Washington County Free Library opens teen space

May 16, 2005

The Washington County Free Library celebrated the grand opening of its new Teen Loft with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 10.

Funding for the Teen Loft came primarily from the Library Board of Trustees, with a $1,000 donation from Sunrise Rotary, $1,000 from Sam's Club and $500 from the library's Teen Advisory Board. Borders Books and Music donated 61 CDs.

The Teen Loft is the culmination of several years of the library's outreach program to teens in the community. The library has had a Teen Advisory Board for five years and has held many programs for teens, including open mic nights, poetry readings, movie nights, technology showcase and author visits.

Teens from all local high schools are volunteer members of the board. They held several fundraisers for the loft.

The teens provide the programs and have helped other departments. They volunteered to do a puppet show for children.

They have supplied displays to showcase library materials, and have assisted library staff with community programs. They developed their own Dead Poets Society and have met biweekly for more than a year.

The library surveyed teens, asking what they wanted in a teen space. Out of those comments grew a special collection of books, CDs and magazines specially geared toward teens with a place to read, talk, relax and listen to music just for them.

Libraries all over the country are targeting this age group.

"Teens are the future leaders of our world and they have special interests and gifts," the library said in a press release. Virtually every library in the state has a Web site for teens, the library said.

It said all of the branches in Washington County have materials for teens set aside in a special section.

"Today's teens seem to have less and less free time, and there are increasingly more activities for them to take part in during what little leisure time they have," said Library Director Mary C. Baykan. "That is why it's important to encourage teens to set aside some time to read."

Literacy is a topic of both local and national concern, and falling test scores and lower graduation rates among teens today are a serious issue, the library said.

Studies show that a regular reading habit increases reading proficiency.

"One of the most important ways that teens acquire the habit of reading is by watching adults they respect," said Library Assistant Director Kathleen O'Connell.

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