Public libraries represent fertile ground for promoting connected learning. However, there is great variation in public library systems across the United States, with important implications for the way connected learning is introduced and implemented in specific libraries. This paper examines variations in the way youth-serving library staff in rural and urban library systems employ technology and enact connected learning in their youth programming. We conducted interviews with 46 youth-serving library staff working in rural (22) and urban (24) public libraries across the United States. Our analysis revealed differences between rural and urban libraries in the range of their community partnerships; the roles that their librarians and youth assume in designing, leading, and evaluating youth programs; and their sources of external support. We discuss the implications of these findings for designing professional-development initiatives that are tailored to the distinct contexts in which public youth librarians work.
- 8 views