Teen Services & Events

Looking to get your community service form signed? These requests are approved by the Teen Services Librarian. Please fill out the Contact form and expect your request to be answered within 3 business days.

Teen Volunteer Time

Do you need to earn community service hours? Become a teen volunteer at the library and help library staff and the library at large while earning your hours. We will meet at the upper level reference desk at the Central Library and start promptly at 4:15 PM on Thursdays. Due to high interest, pre-registration will guarantee your participation. Stop by just in case we have space for drop-ins! Can't make it Thursdays? Join us at the Eastside Library on Saturdays from 11am-12:30pm. No registration required!

Teen Advisory Board

Teen Advisory Board combines community service and youth development, underlining the value of teen involvement towards the success of the Santa Barbara Public Library and the Santa Barbara community at large. This program gives high school students positive ways to discover their voice, develop leadership skills, and create lasting change within their community. Teens will identify community needs, create projects to support those needs, and help shape the library's teen services, programs, and collections.

T.A.B. members will receive community service hours for attending T.A.B. meetings and events, and additional volunteer opportunities and team building activities will be offered throughout the year. Meetings will occur twice a month at the Central library on Tuesday from 5-6:30 during the school year, and once a month during the summer. Applications for T.A.B. will be accepted at the beginning of each school term and prospective members must attend a Library Services Orientation for Teens. We will contact you with more information once we receive your application.

Virtual

Do you love to read? Get service hours for writing book reviews! Find more information about Book Reviews in the tab below.

OG Tutoring

Are you great with kids? Looking for a long-term service opportunity? Volunteers ages 16 and over are welcome to complete an 8-hour training to become a formal Orton-Gillingham reading tutor and be assigned to a specific struggling reader in grades 1 - 4 for weekly 1 hour tutoring sessions at any SBPL Library. All training hours, as well as time spent preparing and tutoring, will count as community service hours once you are matched with a student.

Ideal volunteers are patient, exhibit strong reading skills, and engage well with children.

Learn More about being an OG Tutor.

Relax & Craft for Teens

Calling all teens in grades 7-12! Join us Saturdays from 3-4:30pm at the Central Library for a relaxing crafting session! Head upstairs to the Teen Area and learn to crochet, relax and color, or explore classic crafts like friendship bracelets and keychain making. Supplies will be provided.

Special Programs

From one-off programs like Teen Game Night, and Teen Clothing Swap, to series like Dungeons & Dragons for Teens, we are always planning fun programs at the library! Follow us on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, or check out our calendar of events to see what’s coming up! 

Are you dying to get your thoughts about your latest read off your chest? Do you have an old favorite you wish more people would read? Write a book review for our blog or social media accounts!  You will receive 1 service hour for each book review, and you may submit up to 5 reviews per month.

• You must be in grades 7-12.
• The book must be available from the Santa Barbara Public Library.
• Want to review a book we don’t own? Submit a Materials Request with your Library card or email Youthservices@santabarbaraca.gov. We may be able to add it to the collection!
• Reviews should be approximately 250-300 words and be entirely your own work.
• Reviews should include a very short plot summary (no spoilers) and your opinion about the book. Check out Joanna Cutrara’s article How to Write a Book Review for a sample outline and tips and tricks for writing a great review. (But seriously, no spoilers.)
• See examples of past book reviews in our Book Review Archive

Have fun! These reviews are for other teens, so write in your own style and have fun with it. Your review doesn’t need to be too formal or sound like an essay. Optional: You may also choose to submit a photo of the book with your review, which will potentially be posted on the Library’s social media pages.

• Your full name will not be posted with the review - you’ll be able to choose how you want to be credited.
• SBPL staff might make small edits for grammar or spelling errors.
• Service hours will not be given for inaccurate or incomplete reviews. In such cases, SBPL staff may contact you to request edits.

You will receive a confirmation email within 7-10 days after you submit your review, and you are responsible for following up with SBPL Staff to get your service hours signed.

YA Reading Lists

Need help finding a new book to read? Check out these lists in our catalog!

Want personalized suggestions? Give our Book Match program a try! Just let us know what kind of books you like, and a librarian will create a curated list of suggestions just for you. Complete this form to request your own list. 

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