This article extends prior work investigating public youth librarians’ efforts to incorporate digital media technologies into youth programming. We conducted interviews and focus groups with 92 youth-serving library staff working in public libraries across the United States. Using connected learning as a theoretical framework, our analysis revealed various ways that technology is used in youth-focused library programming, providing youth with opportunities to collaborate with peers and adults, to pursue their interests, and to exercise creativity through production-centered activities. Our analysis also revealed specific challenges facing public youth librarians in their efforts to leverage digital and networked technologies to create equitable, inclusive learning environments. This article contributes new empirical evidence demonstrating the specific roles that librarians can play in creating rich, technology-enabled environments for diverse youth patrons and the resources and supports librarians need to succeed in their efforts.
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Subramaniam et al. (2018) studied this question.