Middle schoolers can be challenging. They are full of energy, excitement, and questions! Libraries are perfectly positioned to help this age group gain skills for future success. In this session learn the what and why of middle school behaviors, how to build services that support their social and emotional needs, how library services can help middle schoolers get started on a path to success in college, careers, and life, and How to advocate, with colleagues, administrators, and community stake- holders, for middle school library services.

Linda Braun is a learning consultant with LEO and the continuing education consultant for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). In her work she focuses on helping library staff develop high-quality activities for and with teens. As the YALSA CE consultant, she organizes a wide-array of professional development and manages two YALSA IMLS projects: Future Ready with the Library, which focuses on supporting middle school age youth with college career readiness needs, and Transforming Teen Services a Train the Trainer Approach, focusing on the supporting library staff in building connected learning and computational thinking activities for and with teens.