I don't think it does as much? When I was younger it felt more divided, like goths and emos etc were specific and very separate things! Now it feels like people are more of a mixture in terms of what they like and wear (because Internet I guess) and friend groups seem to be a mix of styles as well

I can definitely confirm that there are still goths and metalheads in that age range! I help to run a goth event and there are always at least a few young people. Same at metal festivals/concerts. It does seem to often be people with alternative parents as opposed to people rebelling 😆

Bonus pic of me dressed as Jack Skellington for Halloween. I probably won't be dressed as a skeleton for the book festival but honestly you never know 😅💀

I once had a lady tell me that instead of getting vaccines you should just inject water into your veins 😬😬

Anyway, I hope that's helpful and I'm always happy to answer questions as an Author/Often Library Helper 😆

And just to clarify, none of these things replace an actual librarian, because they are worth their weight in gold and you can really see the difference in schools that are able to have one!

- Have a look around for local authors! While authors ought to be paid for events (bills, ouch 😅) we may be able to help encourage reading in other ways, e.g. recommending good new books, donating spare copies, letters or signed posters for the library etc (could be by email if post too expensive!)

- It's good to make it as much of a welcoming environment as possible. If you can fundraise for new furniture etc, great - if not then just fresh displays and some occasional volunteer help to tidy and fix up shelves etc can make a big difference

- Get a barcode scanner if you can. Easy to use and kids love using them!
- You could appoint some Student Librarians to help with tidying books and checking them in and out for people
- Scholastic book fairs can be a good way to get new books for the school

Just from past experience of helping schools with this stuff, here are some ideas for schools that have libraries but not a librarian (and I really wish they all had one):

- Definitely get hold of some library software. It massively helps to keep track of books and see what's actually being read