{"id":100320,"date":"2015-10-06T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2015-10-06T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=100320"},"modified":"2015-10-05T12:34:06","modified_gmt":"2015-10-05T17:34:06","slug":"new-adults-need-libraries-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=100320","title":{"rendered":"New Adults Need Libraries, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Abby Hargreaves<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Abby<\/a>I know we\u2019re out there, because I\u2019m one of them:\u00a0New\u00a0Adults. This category, often used as a marketing demographic for publishers, has more recently been creeping into the periphery of public library service. The Arlington Public Library in Arlington, Virginia, recently hosted an \u201cindoor recess\u201d event as part of their summer reading programming, catering to twenty-somethings in the area. That same system (one for which I admittedly work) is also doing a series of \u201cadulting\u201d programs this fall. But what else can we offer\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0of the Millennial generation who seemingly have everything from information to socializing to entertainment literally at their fingertips every minute of the day? Whether they\u2019ve moved back in with their parents in suburbia after graduation or have decided to strike out on their own in an urban environment, New\u00a0Adults\u00a0are in your community and need their libraries just as much as libraries need them.<\/p>\n

What libraries are doing wrong<\/strong><\/p>\n

Without realizing it, libraries are already alienating their twenty-to-twenty-nine-year-olds. Although many of these patrons still enjoy YA fiction, signs on neon paper stating, \u201cTHIS SPACE IS FOR TEENS ONLY,\u201d obviously exclude them (and reasonably so; teens deserve their own space, too). Meanwhile, many\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0don\u2019t consider themselves \u201cadults\u201d in name (myself included) and therefore feel uncomfortable in the\u00a0adult\u00a0space and collections.<\/p>\n

So what can we do to fix this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Book displays<\/strong><\/em> can be a great place to start \u2013 a literal standing invitation. \u201cNew\u00a0Adult\u00a0Titles\u201d is a problematic theme name (are we talking about adult titles that have recently been published, saucy erotica titles new to the scene, or titles for New Adults?), but you\u2019re clever people and can come up with much better. Select materials for this display with characters who are New Adults or who are facing common New Adult challenges. Choose items that reflect the current interests of New Adults in your area. Is bocce ball popular with New Adults right now? Put together a display on the game. Find out what\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0in your community are already using and then use it to your advantage. Does your\u00a0New\u00a0Adult\u00a0community love social media? Ask for age-targeted title recommendations through the library\u2019s Twitter account. \u201cA Little Bird Told Me: Favorites of Our 20-Something Tweeters\u201d is quick and takes minimal effort with a few well-placed twitter icons to emphasize your target demographic.<\/p>\n

Book clubs, too, can be a challenge<\/strong><\/em>. Your book clubs are probably inhabited by retirees. We love our grandparents, but discussing books involving the ins-and-outs of our main character\u2019s sex life with them is uncomfortable at best. Plus, many of us are looking to make friends \u2013 we are either in a\u00a0new\u00a0place with a blank social slate or our friends have moved away. Senior citizens typically aren\u2019t the best candidates for happy hour company. Ah, but\u00a0there\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0an idea: happy hours. Some libraries have started combining book club with happy hour at a local bar. Arlington Public Library has taken it a step further and, once a month, \u201cmeets\u201d at a local cupcake boutique for patrons who want to read around others but may not want to actually socialize (they often do, anyway). Their advertising often emphasizes that there\u2019s no pressure to chat, so it\u2019s especially great for introverts and shy\u00a0New\u00a0Adults. Programs that are open to everyone are great, but age-specific programs can be appropriate too, in moderation.<\/p>\n

Beyond book needs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Outside the library,\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0are desperate to define themselves. They are no longer, in many cases, students. Distanced from their parents, it\u2019s harder to actively identify as a son or daughter. They are not college athletes, members of campus clubs, or student government leaders any longer. Some do not even have job titles to boast of \u2013 and if they do, they may not be proud of it. I again speak from experience, as a\u00a0New\u00a0Adult\u00a0who moved to a\u00a0new\u00a0town with no immediately local friends and, for a while, no job. Libraries can make an impact here by offering exciting opportunities for New Adults to try new hobbies. They may not be an expert container gardener now, but you can make them one.<\/p>\n

Networking and invitational needs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although I knew the value of networking, I did not go out while job searching, fearful my meager savings, no longer being replenished by on-campus jobs, would disappear in the name of networking which, let\u2019s face it, happens frequently in bars where the tabs can add up rather quickly. I challenge libraries to make opportunities for free or low-cost networking happen. Get in on the job fair scene \u2013 donate space and refreshments. Bring in lecturers from various career paths for Q&A (many\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0don\u2019t yet know what they want to be when they grow up). Host seminars in crafting resumes and cover letters, team up with your local thrift shop for a talk on interview apparel, hold practice interview workshops. And above all, encourage post-event networking \u2013 better yet, make it part of the wrap up of your event by playing networking \u201cgames.\u201d<\/p>\n

New\u00a0Adults\u00a0need a lot of practical advice, too. They may go to the internet first, but they will find conflicting and non-region specific information and may not be able to ask follow up questions they have. You can help by bringing in experts or giving topics you are knowledgeable about yourself.<\/p>\n

The library can be an Intro to Life<\/strong><\/p>\n

Public and higher education did little, if anything, to prepare modern\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0for life in the \u201creal world\u201d (a phrase I take issue with, but that\u2019s for another discussion). We don\u2019t know anything about finances \u2013 taxes, credit cards, saving and budgeting, financing, investing \u2013 and if a few of us do, they\u2019re lucky. With college graduates emerging with mounds of debt, financial literacy is paramount. Yet few of us have it. The library has the solution \u2013 call in experts, proudly promote financial collections with book displays, aggressively advertise relevant digital resources. Trust me, we need it \u2013 we just don\u2019t know where to start.<\/p>\n

Similar arguments can be made about housing. To buy or to rent?: that is the question. (And how do you find housing, anyway?) Chances are, if they\u2019re at your library, they\u2019re already in some kind of living situation \u2013 but what about next steps? The next moves? And roommates! \u201cSpeed roommating,\u201d anyone?<\/p>\n

After undergrad, I realized I was short on basic etiquette, too. Many friends moved into their first apartments \u2013 was I to buy a housewarming gift? And weddings \u2013 what do I wear? How much do I, jobless and in debt, spend on a gift? Babies, too?! Extended holidays with significant others\u2019 family? What fork do I eat the salad with, again? Forget it \u2013 I\u2019ll use my hands. Etiquette. Some\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0want it, others want social reform. Either way, bring informed is a must. Book displays, role playing programs, and seminars are all options to help\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0on their way.<\/p>\n

You are new adults best hope<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are these topics all relevant to all of the population? Sure. Are they especially relevant to\u00a0New\u00a0Adults? Yes!\u00a0New\u00a0Adults\u00a0need specific library services, just like any other age-range with already-specific services. Show them we can fulfill those needs. Impose vague age ranges on advertising for programs. Create book displays with a nod and a wink to\u00a0New\u00a0Adults. Help them achieve a sense of self as they encounter so much change, doubt of self-purpose, and lack of confidence in their role of\u00a0New\u00a0Adult.<\/p>\n

And what\u2019s in it for libraries? Our support. Our vote. We are quick to type \u201cpics or it didn\u2019t happen\u201d into internet forums \u2013 the same can apply here: provide programming and materials for New Adults, prove that you\u2019ve got something for them, and they\u2019re there.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bio<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abby Hargreaves is a graduate student in San Jos\u00e9 State University\u2019s iSchool pursuing her MLIS. Prior to San Jos\u00e9, she attended Hollins University among the Blue Ridge Mountains in Roanoke, Virginia where she earned a Bachelor\u2019s in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Her childhood was spent roaming the stacks of New Hampshire libraries. Her favorite color is yellow and she hates onions. Today, she reads, writes, and breathes in Arlington, Virginia with her cat, Oopsilon. Abby\u2019s other ramblings can be found at www.24hourlibrary.straydots.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Abby Hargreaves I know we\u2019re out there, because I\u2019m one of them:\u00a0New\u00a0Adults. This category, often used as a marketing demographic for publishers, has more recently been creeping into the periphery of public library service. The Arlington Public Library in Arlington, Virginia, recently hosted an \u201cindoor recess\u201d event as part of their summer reading programming,…<\/p>\n

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