Scott's Thoughts 3

What kinds of programs do you think libraries should offer for adults (and/or teens)?
 
This answer could be its own book! I cannot possibly be comprehensive here, but will try to include lots of representative examples.


First, let’s break down what kinds of programs there are. I might be missing some nuance here, but the major categories would be educational, entertainment, and social. The short version of this answer is that I think libraries should offer all three. These three can be combined, and some programs might have elements of all three, but the distinctions could still prove useful to elaborate on further.

Educational programs are useful for all ages but, as mentioned previously, tend to have lower attendance. Within this category are passive programs with presenters/speakers, hands-on/
interactive programs, and programs that combine the two.

I tend not to favor passive programs, but sometimes there is no way around that format. One example of a good passive program is having Steve Darnall from the “Those Were the Days” radio
show come and present audio clips of old radio programs and talk about their context. It would be difficult to build an interactive version of such a program (though not impossible, if you had
buy-in from attendees willing to act out an old radio show).

Hands-on/interactive programs are ones where there is limited instruction; the attendees are encouraged to use their own creativity. Craft classes can be like this, with samples shown to the
class, but no expectation laid on them for what their finished craft should look like. I am, personally, no good at origami (I just don’t have the patience to get all the folds just right), but origami
is a good and inexpensive example of a craft project.

Combined passive/interactive programs are like computer classes, where the instructor is showing what to do, and the attendees follow along on their own computers. With so much to learn on
computers, this is a vital part of any library’s programming.

Entertainment programs can draw your library’s biggest numbers. Who doesn’t like to be entertained? Musicians, magicians, and showing popular films are all examples of passive entertainment programs. Drawing big numbers can be expensive, though -- popular musicians do not come cheap,
and libraries need to pay for licenses to show any non-public domain movies.

A passive entertainment program I always wanted to do was recreating the movie-viewing experience of the past for viewers today -- dedicating a large block of time to showing an old-time newsreel,
cartoon, serial, and movie that are all in the public domain today.

Interactive entertainment includes chess clubs -- long a hallmark of many libraries -- but have exploded in popularity in recent years thanks to video games. The Nintendo Switch is a hugely popular console today and there is a huge amount of hype associated with the upcoming release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournaments will likely be very popular events at libraries in the coming months.

Social programs get people to come to the library and interact there. All social programs are, by definition, interactive. There is an element of social interaction to every program, but these are
programs where the social interaction is the most important part.

Book talks, another hallmark of libraries, are social programs. It is less important if the book discussed is educational or entertaining, then that people get together and talk about it. Books are
only one medium that can be discussed in a group setting; movie discussion groups are being hosted at some libraries, and I have long wanted to start a comic book discussion group. Because comic books are serials constantly being updated, it would make more sense to discuss what we know
about the newest releases each month, rather than single out a single story to all read. It would be more like a newspaper discussion group (which are surely a thing somewhere, right?).

One of my favorite social programs is the Dungeons & Dragons club (though, really, any role-playing game will do). While on the surface RPGs appear to be entertainment, they cannot be enjoyed
passively; you get as much out of a RPG as the effort you put into it. The uniquely collaborative quality of RPGs allows people of all ages and education levels to play together. Shy teens might not be ready to play right away with much older adults in the same group, requiring adults and teens
to start out with different groups. The two groups could begin to have team-ups to deal with extra-challenging scenarios, and if they all play well together they could eventually be merged into one big group.