Welcome to the Palo Alto City Library Teen Blog!

We are excited to offer volunteer opportunities that highlight teen voices and creativity. 

Please take a look at our blog before submitting to see what types of blogposts have been created and gain inspiration to create your own. 

To ensure you are eligible for volunteer hours, please review the following guidelines:  

• You must be between the ages of 13-18  
• You must be located in the California South Bay Area 
• You must upload a cover photo to be used on the website to link to your blogpost
  • Image or graphic must be original or copyright-free (you can use sites like pexels or pixabay to find copyright-free images)
  • Choose an image that visually relates to your blogpost (ex: an image of a party in the 1920s for a review of The Great Gatsby)
  • Must be at least 890 pixels wide and 445 pixels high
• Be engaging and have FUN – write what you would want to read!  

Restrictions: 

• You may submit no more than 1 blogpost per week 
• All work must be original or credited, including photos, videos, text, and quotes
• No AI generated images or writing are allowed
• Do not use schoolwork or academic essays                          
  • Artwork and creative writing made during class are allowed

The following is a breakdown of volunteers hours earned for teen blog post submissions:  

• Book/Movie Reviews: 30 minutes    
  • Think critically about the book or movie you are reviewing and provide an analysis and recommendation that is personal to your experience
  • Refer to the article How to Write an Engaging Book Review by Lindsay Kramer for best practices
  • If you are looking to earn more volunteer hours, consider creating a booklist on a theme, producing a "book influencer" style video, or writing an OpEd on how BookTok changed your life (or ANY book-related topic!)

• Text Blog Post every 300 words: 1 hour (Maximum 3 hours)
  • Example: sharing about a topic you are interested in, advice column, discussing a performance/museum/concert/etc. you attended, or a topic of choice 
• Art/Images/Photo Gallery: 1 hour                   
  • Examples: scanned art, photos of 3D art, original photographs/digital art, etc.  
• Lists/Ranks/How-Tos: 1 hour                   
  • Examples: books on a theme (such as this Twin-Themed Booklist by SJPL), recipes, top 10 lists, craft projects, etc. 
• Videos on any topic: 1-3 hours (varies)                   
  • Examples: how-to, unboxing, vlog, short films, book trailer, etc.

When will my blog be posted? 

• After you submit your blogpost using the form below, it will be reviewed by a librarian. Please allow 7-10 business days for a confirmation email.  
• If your submission follows the guidelines listed above, it will be posted to the library website, and will list your first name, last initial, and grade at the end of the post. 

Volunteer hours: 

• Once the blogpost is approved and posted, you will be eligible for volunteer hours dependent of type of blogpost
• Please contact LibraryTeens@CityofPaloAlto.org to validate volunteer hours through your school or service organization

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