“Gone are the days of being shushed,” said Christy Mulligan, Teen Central librarian at the brand-new Minneapolis Central Library. “Developmentally, we know that teens need to be social.”
To learn what else would attract teens to Teen Central, a space where middle- and high-school kids will be able to get comfortable and creative, Mulligan and her fellow librarians went straight to the source. They invited an advisory group of 14 sixth through ninth graders from the Interdistrict Downtown School in Minneapolis to help create programs, select materials, and establish guidelines for Teen Central.
Though the library might be a refuge for some young people seeking an orderly, quiet space to read or do homework, it also aims to be a gathering place that’s safe and stimulating in all the right ways.
Teen Central, on the second floor of the four-story building, which opens to the public May 20, features reading balconies overlooking the ground-level Library Commons and serpentine bookshelves of Japanese ash stained vivid red. There is study space, as well as areas where teens can listen to the collection of rap, hip hop, rock, and other music … multilingual homework helpers … DVDs and CDs … a vending machine … books (duh) … and computers, of course, providing access to the library’s hundreds of databases to help students with school work, but also for gaming, said advisory committee members Tylan Henderson of Minneapolis and Andrew Warren of Maple Grove, both 15.
Fresh from a field trip to the Electric Fetus where they selected 200 CDs for the library’s collection, Henderson and Warren discussed the different ways they use the library. Henderson, who spends Mondays and Wednesdays after school reading at his neighborhood branch library, says he prefers books.
“Reading feeds the imagination,” Henderson said. He likes realistic fiction, science fiction, Japanese manga, and magazines. He also likes role-playing computer games, as does Warren.
But parents shouldn’t necessarily fear that traditional literacy could lose out to electronic wizardry. Mulligan said, “We see developing and providing access to technical literacy as an important discussion to have. Some people will always think we should have a card catalog and microfiche but if we did, we wouldn’t be here any more.”
Besides, explained multitasker Warren, who claims he can easily watch a DVD, listen to a CD, and read at the same time, “Computers don’t degrade books. With computers, you have to wait for the page to load. Books are instant access.”
Parents might be surprised to learn that the young people who crave a freer atmosphere are simultaneously concerned about maintaining an environment that’s offensive to none and comfortable for all, Mulligan notes. Subjects such as the content of computer games and popular music CDs and the need for Internet filtering are on the table as the committee makes its recommendations to library staff, the students agreed. For example, they are debating whether to offer what Henderson called “shooter” games, which he says tend to be gory and can provoke arguments among players. Warren will welcome freer access to more information than he’s found using computers at his school, where strict filters have impeded his research of touchy subjects like the KGB and prostitution. Mulligan said the library does filter offensive content in compliance with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act of 2000.
Providing more access to more information for more people could be Minneapolis Central’s mantra. In the new building, almost all of the system’s 3million-item collection – the third largest public collection in any major American city – is above ground and accessible to the public on 38.5 miles of movable stacks manufactured by Minnesota firm Spacesavers. Through its extensive interlibrary loan program, Minneapolis Central will continue to be the main support system for greater Minnesota libraries. The largest children’s collection in the Upper Midwest is here. Public art includes an elevator installation featuring neon text and installations at the fireplace lounges on each floor. Electronic information kiosks help locate materials and areas. A first-floor Dunn Bros coffee shop and wireless access throughout the building lend it a bookstore feel. But here, the books won’t cost you a penny – unless you run up late fees. Some things about libraries will never change.
Central Library’s grand opening is slated for May 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Patrons may ride Metro Transit free that day with a Minneapolis Public Library card. To volunteer on the teen advisory committee, contact Christy Mulligan at 612-630-6124 or clmulligan@mplib.org.
