Adulting 101: Know Your Audience
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1915Keywords:
Oregon, Oregon libraries, academic library, libraries, librarians, northwest, information science, information literacy, social media, writing, library trends, books, donors, library funding, Oregon library association, quarterly, Oregon library association quarterly, American library association, ala, ola, reading, library success, success, evolving roles, OSU, Oregon state, University, web services, public, new discipline, changes in libraries, career, careers, library careers, library career, professional journal, scholarly, academic, circulation, Portland, Multnomah County Library, innovative, inventive, solution, oregon librarians, librarian, political, politics, political action, association, civics, civic education, inspiring, engagement, role, participation, skills, create, creating, resources, develop, source, evaluate, evaluation, evaluating, programming, takeaway, program, programs, esther moberg, makerspace, homeless, patrons, stem, steam, money smart, resource sharing, unlock the box, lockbox, adulating 101, procrastination, takeover, nerf, youth, family, seaside public libraryAbstract
During the winter of 2017, I began to see a common topic on library programming group threads centering around ideas such as teaching basic life skills to young and new adults that may not have been taught at home or school. Around the same time, Clara Piazzola, the library’s young adult assistant, came to me to share an idea that was buzzing around her library school discussion boards. She told me about a program idea that would teach young people necessary skills to help them survive in the grownup world. Talk about a coincidence! I gave her the go ahead, and she began planning.
Clara came up with the name, Adulting 101, and a six-month program outline. Planning each session, we chose to invite local speakers for a few of the topics that warranted professional facilitators. Flyers were displayed in the library and mailed to local bulletin boards and radio stations. Adulting 101 was posted to the library website, social media, and electronic calendars. We reserved the room, bought snacks, and were ready to launch.
The event post on our library’s Facebook page started a ripple effect that took us by surprise. We had Facebook likes and shares from tens of thousands of viewers. People were emailing and phoning our City Administrator, Library Director, and the library for more information. The local television station saw the post, called for an interview, and covered the first program. There were radio interviews. We had electronic inquiries and phone calls from across the country and then some. The American Library Association’s Programming Librarian asked for an article (Lucas, 2017). Adulting 101 was even mentioned on the morning talk show LiveKellyandRyan (Adulting 101 for Millenials [sic], 2017)!
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