The Oshkosh West Index - Library program opens creative outlet for teens

Volume 103, Issue 8

Online Features

Library program opens creative outlet for teens

By Kim Spaulding
posted 11:25:58 AM CST, May 24, 2007

The gentle thrumming of a guitar muffles the sound of the busy public as they shuffle their way through rows of alphabetized volumes. Soon, the audience is completely entranced by the young poet, whosemain objective is to declare his art form. On May 3, the Oshkosh Public Library debuted “Get Your Rhyme On,” a take on the classic and ever popular Open Mic Night.

Participants were given virtual free reign as reference librarian and Open Mic Night director Ruth Percey placed the spotlight on local teenage poets and their work.

“Teens were able to do whatever they wanted: sing or read; one person brought a guitar and she played a couple of songs for us,” she said. “Pretty much whatever people wanted to do, they were able to do.”

Percey came up with the idea by observing teens in the library after school. Some showed interest in reading their written work out loud.

“It was inspired by some students at Merrill Middle School. They were here doing some work and I happened to see that [one student] had some poetry,” Percey said. “I asked her if I was able to look at it, and it was quite good. I thought it would be neat to have an opportunity to give them a place to read their stuff, besides just reading it in class.”

The teen’s poetry, written for National Poetry Month, showed Percey that others might also have a hidden talent for writing. However, putting the event together took some determination. Percey anticipated that some would be reluctant to take the stage but she was pleased with the number of performers who chose to go through with the event.

“Even if we just got a handful of people that would be fine, and it turned out we had about 15 people who came, including an adult or two that were in the audience, who just wanted to check out and see what kids are up to these days,” she said.

According to Percey, the event was overall quite successful. Though not every teen was as talented as the next, it was an enjoyable time for those involved.

“I thought it went really well,” she said. “I was pleased. Some of the kids were quite talented, and even those that were not so talented certainly had a good time. It was fun more than anything; just a chance to be a little bit silly and try something new.”

Based on the successful results of “Get Your Rhyme On,” the library plans on holding more events that target teenage creativity in the future.

“I got one comment that they would like to see it happen again or perhaps on a regular basis,” said Percey.

More teen programs are already priming their engines in preparation for a timely launch. Percey hopes that teens will be able to become more involved in the planning process of the program in months to come.

“One of the things we hope to get off the ground this year is the formation of a Teen Advisory Council, and what we hope that will involve is where teens can take an active part in deciding which programs will be held at the library,” she said. “[I like the idea of] having people who use the library come up with their own ideas and then follow through.”

The library is also gearing up for summer with a slew of events targeting young people ages 12-20. The plan is to keep these programs going while simultaneously maintaining the library’s reading roots.

“From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we have a teen summer reading program,” said Percey. “The program itself is really simple. You just give us tickets, and for every 20 minutes that you read, you check a box on the ticket. When the ticket is full you turn it in to the information desk, and we have random prize drawings every Friday.”

Librarians are optimistic that prizes, such as CDs, DVDs, and books, will motivate teens to become stronger readers, especially over the summer months. Along with the reading program, teens can do special projects that tie in to this summer’s reading theme.

“We also will have some other programs this summer, including a program to make pirate sock puppets, where we’d supply the materials, and you could make sock puppets that look like pirates,” Percey said. “We’re also planning another program called Canvas Art, where we hope to get some kids who paint on canvas, and we’ll hang that up and display it in the Ourspace area.”

Another big hit coming out in the next few months is the release of the much-anticipated final Harry Potter novel. Teens can take part in a special book release event.

“We’re looking at a teen Harry Potter program that will be held before the July 21 date,” said Percey. “We have some other programs in the works as well.”

One element remains certain for the library’s future; more teenagers will be enjoying Ourspace and attending programs such as these.

“What we’re trying to do is continue to develop [teen-oriented] programming,” Percey said. “We tried to just make a loose atmosphere where people could just be themselves.”

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photo by Kailey Lemon

Oshkosh East student Cosette Posorski plays guitar to accompany an original composition. The library’s open mic night showcased area students and allowed them the spotlight for a night.

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