By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Photos courtesy of Tom Ganser
Tween Talk was held at the Middle School Library on October 13. It was an opportunity for Irvin L. Young Library staff to collect information on how to better serve the Middle School population. A light supper was served, and the discussion was facilitated by Torrie Thomas, Programming and Makerspace Librarian for the library, assisted by Deana Rolfsmeyer who was taking notes on what the teens were saying.
Torrie Thomas 
Deana Rolfsmeyer 
Editor’s note: The following introduction to the program was previously published on the Banner.
Middle School Students/Parents Invited to Conversation on Improving Services for Students at Irvin L. Young Library
Posted on: September 19, 2021
Editor’s note: The following information was received from the Irvin L. Young Library.
THE IRVIN L. YOUNG LIBRARY RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT FOR SMALL AND RURAL LIBRARIES
$3,000 Grant Will Help the Library Work with students to improve services for tweens and teens.
The Whitewater Public Library has been selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities.
The competitive award comes with a grant that will allow the Library to host a community conversation and develop programs, services and resources for middle school students. As part of the grant, Library staff will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today.
Library staff will host a conversation with students at Whitewater Middle School to collect information about how the Library can improve services for this age group. The Library wants to encourage young people to feel a sense of ownership and agency over what the Library does for them. The intention is to hear directly from the students about their current needs, interests and concerns.
Middle school students and their parents are invited to participate in this community conversation at the Whitewater Middle School Library Wednesday, October 13th at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be provided. Please follow us on social media and visit whitewaterlibrary.org for continued updates and information about this project.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
