Competencies Needed to Provide Teen Library Services of the Future: A Survey of Professionals in Learning Labs and Makerspaces

Libraries are developing transformative teen-centered spaces and services to facilitate informal learning, creation, socialization, and community engagement. For sustained success, it is crucial that qualified professionals staff these learning spaces. This study explored the following research question: What are the competencies required for professionals to provide teens with resources and services in informal learning spaces such as Learning Labs or Makerspaces? Survey results of professionals working in Makerspaces or Learning Labs in libraries in the United States are presented. Findings relate to (1) the participants’ job responsibilities and competencies necessary to work in a Makerspace or Learning Lab; (2) their perceptions of the value of their higher-education experiences; and (3) choices of resources for learning competencies. The findings inform professionals working with teens about necessary competencies; provide library directors and managers with a research-based framework on staff recruitment and training; and offer suggestions for curricular updates to library and information science (LIS) educators.