The Menlo Park Library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG) offers local middle and high school students the chance to make an impact in their community by making the library a welcoming and inclusive space for teens.
Founded nearly a decade ago, the volunteer program runs through the Menlo Park Library and the Belle Haven Community Campus. Tag encourages leadership and youth participation, leading events such as movie/game nights, creative workshops, as well as a journaling workshop collaboration put together by M-A and TAG students.
Librarian for the library’s Teen Zone, Ella Hadrovic, runs the program alongside librarian David Jimenez. Together, they supervise the bi-monthly Menlo Park Library and Belle Haven Community Campus meetings.
“It’s a really fun volunteer program. We feed you at every meeting,” Hadrovic said. “It gives [students] the opportunity to speak up and work in a group, and also do some creative things.”
“We’ve asked the teens what they want to do to help the library,” Hadrovic said. “The best way to make sure they care about what we’re doing is to ask them directly.” She emphasized the importance in listening to the suggestions of adolescents, as their input is what makes the teen section captivating, built on the suggestions and advice of the TAG team.
Some of the group’s favorite and most popular projects include a Literary March Madness tournament, where teens vote on their favorite characters, and a series of Who Would Win? posters. “Who would win, Snow White versus Lord Farquaad?” Hadrovic said. “Lord Farquaad won.”
“That’s been a really fun passive program,” Hadrovic said. “People love it.” Other notable activities TAG organized include phone charm-making and friendship bracelet workshops.
For many students, TAG provides both a creative outlet and a welcoming space to meet other young minds.
Freshman Alexandra Tong first learned about TAG while looking for volunteer opportunities online. “I read an old M-A Chronicle article about TAG and thought it looked really cool,” Tong said. “So I applied in the winter of eighth grade.”
Since joining, Tong has helped create book displays, write book recommendations, and build a sticky-note kindness wall. “It was a heart on a board, and people would drop by and leave nice notes for other people,” Tong said. “It was really cute.”
Tong said the program encourages both creativity and service. “We help promote reading to other teens,” she said. “It’s just a nice environment. You make fun activities and help the community.”
Clara Cruz, a sophomore at Notre Dame High School Belmont, joined TAG after attending a fun library event hosted by the advisory group. “It was painting succulent pots, and there was ice cream too, which was really nice,” Cruz said. “I love reading, so I was like, ‘Why not?’”
Since then, she’s worked on book displays and Who Would Win? posters, but her favorite project was the same kindness board Tong mentioned. “It was practically full after one week,” Cruz said. “Everyone was writing stuff, even in different languages. It was really nice.”
“It’s such a joy to run this program,” Hadrovic said. “It helps kids get better at articulating their thoughts and being open to sharing them. It teaches teamwork, creativity, listening to each other, and, hopefully, builds a love for community engagement,” she added.
At this week’s meeting, the teen group designed and put up their monthly book display decorations in the Teen Zone of the library.
“Sometimes we’re just trying to come up with new ideas for displays or events,” she said. “That’s why we started scheduling meetings, so we can plan ahead and make sure we’re doing things the teens actually care about.”
Hadrovic encourages other M-A students to apply, describing TAG as an opportunity to make a difference in the community. “It’s easy to join. There are a couple steps. Don’t be intimidated by the application,” she said. “I think kids who join TAG care a lot about their community and their library.”
TAG meets the first and third Thursday every month; the Belle Haven branch meets the first and third Wednesdays. “It’s a very flexible program,” Hadrovic said. “You come when it works for you, and you don’t when it doesn’t.”
The group encourages students to make a positive impact in their local libraries by promoting youth readership and community events for teens
To view the TAG application or some of their upcoming events, go to the Menlo Park Library website.
