different in every community.
Tags: pla2026scholarship
