Librarian creates cool teen programs
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BOOK WIZARD- To encourage teens to read during the lazy days of summer, Agoura Hills librarian Shelley Corrington developed a program that pairs good books with movie screenings. Corrington throws some refreshments in the mix and the teens come calling.

"Harry Potter" books aside, coaxing teenagers into reading during the summer is often a struggle for parents. A librarian at Agoura Hills Library came up with a solution.

"You need to be a marketing wizard," said teen librarian Shelley Corrington about creating a summer program specifically targeted to middle and highschool students.

And a wizard she was on Sat., July 21 at the third "Movies and Smoothies" event held in the afternoon at the city's community roomturnedHogwarts School for the showing of the movie "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

Corrington was dressed as a wizard for the occasion, but it would have taken actual wizardry to drag kids, teens and many adults away from J.K. Rowling's final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," released worldwide to adoring fans at midnight the same day.

But Corrington didn't mind. After all, the light turnout at the movie event was blamed on reading. Kids were either glued to the 759-page book or sacked out after reading all night long, Corrington reckoned.

Nevertheless, a few kids ventured out to the library matinee. Wendy Xiao, a 12year-old Medea Creek Middle School student, came to the show because she likes the Harry Potter books and the movies.

"I like to watch the movies of the books I've already read," Wendy said. "Also, it's a great chance to see some of my friends."

The mixing of popular books with their movie versions is just what Corrington had in mind when she and a crew of teen volunteers launched the summer reading program July 7. Read the book first, then enjoy the movie while sipping free smoothies and chomping on popcorn.

Corrington, 47, was hired a year ago to transform the library's young adult program. To reach the teen target group, Corrington made the quick decision to steer clear of any similarities to the children's summer reading program. Rather than focus on time spent reading or the number of books read, Corrington asked teenagers what they wanted. A teen advisory group was born.

"I like working with teens," Corrington said. "I'm trying to give them what they want, not what I think they want."

The idea of first reading a book, then watching the movie version turned out to be a bit trickier than Corrington anticipated. She found it takes more than cool movies, books and free food to lure teenagers into a library.

"Getting them to become a volunteer really works," Corrington said. "They get community service hours for college and get to work and have fun at the same time."

Giveaways like movie passes, Barnes and Noble gift cards and other assorted prizes add to the festive atmosphere.

Jared Markowitz, a senior at Agoura High School, was convinced to join by friend and fellow volunteer Jonathan Yi. The Harry Potter factor may have also factored into his decision, but he declared he was just a "fan and not a fanatic."

Jonathan has been a library volunteer since his freshman year and says he enjoys the new focus on teens. "It's really cool," Jonathan said. "It's a lot better than shelving books for three years."

Shannon Yih, 14, has volunteered at the library for more than a year and noticed that the crowd was slim. "Everybody's home reading," she said.

Harry Potter isn't the only lure to the program. On July 7, students watched the movie "Holes" after reading the book. Upcoming features include "Hoot," "I, Robot" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." The books are available at the library.

At the end of the movie, students are encouraged to talk about the characters and plot and compare and contrast the movie and the book.

Corrington said the teen advisory group collaborated on designing the young adult section of the library and were required to calculate a budget and create detailed drawings or computer images of their vision for the space.

They help out at the children's library area and help seniors learn computer skills.

Teen volunteers also helped determine how to spend the $500 donated by the Friends of the Library for the new section. Students wrote book reviews and submitted recommendations.

"Shelley is a really talented young adult librarian," Raya Sagi, community library manager, said. The Agoura Hills Library is now a "pilot gaming library," Sagi said.

"Open Gaming" was launched at the library July 14 and will continue throughout the summer. Gaming is scheduled every Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. through Aug. 11. The Movies and Smoothies events start immediately after and continue to 4:30 p.m.

Gaming systems include Nintendo Wi i , Xbox 360, Game Cube and Play Station 2. The portable projector and dropdown screen in the community room allow four kids to play at once and challenge each other in friendly competition.

The are two sets of "Guitar Hero" games, so students can battle it out musically. And for the dancing set, the popular "Dance, Dance Revolution" pad allows kids to follow instructions on a computer and learn intricate dance moves. The Friends of the Library plan to purchase a second dance pad to allow for competitions.

Corrington said the student volunteers are in charge of gaming. They set up the equipment, make sure kids are using it correctly, sell snacks and "make sure kids are playing fairly," she said. The gaming has been so successful, plans for a "Super Smash Brothers" tournament on the Nintendo Wii is underway. The tournament is tentatively set for Aug. 17 and 18, Corrington said.

"I used to be a nurse for 20 years, but it wore me out," Corrington said. "Since I always loved books, I went back to school. There's more to being a librarian than books, I found out."