I (A) sat down with Lisa (L), the children's librarian to find out how the new teen space was brought to life
A: So tell me what the process of the Teen Space was like!
L: The Madison Public Library applied for a grant about a year and a half ago for a smart space. We received the grant, which was exciting , but we weren't sure what we wanted to do exactly. We got the community involved and asked them what they wanted in the library, by using dot boards, etc. When we were refining the process, the community got to vote on four different ideas that the library came up with- a maker space, an office type area, a gaming space, and the last was the teen space! The teen space came out ahead so we then formed a Teen Advisory Board to figure out what we wanted that space to be like. We knew we wanted tall tables, and then the teen board identified what type of smart space the teens wanted.
A: What are the different types of tech items did you guys decide to get for the new space?!
L: We have...
13-inch MacBook Pro -has digital editing for music and movies
JVC Camcorder kit- to make videos for sharing
Zoom H4N PRO Digital Multitrack Recorder -digital recording for music, portable
HamiltonBuhl Green Screen Production Kit -make videos with any background
Blue Yeti USB Microphone -microphone for podcasting & voice overs
Studio Headphones -for podcasting and voiceovers
Popfilter for microphone -for podcasting and voiceovers
AKAI MPK Mini -for composing and editing recorded music
Mobile Dry Erase Board vision board -collaborative work space, & green screen frame--portable
Nexgadget Lapton Power Bank 1800m Ah Portable Charger -for charging laptops in the teen section
Aibocn Mini Power Bank 8000mAh Slim Portable External Charger with Fast Charging Technology- for charging patron/teen devices
Short Lighting Cable, 4 pack for iPhone -for charging patron/teen devices
ISeekerKit Short Micro USB Cable Charging Cord, 4 pack for Samsung, HTC…-for charging patron/teen devices
A: Wow! Why do you think that the teen space is what the community wanted?
L: The community could see that there wasn't really a place where the teen community could hang out in their own area and we really wanted to have a space where teens could gather and be after school, late at night, or on the weekends. A lot of enthusiastic teens wanted the space, too, which helped a lot.
A: So you mentioned the Teen Advisory Board earlier- tell us more about that and how that's come to fruition?
L: I sent out an email to Mr. Shaw and Dr. Cook and I got a lot of responses from teens that were interested. If anyone is interested in joining the teen board we have a meeting once a month and then I try to have the teens help with an activity each month, so if you're interested please contact me! I'd love to have more teens on the Teen Board.
A: Anything else you'd like to add?
L: It's such an open and inviting space that is geared towards teens that's a great place to hang out, do homework, read one of the great books in our collection, or play with the technology! We would love to have you!
