We’ve all been there: You find a perfect library program idea on social media, you put in hours of work getting it ready, and then… it flops. Maybe students walk right past your beautifully crafted book display, or only a single student shows up to your heavily advertised event. It’s frustrating and discouraging. Why do great ideas work for some libraries but not for others?

It’s a sign that maybe the most successful ideas aren’t found on social media. Students in different communities have different interests, and what worked in one library – even your local public library – might not work for yours. Despite our best efforts, our libraries will only be great if we take into account the opinions – and voice – of our own students. We all have those students who live in the library—the early birds, the after-school regulars, and the ones who just seem to love being there. Their interest in your space can be a great benefit to you. Imagine what your library would be like if you could wrangle their ideas and passion into something that makes your space even better.

The Power of Student Voice

Ultimately, our goal is for the library to be the heart of the school. But sometimes kids just won’t come, or they come for some reasons but not others. Once you ask students what they want—whether it’s through a poll, in-person voting, or just by walking up and asking their opinion—things start to change. My most successful program, Tiny Art, was suggested by my own students, and it’s become a yearly after-school tradition because of its popularity.

I also encourage students to recommend books to each other using a special display with blank easels titled “Books That Rock!” During library orientation at the beginning of the year, I explain to all classes that it is their display and they can put any book they enjoyed on it to recommend to others. It’s one of my best displays because students like other students’ recommendations. The books change out constantly, and I’m always surprised to see the variety of recommendations. It’s a passive display that helps students feel they have a voice in recommending books to their peers, making it more accessible to a variety of readers, especially those who are shy but are big readers, and also those who just want the entire world to know about their favorite books. It also benefits the students who are looking for a new idea; they know some other student in the school likes it, so they decide to give it a whirl.

Making Student Voice a Reality

If you want an even more regular way to involve students, you could assemble a team of student volunteers. You can train them to do everything from shelving and prepping materials to processing new books. This takes tasks off your plate and makes students feel more involved in the library space. A librarian friend of mine has her volunteers come in the morning before school, while another has them come after school for community service hours, which are a graduation requirement in our district.

However, I created an after-school club called Student Library Advisory Team, affectionately known as SLAT, that not only helps with daily tasks but also serves as a weekly focus group for planning events and activities. I’ll present them with theme ideas for an upcoming month and let them talk and provide input on which one we, collectively, want to pursue. Then, they break into small groups to brainstorm passive programming, displays, and in-person events. Once I compile their ideas, they vote on their favorites. I have ultimate veto power, of course, but by and large, they have some great suggestions. When adults or students make a positive comment about something this club has done, I am always quick to give credit to them.

My SLAT students have helped me with everything from deciding on new genre stickers and organizing book displays to helping redesign our cozy reading area. It is invaluable to get their opinions and their collective help. For example, there was a hallway window display that I wanted to change before some important visitors came, but I explained to SLAT I didn’t have time to do it. They took on the task, giving it a cute title, “There’s SNOW place like the library!” and over the course of two meetings, they not only planned what the window would look like, but created the pieces and put it up. It saved me time and gave them a sense of ownership, and they even created a sign that said, “Created by the Student Library Advisory Team.”

Of course, there are some challenges. Sometimes they don’t do a job perfectly, or the bell rings halfway through a task, and I am left to finish or redo it. Other times, students have very impractical suggestions, or I know there’s no way to make it happen. When that happens, I try to talk through the logistics with them, leading the student to see it isn’t as feasible as they thought.

The Payoff

The more you involve your own students and solicit a variety of opinions, in whatever format works for you, the more your library will become theirs. They’ll start to trust you more because you’re an adult who is actually listening to them and following through with their reasonable ideas. The rest of the school starts to attend events, come into the library to see what’s new, and tell their friends they know the person who helped make the snowflakes in the hallway display.

So, forget replicating the perfect Pinterest library. The best ideas are already walking through your doors every day. The more you involve your students, the more your library will become a space that truly belongs to them. When students feel a sense of ownership, they become your best advocates and biggest fans. They don’t just visit the library; they become a part of its very fabric, helping you create a vibrant and relevant space for the entire school community. So, what’s your first step? Start small: ask a student what they’re reading, or what kind of events they wish your library had. Ask them, listen to them, and empower them. You might be surprised by the amazing ideas you get in return.