Library’s Teen Leadership Council offers opportunities to make a difference in the community

By Alison Johnson, librarian

Spokane County Library District chapter books for older kids.

Spokane Valley Library is wrapping up its first year with our Teen Leadership Council. The council is a group of teens, in grades 7–12, who meet regularly, along with a librarian, during the school year to help plan and implement activities, programs, and projects for themselves and others at the library. This can take form in a variety of ways and is driven by the vision and interests of the teens themselves. The teens get to decide what the council will do! This means the projects will be something different each school year and relevant to the teens who are participating on the council.

The Read-Along format lets readers listen as they read. This feature is especially beneficial for emerging readers, kids with dyslexia or vision impairments, English-asa-Second Language (ESL) students, or anyone who wants a little more fun from their reading. The audio recordings are crisp, professionally produced, and sometimes feature celebrity narrators, such as Danny DeVito, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kids can listen with the builtin speaker or attach their own headphones. This option makes them great for family road trips, especially when each child might want to listen to their own book.

Read-Alongs are an immersive experience, incorporating music, sound effects, and even a turn-thepage chime on the books for younger readers. Some even feature “singalong” titles or include “learning mode,” where the audio player asks open-ended questions designed for reflection and comprehension.

Best of all, the controls mimic the

Currently the Teen Leadership Council is creating a zine to add to the library’s collection.

What is a zine (pronounced “zeen” like “teen”) you may ask? A zine is a self-published, magazinelike publication often created by one person or small group of people. Zines are created in many do-ityourself ways. There are no rules in zine creation. They can be large, small, monochromatic or in color. They can even be interactive. You can learn about zines and their history, see some examples, and discover ways to make your own zine at www.scld.org/making-azine.

Zines are also a great platform for teens to express themselves and share their opinions as well as a way to learn about writing, design, editing, and collaboration.

This year’s council is creating a zine on the theme of superheroes. Each teen contributes to the publication, exploring the theme of superheroes with art, poems, collage, or really anywhere their creativity takes them on the page. The teens also do all of the editing, layout, and binding themselves.

Overall, the Teen Leadership look of other standard electronic audio devices, making them familiar so that a child can operate a Read-Along with minimal parental involvement.

Each Read-Along book is selfcontained. There are no CDs, tapes, batteries, or pieces to manage, and you don’t need to use Wi-Fi internet or mobile data. In most cases, you won’t even need electricity. However, Read-Along books can be recharged with a standard microUSB cable if they lose their charge after leaving the library.

Some of our new arrivals are: "Big Nate Blasts Off," by Lincoln Peirce; "How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food," by Jane Yolen; "Frog and Toad Are Friends," by Arnold Lobel; "Pete the Cat’s Groovy Imagination," by Kim Dean; "Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea," by Ben Clanton; and "The Adventures of Captain Underpants," by Dav Pilkey.

We hope you come by the library to take a look at and check out one of these or the many other ReadAlong books on our shelves!

Council is a great way for teens to create a project that interests them and connects them with other teens, all while benefiting their community.

Some benefits teens receive by being on the council include volunteer and leadership experience, community service hours, a way to build up their resumes, a platform to be creative and share their ideas—just to name a few. And did I mention snacks? The library provides those as well!

The next meeting for the Teen Leadership Council is on Wednesday, May 3, at 5pm at Spokane Valley Library (12004 E Main Ave). We’ll also be meeting on Wednesday, June 7, at 5pm at Argonne Library (4322 N Argonne Rd) before taking a break for the summer. Any teens interested in seeing what the council is about and getting ideas for 2023–2024 council projects is welcome to stop by and pick up a participation agreement.

Do you know a teen or are you a teen who cares about your community? Decide how you can make a difference by joining the Teen Leadership Council. Learn more at www.scld.org/teen-leaders.

Grow Your Garden with Help from a Seed Library

How Seed Libraries Work

Borrow from a selection of seeds.

Plant them in your garden. At harvest time, collect seeds to bring back for next season.

Find a seed library at: SPOKANE VALLEY LIBRARY 12004 E Main Ave OTIS ORCHARDS LIBRARY 22324 E Wellesley Ave Also