The Teen Center on the second floor of the Downtown Library comes alive after school hours, when teens are gaming (see photo), getting online homework help, participating in clubs and special-occasion programs like altar-making for Día De Los Muertos, and being together in their own dedicated space—popcorn included! This active hub draws youth from local schools, grades 6-12. Teen Center Librarian Sonia Delgado (pictured) has a unique connection with teens. She grew up going to the Fair Oaks Library, where Teen Librarians helped shape her life, inspiring her to go to college, become a librarian, and model giving back to the teens in her own community. Sonia does regular outreach to local schools and the Red Morton Teen Center, and partners with local experts who volunteer to provide teen programming, such as college application help and career guidance. A former conference room is being transformed into a Study Center, a quiet space for teens to study and borrow laptops if needed, since the main Teen Center can become quite animated! Teens also utilize the Makerspace for Open Teen Makers on Monday evenings and a monthly dedicated Teen Makers program.
Comments