The Bookshelf: Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library’s Teen Discord server a virtual option for teens

Published 8:00 pm Saturday, November 21, 2020

It has been a tough year for everyone, and teens are no exception. The kids who rely on the library’s programs and the Teen Room for social interaction with their peers have expressed to me their longing to return.

While our building is not open to the public yet, we have found an alternative that is growing in popularity. Our Teen Discord server has become a home away from home as far as the teens of the library are concerned. We offer virtual programming for activities we once held here at the library, such as Teen Dungeons & Dragons and Anime Night. We are also working on a way to let the teens play together on some of their favorite games, like the wildly popular Among Us.

The Teen Discord server is a haven of refuge in cyberspace. There, teens can share memes, art and stories. They often chat and offer suggestions for the server’s improvement, tailoring it to their needs and interests. It is more than a place they can hang out. It’s their own personalized hub.

On the moderator side, we are available to answer questions, share announcements and make sure the server stays a safe place for the kids to hang out. Each new member is invited upon request, then given guest status until they confirm that they are a teen patron. Guests are prevented from posting until their roles are promoted. Teens have a somewhat limited amount of freedom as far as what they can post. The rules are essentially the same as our rules in the actual library but customized for an online environment.

The server has become a fixture of the teen program here at the library, and even when things do open back up, it will be here to stay. If you are interested in signing a teen up for the server, you can email pettyl@ngrl.org for an invitation link. We hope to see you soon!

Logan Petty is the youth adult coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library.