Opportunities for Teens

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There are lots of ways that teens can be involved in the library.

Teens of Distinction Program

The DC Public Library offers part-time jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work 10-12 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects.

To apply, you have to:

  • be a D.C. resident
  • have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average
  • be 16 to 18 years old
  • be able to work 10-12 hours per week

Oh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality and intelligence!

Find out more about the Teens of Distinction Program.

Take a look at one of the latest projects the Teens of Distinction completed--Your Story Has a Home Here, an oral history and studio photography project with DC's homeless population.

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

If you want to earn community service hours for school, there are a couple of ways you can do it at DC Public Library.

Youth202 is the voice of DC's teens--created for youth, by youth. Learn radio production skills from the Radio Rootz crew, interview people in the community, and help keep other teens “in the know” about news, issues, events, programs, and anything else you think is important. Youth202 meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6:30pm at the Martin Luther King Library's Teen Space. Get community service hours, get a stipend, and join the movement! The deadline has already passed for Spring semester 2012, but you can  learn more about the program and apply directly online, to be on the wait list. We'll also most likely be offering it as a program for the summer, for the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. So don't forget to register for that! 

Teen Library Helpers work at either a neighborhood library or in a division of the Martin Luther King Library. Visit the volunteer page to get all the details and info on how to apply.

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)

The DC Public Library is a host site for the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Every summer teens work in the neighborhood libraries and at the Martin Luther King Jr. central library.

Teens help library customers, shelve books, and learn lots of new skills to put on their college applications and resumes—like program planning, blogging, and media production.

Please note: Registration for the 2012 SYEP starts on Friday, January 27 at 3:15pm. You have to register online, on the Summer Youth Employment Program website. If you don't have a computer at home or at school, you can use the computers at any DC Public Library.