Scholarly Critique 1

8/19/2019 Scholarly Critique 1

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RUNNING HEAD: Encouraging Adolescent Reading 1

Encouraging Adolescent Reading through Coffeehouse Culture:

A Scholarly Critique

athleen Esling

!I"R #$1A%1&

'une 11( #&1)


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading #

In *uch of +o+ular culture( teenagers are +resented as cy,orgs( creatures

functioning -ith screens attached +er*anently to their fingerti+s. /hey t-eet( ,log( and

0ine( ,ut +lain old%fashioned reading neer see*s to ,e +art of a teenager2s day. 3hile

this *ay ,e an unfair stereoty+e( "randi Gri,,le 4athers and A*anda '. Stern address

teens2 reluctance to read in their article 5Caf6 Culture: 7ro*oting E*+o-er*ent and

7leasure in Adolescent !iteracy !earning.8 /he authors +ose that creating a fun

eniron*ent deoted to +leasure reading could i*+roe readershi+ in young adults. "y

ta9ing the idea of a coffeehouse and translating it into an on%ca*+us conce+t( schools and

school li,raries hae ,een a,le to ignite *ore ecite*ent for +leasure reading. 7u,lic

li,raries *ay ,e a,le to use this idea of a coffee sho+ aesthetic to engage *ore +atrons;

si*+ly ,y focusing on *a9ing their serices *ore social( li,rarians can s9i+ the 5coffee8

of a coffeehouse and focus instead on the coffeehouse *entality.

3hile *any teenagers *ay not en


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading

/he authors noted that +o+ular 5reading corners8 frequently found in ele*entary

classroo*s only *a9e reading a *ore a++ealing actiity. Haing a s+ecial s+ace for

reading ignites +assion and curiosity in young readers BGri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.

Unfortunately( older readers are not afforded these luuries. As the authors note(

as students get older( o++ortunities for free reading ti*e in the classroo* d-indle.

4iddle school students are ,eing +re+ared for high school( and high school students are

,eing +re+ared for college; there is not *uch s+ace in the schedule to allo- for free

reading in class. /he only reading that is encouraged co*es fro* ,oo9s that the teachers

dee* necessary for a student2s education. lder readers hae little to no in+ut in -hat

they are assigned to read( and so they hae ery little inest*ent in the actiity BGri,,le

4athers F Stern( #&1#.

Children of all ages ac9no-ledge that reading hel+s students 5get s*arter.8 Each

grou+ of students ans-ered oer-hel*ingly +ositiely -hen as9ed if reading is a

necessary actiity; >= of third graders( #= of seenth graders( and >= of eleenth

graders agreed that reading is i*+ortant. /he authors -ere intrigued ,y the discre+ancy

,et-een each age grou+2s ac9no-ledge*ent that reading is i*+ortant and the decrease in

adolescent reading. /hey -anted to find a solution to ,ring teenagers ,ac9 to the reading

roo* BGri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.

/he authors -ere ins+ired ,y the idea of the coffee sho+. Coffeehouses ,egan in

the 1&&s -ith the esta,lish*ent of ia Han in Constantino+le. /he idea of the

coffeehouse s+read( and fro* there( 5Coffeehouses had ,eco*e Jcenters of self%

education( literary and +hiloso+hical s+eculation( co**ercial innoation( and( in so*e

cases( +olitical fer*entation28 B+. #. 7eo+le -ent to these +laces to discuss ideas and


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learn ne- things. /he liely conersation added greatly to the coffee sho+2s a++eal. Not

only could +atrons get so*ething to drin9( ,ut they could also learn so*ething ne- to

thin9 a,out. /his social at*os+here is significant. Star,uc9s( for ea*+le( has gained

+o+ularity ,ecause it 5Jset out to reinent the coffee e+erience28 BS-eet as cited in

Gri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#. Star,uc9s *ade the coffee sho+ 5Jan ar,iter of +o+

culture28 to an een greater degree than ia Han did in its ti*e. As S-eet notes(

5Star,uc9s sells not coffee ,ut connection8 Bas cited in Gri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.

/his connection is -hat 9ee+s +eo+le co*ing ,ac9 to coffeehouses. Coffee and tea are

delicious ,eerages( ,ut the conersations that ha++en in caf6s are the real dra- BGri,,le

4athers F Stern( #&1#.

/he social nature of coffee sho+s is the ery thing that could dra- teenagers into a

reading s+ace. Since a coffeehouse is a +lace -here +eo+le traditionally *et and shared

ideas( it is the +erfect *odel to i*+le*ent for infor*al student discussion. /he authors

loo9ed at schools that incor+orated the coffeehouse aesthetic into their li,raries( and they

descri,e -hat 5-or9s.8 /he follo-ing are crucial ele*ents of a ca*+us coffeehouse:

furniture cannot ,e the sa*e as the institutional classroo* fitures( tasty ,eerages

should ,e sered( tal9ing *ust ,e encouraged( and ,oo9s need to ,e +resent. "y creating

such a s+ace( li,raries can ,ridge the free reading ga+ in three -ays: Kirst( such a +lace

-ill gie students a +lace to read for fun on ca*+us daily; second( it -ill ,e a social

s+ace to read and discuss ,oo9s; third( it -ill allo- students to choose -hat they -ish to

read. "y +roiding these three serices( a ca*+us coffeehouse -ould correct the

5*is*atches8 currently +resent in *iddle and high school literacy education. /hese

ca*+us coffeehouses allo- students so*e inde+endence in their reading choices as -ell


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading )

as s+ace to socialiLe( and they hae ,eco*e +o+ular -ith students at schools -here these

caf6s hae ,een o+ened BGri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.

/he authors also strie to let readers 9no- that this is a +ro


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/his article has a +o-erful i*+act on +ossi,ilities for youth li,rarians. "y

i*+le*enting a coffeehouse%*odel ,ased +lan( youth li,rarians *ay ,e a,le to encourage

young +eo+le to co*e in and s+end ti*e -ith each other and -ith

,oo9s. 4any +u,lic li,raries still ,an food and drin9 fro* the

+re*ises( ,ut so*e are changing their +olicies -ith an eye on

9ee+ing teenagers interested in their +rogra*s. Kor ea*+le( the

MU*edia teen li,rary in Chicago 9no-s the i*+ortance of

allo-ing food and drin9 in a teen s+ace. 3hile this li,rary focuses

*ore on ,eing a *a9er s+ace for young +eo+le rather than a coffee

sho+( MU*edia e*+hasiLes colla,oration and social connection a*ongst its +atrons.

Kor MU*edia( a 9ey as+ect of 9ee+ing their +atrons engaged inoled allo-ing food in

a section of their youth s+ace. As Dre- Daidson says( 5If you -ant 9ids to ,e here after

school( you2re going to lose the* the *inute they leae to go get a snac98 BS+ringen(

#&11. /his change in snac9 +olicy reflects -hat Gri,,le 4athers and Stern found in their

o-n article: students li9e to hae a co*forta,le s+ace -here they can rela. 3hile food

and ,eerages do not ty+ically *i -ith li,raries( *a9ing young +eo+le feel -elco*e is

i*+ortant. In s+aces -here snac9s are +er*issi,le( this could ,e a good first ste+ to

-elco*ing young +atrons into a li,rary s+ace.

MU*edia a++ears to ,e changing the face of youth serices in +u,lic li,raries.

Kor ea*+le( the San Krancisco 7u,lic !i,rary -ill uneil its o-n redesigned youth

serices de+art*ent in 'une of #&1). 4otiated ,y the ideas ,ehind the MU*edia

center( /he 4i recruited a "oard of Adising Mouth in order to hae teens2 in+ut on the

design and serices of the youth section B---.sf+l.org. /here is +lenty of s+ace in /he

$%&'#ediaChicago atrons orkingon a roect in the library.


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading $

4i for creating ne- *edia and colla,orating -ith +eers. Again( this li,rary2s focus is on

creating a *a9er s+ace for teenagers( ,ut the social as+ect of a coffeehouse is +resent in

the redesign. Mouth li,rarians can ta9e ins+iration fro* MU*edia +rogra*s and

5reinent the adolescent reading e+erience8 ,y encouraging young +atrons to get

together and tal9 a,out ,oo9s. /he li,rary no longer needs to ,e a solitary e+erience for

teenagers BGri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.

An i*+ortant thing for youth li,rarians to consider is that a coffeehouse need not

,e a literal roo* deoted to coffee and ,oo9s. 3hile the snac9s and ,eerages are

+ro,a,ly a large dra- for the teenagers at MU*edia and the school li,rary coffee sho+s(

they are not necessary for the coffeehouse *odel to ,e utiliLed. 3hile *any ne-

+rogra*s do allo- for food and drin9 inside youth serice areas( not eery li,rary can

*a9e this change. Creating a s+ace -here teenagers can feel a sense of o-nershi+ could

,e the ans-er. In Young Adult Literature in Action: A Librarian’s Guide( Rose*ary

Chance notes the i*+ortance of tal9ing to teen +atrons and learning their o+inions. 4uch

li9e ho- MU*edia and /he 4i used an adisory ,oard of young +eo+le to hel+ the*

+lan their ne- teen s+aces( youth li,rarians can as9 teenaged +atrons gie the li,rary

ideas a,out -hat they -ould li9e to see. !i,rarians can also encourage that +atrons hold

conersations a,out ,oo9s( allo-ing for social net-or9ing to ta9e +lace in real life. Mouth

li,rarians could also +lan eents such as author isits( +oetry readings( and other si*ilar

5coffeehouse8 ty+e +rogra*s. Gri,,le 4athers and Stern noted that ,y using those

+rogra*s( schools could interest their students in +ursuing *ore learning outside of the

classroo* BChance( #&1; Gri,,le 4athers F Stern( #&1#.


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading >

ne of the *ost i*+ortant things for youth li,rarians to ta9e fro* the school

coffeehouse *odel is the idea of haing the right ,oo9s +resent for +leasure reading.

!i,rarians *ust ensure that the ,oo9s in the collection are ones that the teenagers -ant to

read. Chance reco**ends as9ing +atrons to fill out a reading surey( ,ut she e*+hasiLes

that it should not ,e a ,urdenso*e tas9: 5Ans-ering these questions shouldn2t feel li9e a

ho*e-or9 tas9 to teens. ?@ As9 -hat to+ics they2re interested in reading a,out. It *ay

,e the first ti*e anyone has eer as9ed the*8 BChance( #&1. Gri,,le 4athers and Stern

agree that teenagers -ho -ant to hae *ore inde+endence also -ant to choose their o-n

reading *aterial. If a youth li,rarian *a9es it clear that he or she -ants to hear the

+atrons2 o+inions( it -ill gie these young +eo+le *ore o-nershi+ oer the s+ace. /hey

-ill -ant to s+end *ore ti*e in the s+ace and chec9 out *ore ,oo9s if it is clear that the

li,rarians hae listened and ta9en their +atrons2 o+inions seriously BChance( #&1;

Gri,,le 4athers and Stern( #&1#.

It is i*+ortant that li,rarians not feel oer-hel*ed -hen considering different

+aths to ta9e to engage their young +atrons. MU*edia2s *odel is not a realistic goal for

eery li,rary( nor is a full ca*+us coffeehouse. So*e of these +rogra*s are si*+ly too

e+ensie or too *uch of a de+arture fro* li,rary +olicy to ,e i*+le*ented. As 7a*

S+encer -rites( 5'ust as teens often feel alienated fro* +arents( friends( or school

+ersonnel( so too do teen li,rarians often feel out of the *ainstrea* of their li,rary8 Bas

cited in Chance( #&1. 3hile the coffeehouse *odel is an interesting and eciting one(

it is not the only ans-er. 3or9ing -ith the Gri,,le 4athers and Stern coffeehouse i*age

does not *ean a li,rarian needs to create an actual coffeehouse that seres ,eerages.

Rather( si*+ly ,eing a,le to create a social s+ace for young +atrons to *eet and discuss


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,oo9s can ,e enough. Een teenagers -ho li9e to read can ,e *issing the o++ortunity to

discuss -hat they are reading -ith one another. "y *a9ing a s+ace -ithin the li,rary

-here young +eo+le can tal9 a,out their faorite ,oo9s( youth li,rarians -ill +roide that

*issing social as+ect that is the root of the 5*is*atches8 Gri,,le 4athers and Stern

found in *iddle%and%high school literacy curricula.

In an era -hen +o+ular culture do*inates *any arenas( +eo+le -or9ing -ith

youth *ust learn ho- to harness +o+ culture and use it to engage -ith their +atrons.

3hile *any li,raries do not allo- food( drin9( and conersation into their halls( +erha+s

youth serices li,rarians can shift the +aradig*. Een if a snac9%friendly +olicy is not a

+ossi,ility( li,rarians can -or9 creatiely -ith a coffeehouse *odel in *ind. ffering a

s+ace for social interaction as -ell as relaation can o+en the door for *ore teen use of

li,rary s+ace. 3hile a full rei*agining of the de+art*ent *ay not ,e feasi,le( s*all ,ut

thoughtful changes in ho- a s+ace is organiLed could go a long -ay to-ards *a9ing

teenagers feel -elco*e and ecited to read. UtiliLing +atron in+ut regarding

+rogra**ing and ite*s in the collection is not a ne- idea( ,ut it is one that can hel+

*a9e teenagers in +articular feel *uch *ore -elco*ed. A coffee sho+ originally -as a

s+ace for the +eo+le; they ca*e( conersed( and learned fro* one another. 3hether or not

a student can +ic9 u+ a cu+ of coffee in their li,rary does not *atter; haing the chance to

interact -ith their +eers and discuss a ne- faorite ,oo9 does. "y allo-ing for a social

interaction a*ongst reading teens( youth li,rarians can *a9e reading a *uch *ore

eciting and -orth-hile actiity.


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Encouraging Adolescent Reading 1&

References:

MU*ediaChicago. B#&1)( 4arch. OMU*ediaChicago teens get to 9no-

OStuds/er9el and +ut their creatie genius to his -or9 for /hirdCoastKest.

Retrieed fro* htt+s:PPinstagra*.co*P+PLlSuGSI*P

Chance( R. B#&1. Young adult literature in action: A librarian’s guide. Santa "ar,ara:

!i,raries Unli*ited.

Gri,,le 4athers( ".( F Stern( A. '. B#&1#. Caf6 culture: 7ro*oting e*+o-er*ent and

+leasure in adolescent literacy learning. Reading Horizons, 51B( #)%#$>.

Harey( 4. B7hotogra+her B#&&$( cto,er &. -esi Utley( right( seres custo*ers ct.

1$ in the li,rary coffeehouse at Centennial High School in Kran9lin( /enn.

Retrieed fro* htt+:PP*edia#.sn,cne-s.co*P

Scholarly Critique 1

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