This section covers the most common challenges in making your library welcoming. If you have a question you'd like to see answered here, please contact us.

The section is organised under six headings. Click on any heading to jump to that section.

Whatever Your Budget

We'd like to provide a pack for young people joining the library - a welcome, with details of the services and activities we offer… but it's too expensive.

A welcome pack needs to be bright and simple - but it doesn't need to be expensive. As long as it meets your corporate PR requirements, a professional looking DTP leaflet with young people 'appeal' might be all you need, including a well-designed 'welcome' letter.
Talk to your departmental media experts and see what can be done - or maybe this could be an IT project for a local school.

We can't afford to refurbish the library. How can we make it more welcoming?

The best things to make a library welcoming are of course a friendly smile and the feeling that the library and everything in it is well-cared for. But if you're longing to do something about that drab wall or those old wooden shelves, see if the young people using the library have got some good ideas for inexpensive improvements and brightening things up
This is another area which can benefit from working in partnership - work with schools, youth groups, under fives groups, reading groups - not only to involve the young people but also in the physical changes: how about a wall-painting work party? Leeds have a wonderful graffiti wall produced by young people
Another way might be to contact your local college and see if it has a department (Art? Design?) which would be interested in students working with you on a project to re-design and re-vamp the children's library

What sort of things could we do with the drab wall and wooden shelves?

See above! And bright displays are another way to cheer things up - they can cover the tacky bits without costing much (see next section on Display and Guiding): you can do a lot with florists' ribbon and brightly coloured wrapping paper, and creatively curling and overlapping posters!
Look out for courses on display techniques - a good investment, especially as the skills can be passed on to all the library staff - or visit your local party shop for ideas!

Display and Guiding

The Children's Library looks a bit tired and worn. What's the first thing we might look at to freshen it up and make it more appealing?

The simplest thing to do is to make sure that the displays are always fresh and relevant and not out-of-date. Work with under-fives groups, schools and reading groups to keep up a supply of inspiring children's work.
You could give young people their own display boards where they know their reviews and work will be showcased.
Don't forget to try publishers - they often have lovely posters and book promotional materials for free. (See also 'What sort of things could we do with the drab wall and wooden shelves?'!)
How do I make a really inviting splash with the summer reading challenge?
Create a focal point for summer reading - a fun and attractive Reading Challenge Point featuring promotional materials, books recommended by children themselves and children's reviews of 'must reads'
Create a special summer reading 'book chat area' with comfy chairs so you can all sit down and really enjoy the experience!
Lots of inviting book displays and dumpbins, reader recommendations, reading charts, to give ideas about what to read next
Use pre-publicity around the library to give the reading challenge a really high profile
Have a point on the desk with the summer reading publicity that is just for the children and where there are staff who are able to talk with the children about their reading

Young People's Input

I want to involve more young people in using the library and in improving the service we provide. What kind of approach and activities would encourage them to get involved?

First be clear why you want to involve young people and then think about how to reach them. Do you want to get the views of the young people you're already working with or attract new young people to the library? On this website there is a section 'Involving and consulting with young people' which looks in detail at how you might to this, with a whole bank of case studies from library services around the UK.
Consider working in partnership with other organisations that already have contact with your target audience. Go outside the library and then talk with young people in a comfortable, neutral place. School might be OK, but be aware that young people might say what they think the teacher will want to hear. It's sometimes better to find a different setting for discussion groups such as the local youth club or a coffee shop, or maybe Guides or Cubs, depending on the age of the young people. If they're keen readers, ask them about their reading preferences but remember that direct conversations about reading could be off-putting to young people who are socially excluded or those who have difficulties with literacy.
It's a good idea to start by focusing on the non-users' perceptions of what you're already doing. Some young people might not have been in the library for a long time so you might like to arrange a visit for them and ask them what they think about it. Talk about image. How could the library come across as more relevant?
You may be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps your library does have what they want but they just didn't know that it was there! Or there may be some 'home truths' to take on board. Either way you are making progress simply by asking the questions and taking the answers seriously.
Also, ask them how you might involve young people who don't see the library as being for them. They might suggest competitions, visits from particular authors, illustrators, musicians, DJs, MCs...young local talent... It's good to hear it from them rather than to assume what might appeal.
Remember when you are consulting young people to be aware of the sensitivities regarding talking to children. There is useful advice in the guidelines in the Children's Plus folder and in 'A Safe Place for Children' - guidelines produced by CILIP.

We'd like to do a library makeover and involve young people in creating a young people's area in the library. Have you got any tips on how best to do this?

It would be great to do this in partnership with another organisation such as a school, college or youth group. Consider working with a group who are studying design or who enjoy working on art projects.
Before consulting with young people, be clear about the aims and objectives of the project and any limitations on what can be achieved. Make sure you know how much money is available, whether you already have contracts with approved suppliers, and what health and safety considerations need to be taken into account. It is also important to make sure that all the library team is involved and committed to the process before you begin.
Once you've established contact with a group that wants to be involved, the next step is to get their views on the current set-up of your library. Ask them what needs improving and get their suggestions for how to redesign it. Depending on the scope of your project, they'll need to think about layout, furniture, colour schemes and displays. Don't forget to use this opportunity to get their ideas on stock and magazines too.
When the new area is complete, consider an event to launch it and invest some money in marketing the area to local schools and youth groups.

We've created a new young people's area in our library and have lots of new stock but nobody comes in most of the time. How can we get more young people in?

If young people aren't coming into the library then the best thing to do is to get out and meet them on their territory. Make links with local youth groups and see if you can go and visit. Take some popular magazines and some of your new stock to tempt them. Join in with whatever they're doing and get to know them first before you begin talking about the library.
Now you've got a new image, you need to think about how to market the new-look library to your target group. The best way to interest young people is to involve them. And even if it's too late to involve them in the re-design of the library, consider whether they can join in designing some publicity to promote the library, or perhaps they could come up with a new name for the new area. Maybe you could add to the new stock by taking a youth group shopping for some extra books to complement the ones you've already bought.
Finally, think about running a new programme of activities that are specially targeted at young people. Again, this could be a good opportunity to consult young people in schools and youth groups about the kinds of activities they'd like to see in the library. Reading groups, author visits and homework clubs are obvious ways to attract young people, but have you thought about computer gaming clubs, beauty workshops, film clubs or music sessions ? You can provide a good range of books to back up all of these activities and this way you will begin to build a new audience for your service.

We tried to attract more young people to our library by running a rap workshop but nobody turned up. How can we get more young people to come to our events?

The best way to get young people from your area involved in library activities is to ask them what they want and encourage them to help with the organisation of events. It's hard to guess what young people want because they are all individuals and also trends change rapidly. Maybe rap is really 'last year' and it's all R 'n' B now... Go to schools and youth clubs explaining that you've got a budget for some activities and ask them to vote on what they want to do. Next, get them involved in designing the publicity. Word of mouth is the best marketing tool with young people so if you can get some influential young people involved in planning the event then they'll spread the word.
If you are designing flyers think about where you're distributing them. It's no good advertising a rap workshop to your current users if the aim is to attract new people. Do some research and find out about youth groups with specific interests - maybe there's a youth music project in your area or a youth theatre whose members might really enjoy the opportunity to learn about rap lyrics. The Find your local Connexions Service and ask them to include something in their regular mail-out to all local youth groups and schools have their own internal mail systems too.
If you can make direct contact with schools and youth groups it will really pay off as youth workers and teachers can often escort their groups to your activities, guaranteeing you an audience. Remember that building a good relationship with local youth groups can take time though, and be prepared to spend time over at the youth centre before inviting young people over to the library.

We would like to provide a space for young people in the library but our building is really small. Is there anything you can suggest?

Ask young people what they would suggest and see if you can accommodate the most important of their ideas into a small corner of the library. Perhaps what they most want is a couple of comfy chairs and some magazines that could be positioned alongside the DVD collection or next to the People's Network computers. Small details such as posters, stickers and notice boards can be useful to signal that you now have a young people's area.
If you really don't have any room for a designated space, consider whether you can offer young people he opportunity to enjoy the library outside of your normal opening hours. Could Wednesday evening be young people' night with refreshments, computer games and background music?

Access

We are looking at how we can make the library as welcoming and accessible as possible for young people. What are the key areas to focus on?

There are four key areas to think about:

1. Disability Rights

Access to building and stock are paramount. This will come under the general equal opportunities policy for the library, and also the library's implementation policy for the Disability Discrimination Act. Key points to consider are:
Is there appropriate stock and facilities to serve the range of local needs? - for example: large print, Braille, talking books. Where are these facilities and stock located? Would integration or segregation make them more accessible?
Work with local associations and schools and benefit from their specialist knowledge
Talk to groups such as Contact-a-Family who might have a local branch and who represent the interests of families of children or young people with disabilities
Consult with your special services librarian on what is available for young people and see to what extent changes might make the library easier to use
Use virtual services - IT, Internet, video-conferencing - both to enhance access for young people, and to be an accessible resource for all young people
Make sure the needs of disabled young people are included within the staff training programme
Several organisations produce guidelines which are useful in approaching the above: for example the National Library for the Blind has an on-line Manual.

2.Look and Layout

The physical look and lay-out of the library is so important - once someone has come through the door we want them to feel comfortable and that this library is for them!
Perhaps to help you get that objective view, you could set up a partnership with a local retailer who could walk round and take a fresh look from a customer's point of view and work with you on ways to change things if necessary. There is a useful section on 'Barriers' in 'The Reading Kit 2' which is produced by Well Worth reading and The National Youth Agency.

Activity: Thinking about Look and Layout

First impressions matter a lot - try coming into the library as if this were your very first visit:

Does it look attractive - with lots to look round but not too cluttered and overwhelming?
Are there any physical barriers - dominating issue desk, turnstile, 'Don't' notices on the walls?
Does the layout draw you in?
Can you see straightaway where to ask for help?
Is there a library plan - a 'store guide'?!
Is there a feeling that the library belongs to everyone? (This could be through displays by community groups, book recommendations by readers, pictures of readers with their favourite reads)
Is it easy to see where the young people's section is? And how to find any other section too?
Does the library appeal to young people? Is it current and relevant - in its design, and its displays - eg. with the latest cuttings/links to TV programmes and films
Do under fives, children and teenagers see that there's something and somewhere especially for them?
Are the facilities appropriate and in the right place (teenagers might be turned off if their area is right next to the 'baby books' and under-fives will be daunted by groups of 'big children' in their space)

3. Cultural Considerations

The books in the library must reflect the diversity of the young people who borrow them. One of the key reasons why young people read is to find stories about people who are like themselves.
Therefore a rich and diverse stock will encourage a broad range of young people to use the library. Stock needs to be in appropriate languages to encourage this use - including encouraging parents to borrow books they can share with their children.
Some western attitudes to gender and sexuality can cause offence to other cultures. Be aware of this but don't hide things away.

4. Library procedures

Many young people are put off borrowing books by reservation and overdue charges. They consider public libraries to be expensive, as they know that they will forget to renew books occasionally.
It happens too that children are prohibited from using the library through being defaulted when it was actually their parents or carers who have not paid charges, rather than the children themselves.
Consider the benefits that might flow from relaxation of reservation charges (we are in the business of promoting new reading experiences and reaching new readers.…). And many young people do not realise libraries are free to join - and, on the whole, free to use - a powerful message to use in our marketing.

A Safe Library

Who could I talk to about keeping the library safe from stranger danger?

Libraries are public open spaces and young people need to be protected from stranger danger. Ask to see your library services child protection guidelines and enquire about training. Your local authority will have an Area Child Protection Committee. Find out who represents the library service and ask them for further guidance should you need it.
See also the guidelines produced by CILIP: 'A Safe Place for Children' (launches new website)

A Virtual Welcome

I want to put something about young people's library services on our local authority's web site. What kind of content do you think would appeal?

Ask young people about this! What would they like to use or contribute to? What ideas do they have for the look of it?

How can I use our computers and Internet provision to encourage young people's interest in reading?

Get them talking! Talking with authors via author websites, talking with each other via sites like Stories from the Web where they can tell each other about their favourite books. They can write their own book reviews for sites like Cool Reads and write their own stories on sites like Kids on the Net.
Make contacts with other library authorities so that the young people in each place can email each other about their favourite - and not-so-favourite - reads. If you have video-conferencing facilities you could get some great discussions going.