This image courtesy of Creative Commons user - Zen
Question 1 - What do you do in your spare time?
Teen 1: (12-year-old female) i useually go to the mall with all of my friends on weekend Teen 2: (15-year-old male) on the weekend i go biking with my friends or go over my friends house and hang out there for a while. Teen 3: (14-year-old female) Talk on the phone with Dylan (: FAcebook. chat with friends. movies with friends. Teen 4: (14-year-old female) hang out with friends, text, go shopping or to the movies, read Teen 5: (14-year-old female) I read a lot in my spare time either at study hall school or at home if none of my friends can hang out. If i am not reading im hanging out with friends either at my house or theirs. Teen 6:(17-year-old female) I usually watch tv or am on the computer, I do both with family or friends. I hang out with friends at home or at the mall. Either that or i'm doing an art project. Teen 7:(17-year-old female) In my spare time I sit in front of my computer, play video games, and make crafty stuff. My computer is in my room so that’s where I spend most of my time unfortunately (thus why I keep getting fatter!) Well, honestly, most of my day is spent in front of a computer…(sounds a little too much like Chris!) and generally I sit at my computer alone. When I make crafty stuff my mom and I usually work on it together. Teen 8:(17-year-old female) In my spare time I play music! With springfield youth orchestra (at HCC, three hours every sunday night), my friends (wind ensemble, jazz band, lessons .. basically all the time), etc. Uhm, I also spend a great deal of time on FaceBook (the rest of the time that i'm not playing music.) Teen 9:(18-year-old female) In my spare time i go to the mall with my friend, mostly on a friday evening or during the weekend, i also love going out to the movies to see what is new. Teen 10:(15-year-old female) What i do in my spare time is watch tv, go on the computer, or occasionally read if there is a good book im reading. I watch tv A LOT its my whole. Some people would say i watch it too much. I can't really give a specific time. When im on the computer im normally on it for four hours. When i read a book the timing really depends on how good the book is. If its really good I will read it till the end.
Amber' Analysis: Out of the 8 main things listed as spare time activities, reading seems to be the only solitary activity and the only one that is traditionally linked to the library. This gets to the point that libraries as they once were, and may still be, are not going to attract teens. Going to the mall, to the movies, and online are the most popular things these teens do and they are all social. Libraries are quiet places that discourage this social interaction. Even music was listed as a group activity, so sitting in a corner with headphones won't cut it anymore. Almost every teen mentions friends at least once. Obviously hanging out with friends is important and a main activity. I could have guessed at most of these; just being at the mall or the movies on Friday nights is evidence that these spots are teen magnets. Libraries need to evolve into more social institutions if they want to get on the teen radar.
Laura's Analysis: The central theme is definitely friends, but this drive to hang out with friends reveals another theme, which is really more of a societal pitfall, and that's lack of safe, legal places for teens to hang out. The teens don't seem to care a whole lot where they hang out with their friends just so long as they don't feel like they are being constantly supervised and they can hang out for an extended period of time. Malls and the movies are great places to be dropped off by your parents and allowed to fend for yourselves for awhile. You get a taste of freedom without having to really be on your own. Since teens can't really go to bars or clubs or take day trips on their own (again a transportation issue) they don't have a lot of options for hang out spots. Other than retail locations, the streets and the occasional town agency (library, youth center, rec center) where are they supposed to go? If libraries could assert themselves more as places for teens to come and "hang out" they would likely be able to draw in a much larger teen patron base. Libraries could do this by 1. marketing to the teens (going to the schools, creating Facebook groups or fan pages) 2. enlisting teens to help customize their space 3. ensuring that the collection supports a wide range of interests and is up to date (polling teens and checking out book sales figures (or hit lists) to see what's popular).
Question 1 - What do you do in your spare time?
Teen 1: (12-year-old female) i useually go to the mall with all of my friends on weekend
Teen 2: (15-year-old male) on the weekend i go biking with my friends or go over my friends house and hang out there for a while.
Teen 3: (14-year-old female) Talk on the phone with Dylan (: FAcebook. chat with friends. movies with friends.
Teen 4: (14-year-old female) hang out with friends, text, go shopping or to the movies, read
Teen 5: (14-year-old female) I read a lot in my spare time either at study hall school or at home if none of my friends can hang out. If i am not reading im hanging out with friends either at my house or theirs.
Teen 6: (17-year-old female) I usually watch tv or am on the computer, I do both with family or friends. I hang out with friends at home or at the mall. Either that or i'm doing an art project.
Teen 7: (17-year-old female) In my spare time I sit in front of my computer, play video games, and make crafty stuff. My computer is in my room so that’s where I spend most of my time unfortunately (thus why I keep getting fatter!) Well, honestly, most of my day is spent in front of a computer…(sounds a little too much like Chris!) and generally I sit at my computer alone. When I make crafty stuff my mom and I usually work on it together.
Teen 8: (17-year-old female) In my spare time I play music! With springfield youth orchestra (at HCC, three hours every sunday night), my friends (wind ensemble, jazz band, lessons .. basically all the time), etc. Uhm, I also spend a great deal of time on FaceBook (the rest of the time that i'm not playing music.)
Teen 9: (18-year-old female) In my spare time i go to the mall with my friend, mostly on a friday evening or during the weekend, i also love going out to the movies to see what is new.
Teen 10: (15-year-old female) What i do in my spare time is watch tv, go on the computer, or occasionally read if there is a good book im reading. I watch tv A LOT its my whole. Some people would say i watch it too much. I can't really give a specific time. When im on the computer im normally on it for four hours. When i read a book the timing really depends on how good the book is. If its really good I will read it till the end.
Amber' Analysis: Out of the 8 main things listed as spare time activities, reading seems to be the only solitary activity and the only one that is traditionally linked to the library. This gets to the point that libraries as they once were, and may still be, are not going to attract teens. Going to the mall, to the movies, and online are the most popular things these teens do and they are all social. Libraries are quiet places that discourage this social interaction. Even music was listed as a group activity, so sitting in a corner with headphones won't cut it anymore. Almost every teen mentions friends at least once. Obviously hanging out with friends is important and a main activity. I could have guessed at most of these; just being at the mall or the movies on Friday nights is evidence that these spots are teen magnets. Libraries need to evolve into more social institutions if they want to get on the teen radar.
Laura's Analysis: The central theme is definitely friends, but this drive to hang out with friends reveals another theme, which is really more of a societal pitfall, and that's lack of safe, legal places for teens to hang out. The teens don't seem to care a whole lot where they hang out with their friends just so long as they don't feel like they are being constantly supervised and they can hang out for an extended period of time. Malls and the movies are great places to be dropped off by your parents and allowed to fend for yourselves for awhile. You get a taste of freedom without having to really be on your own. Since teens can't really go to bars or clubs or take day trips on their own (again a transportation issue) they don't have a lot of options for hang out spots. Other than retail locations, the streets and the occasional town agency (library, youth center, rec center) where are they supposed to go? If libraries could assert themselves more as places for teens to come and "hang out" they would likely be able to draw in a much larger teen patron base. Libraries could do this by 1. marketing to the teens (going to the schools, creating Facebook groups or fan pages) 2. enlisting teens to help customize their space 3. ensuring that the collection supports a wide range of interests and is up to date (polling teens and checking out book sales figures (or hit lists) to see what's popular).