Our weekly Summer Reading Program origami workshop last week was our first program designed for teens. Up until now, we haven’t done much to attract teens. Until recently the Young Adult area was located right next to the librarians’ desk in the Youth Services room (who was responsible for that idea???). For a while, we were waiting to for the branch renovation project scheduled for fall to relocate it. But even before we found out that the renovation had been canceled, we decided that we had to do something to make a more inviting teen area. We moved the YA area to a small narrow space nearest the adult section of the library. Somehow we managed to squeeze in a couple of armchairs and decorated with some origami and lo! suddenly there were teens browsing and hanging out there! We also had good luck in recruiting a lot of teen volunteers for the Summer Reading Program, so we definitely need to make good use of this “first contact” with the young adults of our community.
So I came up with the idea of an origami workshop to make origami turtle earrings and journal covers. Then I waited like a hunter in a blind to see if any teens would take the bait.
They came! All girls, but it’s a start! I knew we had scored this time when one of the girls at the table said, “We’re making those turtle earrings, right?” And when I replied in the affirmative, they all chorused, “AWESOME!!!”
Unfortunately, my camera picked that moment to run low on batteries, so most of my photos didn’t turn out. But the girls’ earrings were indeed awesome, and I think they’ll be back. 
