Saturday, January 12, 2013

Engaging Young Minds at Red Deer Public Library



This is a guest post by Candice Putnam representing the Red Deer Pulbic Library- G.H. Dawe Branch... one of our exceptional Grow Boys Red Deer collaborative partners!

After such an exhilarating experience last year, Red Deer Public Library is very excited to be a part of Grow Boys again this year! 

At RDPL, we are always trying to come up with new ways to engage young minds and provide programs and services that are truly valuable to today’s youth. Yet in those precarious years in which ‘children’ become ‘teens,’ it becomes increasingly challenging to develop programs that suit their unique interests. Teenage boys, in particular, are very difficult to reach, but we are hoping that a new technology-centered program may be the key to engaging this demographic. 

RDPL’s mission is to “enrich lives by promoting literacy and providing access to knowledge and culture.” As we know, the definition of literacy has evolved immensely in recent years, with the new realm of digital literacy becoming an essential facet of everyday life. With that in mind, we have initiated a brand new program at the Dawe Branch called “Techno Teens,” which is a technology club for teens ages 12 and up involving a combination of in-person programs and online activities that are related to all sorts of different technologies. The program is set to launch on January 14, 2013, and will run on the second Monday of each month at 4:00 p.m.

Some of the programs that are in the works include a QR code scavenger hunt, digital photography contests, meme-making, book trailer creation, gaming, eBook downloading demonstrations, social networking activities, and digital comic book creation. We will also be participating in the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Teen Tech Week initiative during the month of March. As described on the Teen Tech Week website at http://teentechweek.ning.com/, the theme for this year is “Check in @ Your Library!”:

This Teen Tech Week™ (March 10 - 16, 2013), YALSA invites you to Check In @ your library! This year’s theme encourages libraries to throw open their physical and virtual doors to teens and showcase the outstanding technology they offer, from services such as online homework help and digital literacy-focused programs to resources like e-books, movies, music, audiobooks, databases and more.

With so many teens and pre-teens glued to their smartphones, tablets, and computers, the Techno Teens club aims to provide these tech-savvy teens with opportunities to learn and grow at the library.

For information about the program, visit us online at www.rdpl.org or “Like” our Teen Facebook page at www.facebook.com/themezzrdpl.

Candice Putnam
Program Coordinator
Dawe Branch, Red Deer Public Library

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