#PLA2026: Activating Teen Services in Rural Communities

My first breakout session after the Opening Session was Activating Teen Services in Rural Communities, presented by Cejay Johnson, Marie Guenette, and Kristy Calhoun of King County Library System in Washington State. The panel described rural teen services as work shaped by transportation, limited space, staffing patterns, distance from nearby supports, and the pressures small libraries can face inside large systems. Their examples came from branch libraries, schools, community partnerships, and youth detention. This mix kept the discussion grounded and specific. Outreach Begins Before the Program A central theme of the session was community knowledge. The presenters described outreach as relationship-building long before a teen program appears on a calendar. They talked about asset mapping; introducing themselves to schools, nonprofits, coffee shops, food banks, and other youth-serving organizations; and building enough local presence that teens hear about the library from adults they already know. Guenette offered a phrase that stayed…
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