Steal These Ideas

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Bring back a wider range of teen programming ideas you can actually use, instead of starting from a blank page every time.
• Adapt successful ideas from other libraries to fit your own budget, staffing, space, and community.
• Spot new ways to make programs feel more relevant, welcoming, and worth showing up for.
• Make better decisions about which ideas are worth trying, which ones need adjusting, and which ones can be let go.
• Learn from other librarians’ wins, flops, and workarounds so you can avoid wasting time on ideas that do not translate.
• Leave with practical ideas that can help you build stronger participation, better teen buy-in, and a more interesting calendar.
• Build connections with other teen services and high school librarians you can keep turning to after the session ends.

You will leave with ideas you can steal, reshape, and use, plus a clearer sense of what helps teen programs click and what tends to fall flat.

If you are someone who:

• keeps getting stuck with the same programming ideas because there is never enough time to build something new
• has watched attendance stall out and wants more honest insight into what teens actually respond to
• has tried programs that sounded good in planning but did not really connect once teens were in the room
• feels isolated in teen services work and wants to hear how other librarians are handling the same challenges
• wants practical ideas they can borrow and adapt, not another polished presentation full of vague advice

This course was built for you.

This course is especially helpful for:

• teen services librarians planning programs, outreach, and engagement for middle and high school audiences
• young adult librarians looking for fresh ideas they can use without reinventing their entire calendar
• high school librarians creating events, clubs, and community-building opportunities for teens
• school librarians who want stronger participation and better student engagement outside regular class time
• public library staff serving teens and trying to build programs that feel relevant, doable, and worth repeating

If your job includes getting teens interested, involved, and willing to come back, you will see yourself in this course.

Teen services and high school librarians are some of the most creative, resourceful, and passionate professionals in the field. They're also some of the most under-resourced, frequently working without dedicated budgets, adequate staffing, or a built-in peer network to lean on. Great ideas exist everywhere in this profession, but they don't always travel far enough to reach the people who need them most

This UnConference changes that.

Modeled on the open, participatory unconference format, this course throws out the traditional sit-and-receive approach and replaces it with something far more energizing: a structured space for peer-driven learning, honest conversation, and open idea exchange. You bring what's working in your library. You leave with what's working in everyone else's. Sessions are shaped by the participants themselves, which means the curriculum reflects what teen librarians actually need right now.

You'll explore programming models that work across a range of budgets and community contexts, dig into the real challenges of teen engagement, and connect with a network of colleagues you'll actually stay in touch with. Whether you're a seasoned teen services veteran looking for a creative recharge, or a newer librarian still figuring out your footing, you'll leave with a folder full of ideas you can steal, adapt, and make your own.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

This is a live online UnConference. If you can’t attend in real time, you will receive access to the recording.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay:

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This is a 3-hour peer-driven UnConference experience focused on teen programming and engagement. The session is recorded for on-demand access for six months after the course ends.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

If you attend or watch the recording of the live session, you will spend 3 hours on this course. You will earn 3 hours of professional development credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

COURSE ACCESS

The live session is recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast as part of your purchase.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete all course requirements to earn 3 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.