2022 Teen Librarian Summit Agenda
March 16, 2022
Times listed are CST/EST
9/10 am Opening – Kate Greene Smith
9:15/10:15 am Teen Mental Health – Joanne Purley and Caty Davis
It’s always hard to be a teen, but today’s world has made it even more difficult. We will discuss current data surrounding youth’s substance use in Tennessee and the pandemic’s influence on the increase in usage and mental health hospitalizations, provide mental health tips, and connect participants with current resources for teens and librarians.
Joanne Perley, MPH, is the Assistant Director of Suicide Prevention in the Office of Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention at the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and oversees the nine State and Federal suicide prevention programs statewide.
Caty Davis is the Assistant Director of School-Based Initiatives for the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. She is a magna cum laude graduate of The University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration.
10:15/11:15 am TAB Turnabout – Claire Stanton
Learn how Claire took on the job of teen programming during a pandemic and transformed The John P. Holt Brentwood Library’s Teen Advisory Board from an after-school club of teens helping out in the library to a true teen leadership and community service organization.
Claire Stanton has been a Public Services Librarian at The John P. Holt Brentwood Library for over 5 years with 10+ years of library experience doing a little bit of everything. Currently, Claire does Collection Development and Teen Programming as well as serving on several library committees including the Caring Committee, which she founded.
11:15/12:15 Lunch
12:00/1:00 pm Being an Ally in Challenging Times – Dr. Cindy Welch, UT Knoxville
Recent book challenges across the state have led us to ask, “How do we support each other in the teen information ecosystem?” This session helps brainstorm ways to sustain and support youth when their information resources are at risk. We’ll also discuss how to support colleagues in school libraries.
Dr. Cindy Welch is Clinical Associate Professor and Coordinator of Youth Services at the UT Knoxville School of Information Sciences.
1/2 pm Creating Comics – Jacob Platania
Just Start Creating Comics is a program that offers instruction for illustration and creating sequential art (comics/storyboards) at a beginner’s level. Creating Comics’ goal is to give teens the tools and confidence with a little instruction to begin creating graphic novels at their convenience almost immediately. This program includes illustration instructions, comic book history, and tips for possibly creating for BIG name publishers! The program is a blast for those who like to draw, and for teens who are just interested in comics.
Jacob Platania is a Teen learning lab Specialist that creates programs for The CLOUD901 Teen Learning lab at the Memphis Central Library 
and comic illustrator published by BAD DOG comics.
2/3 pm YA Bento Boxes – Abby Powers
YA Bento Boxes are personalized monthly subscription boxes that allow you to get to know your teen patrons better. They are similar to the popular bento takeout boxes of Japan in that the teens get to have three different things to look forward to each month: new books to read, snacks, and a pop culture gift! The boxes have been a huge success at Bristol Public Library since Abby Powers started doing this passive program in November 2021 - her numbers have doubled! These Bento Boxes are a creative way to promote literacy and are fun to make.
Abby Powers is the Teen & Young Adult Librarian at the Bristol Public Library in Bristol, Virginia. She has been in the position since October 2021 but has been with the BPL for almost two years.
2:30/3:30 pm READsquared for Teens – Barry Young and Brittany Smolinski
READsquared staff will demonstrate how to use your site to spread the word about summer reading and keeping teens engaged all summer long.
Barry Young, President and CEO, was an instrumental team member of the design, development, and implementation of the first release of READsquared.
Brittany “Britt” Smolinski, Senior Support Team Lead, joined READsquared in 2014 as one of the first support and training leaders. She possesses intimate knowledge of READsquared and has been instrumental in defining new and streamlining existing features.
3:30/4:30 pm Wrap up and evaluation – Kate Greene Smith
