Geeking Out the Library: Social Networking and Teens in the Library

Teens spend more time online than any previous generation. In part, this is due to a dearth of physical places where teens can congregate after the school, but also because the web is a place which is considered “theirs”. Many adults are uncomfortable in or unfamiliar with the social settings which are common in Web 2.0 whereas today’s teens have never known a world without Internet.

This is something that educators and librarians are only beginning to understand. Adoption of Web 2.0 aspects -- such as social networking, blogging and podcasts – into classrooms has been slow. Research into how teens use and rely upon Web 2.0 has only scratched the surface. Librarians and educators need to delve deeper into both how teens use social media and other web outlets to better understand how teens interact with each other and their world, providing learning in a context that is more suited to their preferred environment.

In “More than MySpace: Teens, Librarians and Social Networking” by Robyn M. Lupa, the idea is put forth that librarians, both school and public, must lead the way for educators to take hold of and understand the new mediums through which teens are meeting. Old standards and stereotypes are holding back both the teens seeking to access information and educators attempting to pass on information. Lupa states that “[i]f we want to remain relevant to teens’ needs, it only makes sense that, as organizations, we need to use the same tools that teens do to communicate.”

Scholarly literature describes both positives as well as potential drawbacks to social networking; researchers overwhelmingly support teen social networking as a phenomenon that is here to stay. Adolescents need their own spaces for socialization that are not defined by adults, but these spaces can be difficult for teens to create, define, and explore in a physical world regulated by adults. The online world affords teens a status equal to adults and allows friends to connect even in adult-regulated spaces. 

Social media presents a real opportunity for librarians to engage with teen patrons and help them to define and develop their own social networks, both in and outside of library walls.