DAVID SENATOR: The stereotype of the spinster librarian with the cardigan and the bun and the glasses that says shush, that’s all changed. Librarians now they have tattoos, and colored hair, and personalities. There are all types because now they are a reflection of the communities that they serve.
STEVE MOSER: I’ve been shushed by more patrons than I’ve shushed. (Laughter)
I’m rarely quiet.
CHELSEA YERGENS: Although shushing these days is like, ‘hey can you not have your phone on speaker phone, please’.
RENEE WILDE: David Senator, Steve Moser and Chelsea Yergens are teen services librarians at the Dayton Metro Library. David works at the Miamisburg Branch, Steve at the Trotwood branch and Chelsea at Huber Heights.
YERGENS: The teen services come into play with programming, and collections, and where we do outreach and things. One thing that I love about DML is how many boundaries we have removed for kids to get books, or anything else.
SENATOR: We serve those in our community grades seven through twelve. So a lot of us are assigned schools in our community to do outreach work with the education system, to support the teachers, as well as doing programming at our branch to bring kids in.
MOSER: And in Trotwood there’s not many places for kids to go once school lets out. So even though it's a 30 minute trek from the high school to walk to our branch, that’s where a lot of the teens do head.
WILDE: So what is it about working with teens that resonates with these three librarians?
SENATOR: They’re at that age where the whole world is sort of becoming open for you and I like that, it's a really unique time in a person's life. And to say let me help you explore that, here are books to read and graphic novels, here are videos, music, whatever it is you think you're into let me help you explore that.
MOSER: I’ve been doing a lot of work with intellectual freedom. Our board in February passed a resolution declaring Dayton Metro Library a book sanctuary, where we do not ban books. We educate people on the importance of not banning books. We truly are a place where there is something for everyone.
And I will say, in teen literature especially, it has been an explosion of diversity in the books. And that’s important to provide as part of our collection because reading about experiences outside your own is how you build empathy.
YERGENS: In that same vein of empathy, you used to not be able to eat and drink in libraries because these books are sacred and don’t you dare get your grimey little hands all over them.
But, you get your grimey little hands on them it's all right.We have a very large budget, we’ll replace it. And that relationship with you is more important.
WILDE: Each library branch's activities reflect the unique needs of their individual communities.
MOSER: Some of our most popular programs at Trotwood are our after hours programs. I have one coming up at the end of this month that’s a teen spa night. We’re going to be making our own lotion and doing yoga and all kinds of different relaxing things to help them just combat some stress.
Teen mental health is a huge, huge issue.
SENATOR: I had an emphasis in teen librarianship in my degree, because again it’s a different stage of life, the brain is processing different things, you have to learn those things so you can learn to communicate so you can plan things that work at the level of development they are at.
YERGENS: And when it comes to teen behavior, not everyone is equipped to deal with it. We have the training to deal with those undeveloped frontal lobes.
WILDE: Has it changed you, working in the library?
YERGENS: I have a really high tolerance for slightly controlled chaos now. I can just sit and embrace it a little better.
MOSER: Slightly controlled chaos is a good description for most teen events and programs.
YERGENS: It is funny when you bring someone in who is not used to teen services. They’re just sorta pulling their hair out a little bit and the rest of us are just fine.
And this isn’t just a DML thing, it’s pretty universal in public libraries, you don’t know what each day is going to throw at you.
MOSER: I would say that the days of libraries being just a warehouse for books is a thing of the past. Libraries really, truly are a community center now.
SENATOR: So at its heart our library is still about accessing information. It's just now there are more ways to do it.
