My Life in Teen Services: Then and Now

Authors

  • April Witteveen Deschutes Public Library

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/1093-7374.25.04.08

Keywords:

Oregon, library, association, Oregon libraries, academic library, libraries, librarians, northwest, information science, information literacy, social media, writing, library trends, books, donors, library funding, Oregon library association, quarterly, Oregon library association quarterly, American library association, ala, ola, reading, library success, success, evolving roles, OSU, Oregon state, University, web services, public, new discipline, changes in libraries, career, careers, library careers, library career, professional journal, scholarly, academic, circulation, Portland, innovative, inventive, solution, oregon librarians, librarian, political, politics, political action, civics, civic education, inspiring, engagement, role, participation, skills, create, creating, resources, develop, source, evaluate, evaluation, evaluating, youth, services, storytelling, children, teens, practice, philosophy, diverse, kids, storytime, story time, April Witteveen, community, teen, Bend, Deschutes, school, visit, educator, relationship, dance dance revolution, teacher, my, life, recreation, education, offering, program, now, then, readers' advisory, professional development, conference, networking, webinar, committee, yalsa, middle, high, advice

Abstract

Fourteen years into my career as a teen services librarian, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on my early years as a fresh-faced librarian and compare those experiences to where I am now, mid-career. I can both laugh a bit at my early naiveté, and feel concerned that I’ve grown too old to connect with my intended audience. Regardless, my dedication to serving the teens in my community has only grown stronger as I move further into my second decade of being “that librarian who came to my school and talked about books!”

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Author Biography

April Witteveen, Deschutes Public Library

April Witteveen is a Community Librarian at the downtown Bend location of Deschutes Public Library. A native Michigander, you’ll catch her Midwestern accent in passionate conversation. April is an explorer, a maker, a mother, and a retired roller derby skater. She is also a freelance writer for Library Journal and School Library Journal, where she reports on trends and best practices in the greater library field.

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Published

2020-07-13

How to Cite

Witteveen, A. (2020). My Life in Teen Services: Then and Now. OLA Quarterly, 25(4), 31–34. https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/1093-7374.25.04.08

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 4 (2019): Youth Services Take Over OLA Quarterly!

Section

Articles