I'm one of the lucky ones. My local library has a wonderful space dedicated to young adults. The area has a collection of young adult books, magazines, and graphic novels. There are tables for group work, chair groupings for quite socializing, big comfy purple chairs stuck in corners and individual study carrels scattered around to do homework. There is a display case on one wall, changed monthly, with YA high interest themes. Last month’s theme was a collection of old video gaming systems and their games such as pong, Atari, NES, Super NES, and Genesis. A table in the middle of the area displays popular YA graphic novels, books, and music. The YA area is also conveniently located next to the DVD and music collection.
Young adults make up a proportionate number of library users with 78% of children ages 8 – 18 years old owning a library card, according to the Youth and Library Use Study a Harris Interactive poll conducted in June 2007 (Bolan, 2008). This shouldn’t be surprising since they need a library card in order to complete homework and school directed research. Yet YA spaces represent on average only 2.2 percent of a library’s total square footage and only 4 percent at the largest libraries (Honnold, 2010). YALSA has adopted the position that in order for public libraries to continue moving forward the ratio of a teen area to the overall library should be equal to the ratio of the teen population of that community to the overall population of that community (Bolan, 2008).
It is important for libraries to make space for teens in their library. Today’s teens are tomorrow’s adults. They will be making the future decisions that will effect library funding. By not answering their unique needs or desires, libraries risk losing this valuable patron base. If you’re not sure what those needs are outside of the developmental, try something radical and ask them.
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