Roseville teen advisory board expands year-round activities and leadership opportunities

The Roseville Public Library’s Teen Advisory Board (TAB) is shifting from a seasonal model to year-round membership and expanding teen-led projects, the library’s teen and adult programming librarian, Nathan Garcia, told the Library Board on Sept. 22.

Garcia said TAB seeks to give teens leadership and job-building opportunities, and that the program will now run through summers so members can work on multi-month projects. “This change allows the teens to work through summer, giving us more time for projects and less time restrictions,” Garcia said.

Garcia provided a year-in-review for the 2024–25 term. He said there are two TAB groups: “Mydo” (Maidu?) TAB, with 26 registered members, eight meetings and 83 total teen attendees over the year; and Riley TAB, with 27 registered members, eight meetings and 93 total attendees. Mydo TAB volunteered about 125 hours, ran a book drive that collected more than 200 donated books, and helped prepare crafts for library programs. Riley TAB volunteered about 140 hours, produced a two-day career fair and a three-day study-hour series; the career fair drew 29 attendees for the first session and 19 for the second (48 total), and the study-hour sessions drew 12 attendees.

Garcia described operational changes based on teen feedback: TAB will no longer elect multiple fixed officer positions (except a note-taking role) so more members can rotate leadership tasks; the program will give teens more sustained leadership and outreach responsibilities; and TAB will be more involved in marketing, craft preparation, and behind-the-scenes library functions.

Several TAB members spoke to the board about their experiences. Jackson, a returning TAB member, said TAB helped him find leadership roles and connect with peers. Lynn Marie of Oakmont High School described organizing the Mydo book drive—“We managed to collect like around 300 books that were then distributed to kids who might not have had that entertainment throughout the summer”—and said the work helped her gain confidence. Caitlin Lek, a senior and former Riley TAB secretary, said the group fostered communication and organizational skills. Pia Panchal, a TAB veteran, said TAB helped her develop networking, marketing and project-management skills and cited the career fair series as an example of a project that improved after reflection and iteration.

Upcoming TAB projects Garcia listed included a Hot Wheels car drive running through Oct. 16 at all three libraries; donations will be passed to Toys for Tots via the Mahaney trunk-or-treat event. Garcia also said TAB plans to increase teen involvement in marketing materials and to include TAB members in craft preparation and program hosting.

The board and public praised TAB members’ presentations; Garcia encouraged interested teens to apply using a QR code and link he displayed.

Ending: The board expressed appreciation and suggested the program could be a pipeline for future library staff and community leaders.