DeKALB – Not many librarians can say that they are a real-life superhero, but Steven Torres-Roman can. His superhero alter ego and origin story are even depicted on lunchboxes.

Roman is the teen librarian at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St. He was chosen as a superhero librarian by Gale Cengage Learning at the 2011 ALA Conference for his work with teens. As part of his prize, he received lunchboxes depicting him as a superhero with his very own origin story.

Roman co-authored “Dragons in the Stacks: A Teen Librarian’s Guide to Tabletop Role-Playing,” with Cason Snow, a metadata librarian and cataloger at the University of Maine in Orono. Roman will talk about role-playing games, answer questions and sign books at the library from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Roman met with MidWeek reporter Katrina Milton to discuss his work as a teen librarian and the book that he co-authored about teen RPG programs in libraries.

Milton: What do you do as a teen librarian?

Roman: As the teen librarian, I run book discussions and events geared toward teens. When I first came to the library in 2003, there were really no programs or collections specifically for teens. The library had children and adults covered, but nothing for teens. Teens came into the library, checked their MySpace page and looked at DVDs and left without spending a lot of time here. That’s when I thought that teens would be a population to target. I wanted the library to be a place where teens would come, learn and have fun.

Milton: Can you tell me more about the book that you co-authored?

Roman: The book includes a lot of information about playing tabletop role-playing games, often called RPGs. It includes a brief history of the games and teaches libraries how to incorporate them into their programs. The book discusses how to select an RPG, what to look for, how to advertise the programs and games and the games’ cost and educational benefits. The book also explains how to enter the games into the library’s collection. In the book, 80 or 90 games are compared and contrasted, listing each of their strengths and weaknesses.

Milton: Does the DeKalb Public Library have an RPG program?

Roman: Adventures @ Your Library is our most popular teen program. During this program, the teens play RPGs. RPGs are games with dice and cards, often themed games. One example is the new fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. … There is also a new series of Star Wars RPGs, which has created a lot of interest, especially with the new movie coming out.

Milton: What does Adventures @ Your Library teach?

Roman: While playing these games, the teens use problem-solving skills, creative thinking and sense of agency. By that, I mean that they get to make decisions and see the consequences. They have the ability to exercise their creativity. While playing the games, they can do anything and everything they can do in real life, but they also have superpowers and magic.

Milton: What are the benefits of playing RPGs?

Roman: Playing RPGs is a great activity for the teens. It teaches literacy and mathematics. As soon as they start playing, they want to read books from that genre. My hope is that by writing this book, programs like Adventures @ Your Library will spread all over and that other libraries will learn how to run these programs themselves.

Milton: Do mostly males play RPGs?

Roman: RPGs are not just for guys; many girls also play them. RPGs give teens a chance to make friends around a shared activity, it makes everyone feel welcome. … I want everyone to know that they’re welcome at the library. Libraries are a place for them to come to if they have no place to go.

Milton: What is your favorite activity at the library?

Roman: My favorite activity overall is the RPGs, which is why I want to share the games with others. Over the years, I have created a lot of lasting friendships playing RPGs. We laugh, roll the dice, have an adventure and have a good time. … Some of the teens involved in the programs I ran still stop in to see me and say hi. Many have remained friends with each other.

Milton: What are some other teen programs offered at the library?

Roman: In addition to Heroes @ Your Library, we have Wildcard, a different program each month that allows us to experiment and do different events and activities. We also have TAG–Teen Advisory Group. We serve pizza and bring out reviews of new books and movies and then see what the teens like and what they’re interested in. We get their feedback on the latest books, movies and music.

Milton: What are the benefits of the teen programs?

Roman: During the programs, they interrogate popular culture and question what messages are being communicated. They ask if they are being influenced, and if so, in what way. They start to see connections and start thinking. They ask what older stories are being told. … One of the neatest things about these programs is that it gets the young people involved. It’s not just sitting around and talking about books. The discussions teach visual literacy, textual literacy and critical thinking skills. The teens are enjoying themselves and learning, even if they don’t think that they are learning at the time.

Milton: Why do you think these programs are so successful?

Roman: One of the main reasons that these programs have been so successful is due to the freedom that the library’s director, Dee Coover, allows me to develop the programs. I also want to mention my assistant, Darcy Tatlock, the library’s tween coordinator, without whom the programs could not be possible. … Together, we hope to offer a continuity of services for the entire community, something for all ages, from babies to toddlers, from children to tweens and from teens to adults.

Milton: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Roman: I would want to be able to teleport. I mean, if I could just think about it, I would be able to go anywhere, like to France or Puerto Rico. That way, I would be able to see so much more of the world. In a way, books have been like that for me. They are a portal into this world and into other worlds that don’t exist.