(Presented at the 2012 Maine Library Association Conference) Technology, eBooks and shrinking budgets are all causing libraries to rethink their position within the community. How can we reach out to our patrons when so much is limited? Luckily, advances in technology have made it easier for librarians to become community centers where their patrons can become active in a participatory culture. In this program, Justin Hoenke will explore a possible future for the public library where librarians will act as producers of content who work directly with their patrons. Justin will share his experiences with participatory programming for teens in hopes of encouraging librarians to look toward creating their own participatory environments in the public library. Program developed by Justin Hoenke Program presented by Michael Whittaker Michael Whittaker has worked for the Portland Public Library for nine years. He managed the Reiche Branch - which served the most demographically diverse square mile in Maine - for six+ years and currently divides his time at the Main Branch between the Teen and Public Computing sections. He is a connectivist who, for over thirty years has created and inspired alternative delivery systems of cultural literacy to various youth constituencies and sub-cultures. His pioneering work with artists as diverse as: Sonic Youth, Sarah Brightman, Sting, Black Flag and projects such as The "Altered Book Project," http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/arts/design/23suth.html?pagewanted=all and "World's Longest Lobster Roll" http://www.pressherald.com/archive/record-rolltops-61-feet_2009-06-07.html have won Whittaker international acclaim as both an innovator and iconoclast. Justin Hoenke is a teen librarian and video gaming enthusiast who has written about these subjects for publications such as Library Journal, VOYA, and is a regular contributor for the blog Tame The Web. Justin is a member of the 2010 ALA Emerging Leaders class and an MLIS graduate of the Department of Library Science at the Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He is currently the Teen Librarian for a Southern Maine library where he is responsible for teen collection development, teen programming, and content creation as well as overseeing the video game and graphic novel collection for the library system. His professional interests include video gaming in libraries, teen librarianship, creating local collections, and community building. Follow Justin on Twitter at @justinlibrarian and read his blog at http://www.justinthelibrarian.com

1. MAKING STUFF WITH YOUR PATRONS
Presentation by Michael Whittaker in collaboration with Justin Hoenke

2. ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY

4. PARTICIPATORY CULTURE
Preserving a community’
“Everything we do s digital heritage is the
should be measured by work of both libraries and
the benefit [to] the public museums, but involving
the community in these
efforts is imperative as
we move forward.
“Participation occurs when
someone welcomed as a guest
feels as though they have
become a host
Read this for more info! http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/opinion/michael-stephens/the-age-of-participation-office-hours/

5. TECHNOLOGY
Technology doesn’t solve our problems, but it can be a conduit to
making change and promoting progress
-Michael Stephens
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/opinion/michael-stephens/the-age-of-participation-office-hours/

6. TECHNOLOGY
THE ANSWER?
CONNECT WITH YOUR PATRONS

7. TECHNOLOGY
...and these technologies could help you out quite a bit...

16. REALLY GREAT READS
Beyond the Walled Garden: LIS Students in an Era of Participatory Culture by Michael Stephens
http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1067&context=slissrj
The Age of Participation by Michael Stephens
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/opinion/michael-stephens/the-age-of-participation-office-hours/
Services More Meaningful Than Ebooks by Aaron Schmidt
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/04/opinion/aaron-schmidt/services-more-meaningful-than-ebooks-the-user-experience/
Think Like a Startup by Brian Matthews
http://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/18649/Think%20like%20a%20STARTUP.pdf?sequence=1

17. LET'S CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION
justinthelibrarian.com
@justinlibrarian
whittaker@portland.lib.me.us