Teen Outreach
The DYS Core Collection
New Art Exhibition at BPL's Teen Central
Library Outreach Services to Teens
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Diversity, Literacy, and Outreach Services (ODLOS) defines outreach as “providing library services and programs outside the walls of the library to underserved and underrepresented populations; populations such as new and non-readers, LGBTQIA people, people of color, poor and homeless people, and people who are incarcerated.”
In support of the Boston Public Library’s commitment to community and youth engagement, as outlined in both the Library's Strategic Plan and Roadmap, BPL teen services library staff are committed to partnering with organizations that serve youth wherever they are at.
Outreach extends services and programs beyond the library’s physical and virtual spaces to offer equitable access to information and resources, especially to underserved and underrepresented populations.
BPL x Department of Youth Services
Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) – Metro and Northeast Regions
Community served: Youth who are system impacted
Services provided: Monthly book deposit, book talks, creative technology programs, author visits
Partner since: 2008
Boston Public Library has partnered with the Department of Youth Services, the juvenile justice agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since 2008. Once a month, two teen librarians visit each unit at the Metro and Northeast Region facilities to bring in a selection of paperback books to 'booktalk' and to discuss books and reading in general with the teens. Library staff take and fill book requests from youth during these visits, returning the next month with the requested books. Library staff also periodically provide programming at DYS such as author talks and creative technology programming, including music production and recording workshops.
The BPL teen outreach librarian maintains a collection of over 2500 paperback books for the exclusive use of teens at DYS Metro and Northeast.
BPL Youth Services is grateful to our partners at the Flint Public Library (Middleton, MA) and Peabody Institute of Danvers (Danvers, MA) for their collaboration in serving the youth at DYS Northeast in Middleton.
Please contact Maty Cropley at mcropley@bpl.org with any questions or inquiries about teen library outreach services.