A presentation for ALA annual 2012 on how art programs in public libraries affected civic engagement in teens. Research funded by Henne/VOYA/YALSA research grant from 2011.

1. 1
Graffiti, Poetry, Dance
How Public Library Art
Programs Affect Teens
Shannon Crawford Barniskis

2. EXQUISITE CORPSE
1. Consider the line that
was just written.
2. Fold the paper down
over the line you read.
3. Write one line of
poetry/wisdom/whatever
that follows more-or-less
logically from the
previous one & DON’T BE
RISK-AVERSE!
4. Pass the page to your
left.
CC BY-SA 3.0
A Cadavre
5. Read aloud when our
time is up.
exquis by Marc M.
Gustà, Bernat M.
Gustà & Irene
Alcón.

3. This is happening right now…

4. … in a
library near
you.

5. 2
TEENS ARE
drawing henna tattoos
remixing songs
making flash videos
knitting
cooking
dancing
making altered books
…
CREATING ALL KINDS OF

6. 3
Why?

7. “If the provision of information is no
longer its most important role,
(Johnson 2010, p. 147)

8. CIVIC
LIBRARIES
ENGAGEMENT

9. How do art programs
in public libraries
affect civic
4 engagement in
teens?

10. subquestions
• What does civic engagement look like to
teens?
• How engaged do teens feel within their
communities?
• What are the barriers to civic engagement?
• How can art affect this sense of
engagement?
• How do libraries support civic engagement?
How can they support it better?
• How do libraries support teens? How can they
support them better?

11. Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the
civic life of our communities
and developing the combination of
knowledge, skills, values and
motivation to make that difference
It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through
both political and non-political processes.
(Ehrlich, 2000)
5

12. Research & theoretical works on
Teens, Libraries, Civic
Engagement, & Art
Including:
• How art effects civic engagement
• Public Libraries’ civic engagement
mission
• Social capital
• Empathy
• Forced “volunteering”
• Best practices for teen library services
THE LITERATURE
But articles or papers on
the library art programs?
Nope. 6

13. “My interests are valued by the
community, and the library
proves it.”
says Eli Neuberger in Gaming and Libraries (Levine, 2009, p.16),

14. method
1library
6art programs
14 teens interviewed
7

15. Teen-centered research

16. LIMITATIONS

17. the
8
theory

18. ART MOVES US
“When I see a
painting I think of
why the artist would
paint that way or
have his thought in
that vision. I tried to
pretend I’m that artist
and try to look at
something, and paint
it the way that they
would paint it.”
(Nick, 16)
9

19. WE WANT TO CONNECT,
WE WANT TO OPEN UP
“I’ve taught chain mail to a woman that
was I believe was like 67 years old and she
picked it up like that … you can really
brainstorm with people from different
generations that have different ideas on the
same things.” (Eric, 18, who has taught classes at a library)

20. IT’S AN ADULT’S WORLD
strongly str dis
I feel like a valued member of I feel like a valued member
agree on ag
my community (before)
0% gly of my community (after) ree
dis 0%
ag
disagree ree strongly
0% 0% agree
strongly
disagree agree
don't
agree
agree
or
disagre
don't e
agree or
disagree
“They just have their own reality and it
doesn't have anything to do with your
reality.”
(Emily, 12)

21. WE WANT TO HELP, BUT DON’T PUSH US
“I think adults and
parents are thinking
that our generation
should go out and pick
up garbage and stuff
and try to make other
people happy but
most of us think that it
should be helping
make us happy and
other people happy.”
(Megan, 13)

22. CREATING A COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS US
When I am over 18, I will When I am over 18, I will
likely remain in community I likely remain in community I
strongly
live in now (before)
agree
live strongly (after)
in now
agree agree
agree
strongly
don't disagree
agree or
strongly disagree
disagree don't
agree or
disagree
disagree disagree
When you paint with someone and you the
share the paper you will see two different
stories collide … and it makes a spark.
(Callie, 14)

23. LIBRARIES CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR US
I definitely do feel closer to the libraries
that I go to…the more programs that
you go to the more it feels kind of like
home in a way. Not a real home but
like a really comforting awesome
place.
(Eric, 18)

24. DOES OUR ENGAGEMENT SHIFT?
disagree strongly
I am willing to take action I am willing to disagree action in
take
in my community to make my community to make things
things better (before) better (after)
disagree
strongly strongly
disagree don't agree
agree
or disagree
don't
agree or
disagree strongly
agree
agree
agree
Leveling Up: “Now I feel like I’m a little bit
freer…with different ways that I could affect
other people.”
(Kayla, 12)

25. CAUTION:
“If you only feel like
you are valued and
you aren’t actually
valued then you’re
not going to get
any sort of civic
stuff done.”
10 (Rachel, 16)

26. communicating
relevance
planning programs
connecting with teens
getting funding
marketing services
engaging community
facilitating
democracy
11

27. ART MOVES US
studio space
teen-created
music for library
12 publicity

28. IT’S AN
ADULT’S
WORLD
intergenerational
programs
13 adult response

29. WE WANT TO
CONNECT,
WE WANT TO OPEN
UP
flash-in-the pan
clubs
hire teens, 20-
14 somethings to
teach

30. CREATING A
COMMUNITY
THAT SUPPORTS
US
teens on the
Board of Trustees
Teen photo-
journalism on
social
15
networking sites

31. WE WANT TO
HELP, BUT DON’T
PUSH US
announce protests,
volunteer
opportunities,
donations
teens to steer projects
while not being
overwhelmed by
16 them

32. DOES OUR
ENGAGEMENT
SHIFT?
connect library programs
with real engagement
opportunities (such as a
knitted graffiti project after a
knitting class)
ask teens to do the book-
talking, perhaps using
17 xtranormal or other web-
based digital tools

33. LIBRARIES CAN
MAKE A
DIFFERENCE FOR
US
participate in arts programs
with teens to build the sense
of a shared experience
ensure that the library
participates in local art or
community festivals to build
18 the sense of the library as an
artistic community institution

34. Research needed
• More case studies
• More one-on-one
interviews
• Quantitative
evaluation of 7 themes
• Study of other teen
programs
• Study using other
metrics
• Study of other creative
programs and services 19

35. Teen Ink images used with permission.
1. Graffiti IS Art. By xcrunnerchicka16, Carthage, MO.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/19445/Graffitti-IS-art/
2. Henna. By Amanda Manfredi, http://www.amandamanfredi.com/
3. Potpourri. By polskavic51, Las Vegas, NV. http://www.teenink.com/art/all/16935/potpourri-
4. NO. 3 study of time, By j.Dieppa, Northridge, CA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/pen_ink_drawings/49870/NO-3-study-of-time/
5. Teenagers. http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/MCA/91691.htm
6. Johanna. By CrystalBlood, Clinton, CT.
http://www.teenink.com/art/computer_graphics/58294/Johanna/
7. Stop Yelling at Me. By Kimmy_Krak, Macomb, MI.
http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/56661/Stop-Yelling-at-Me/
8. Pinhole Camera. By AliceCrowley, Concord, MA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/58479/Pinhole-Camera/
9. Goodbye, Think. By sgrace, West Chester, PA.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/9961/Goodbye-Think/
10. Wrong Way. By ladybug95, Milwaukee, WI. http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/58498/Wrong-
Way/
11. The Addiction Tree. http://www.threefishandaram.com/2010/06/
12. School Work. Alice1995, Sierra Vista, AZ.
http://www.teenink.com/art/photo_illustrations/95765/School-Work/
13. Untitled No. 1. by mbean876, Ferry, WV. http://www.teenink.com/art/charcoals/7398/untitled-no-1/
14. Widened. TheWrittenMe, Prosser,WA. http://teenink.com/art/computer_graphics/89808/Widened/
15. Really. saher, east windsor,CT. http://www.teenink.com/art/woodcuts/27039/Really/
16. Santiago. josehadathy, Marietta, GA. http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/92875/Santiago/
17. life's only a dream. By AlyssaC, morrisville, PA. http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/86539/lifes-
only-a-dream/
18. Birds. By Tambriell, Salyersville,KY/ http://www.teenink.com/art/oil_paintings/88620/Birds/
19. I to see. By KedaBeta, Orlando, FL. http://www.teenink.com/art/photographs/44903/I-too-see/
Other images taken by SC Barniskis