Visiting the Teen Section at Haverstraw King's Daughter Library

Visiting the teenage section at the library today brought back so many good memories I shared there as a kid. I would go there with my father every holiday or break we had and my dad would have my brothers and I pick out books that we desired to read. When I picked out a book, I always looked for a book that was light pink, that had girls on it, and that talked about crushes or relationships. My brothers would pick either music books or sports books, we were the complete opposite.  

Revisiting the teenage section, I had many curious thoughts at first. I tried to remember the last time I was there with my dad or alone and then I remembered it was my senior year of high school which was 6 years ago. The chairs were new, not many posters were posted on the wall and the CDs were becoming less stocked with Wii Games. I sat in the section and reflected on my past experiences and I wondered if any of my current students that I teach come here. Prior to coming, I asked them if they had come to the library this year and if they knew what the teenage section was they said “no.” They replied, “ I don’t have a ride to go there or I’m working right after school so I can’t.” This made me concerned because it made me wonder if people were actually able to appreciate this space. Then after sitting there, 3 young teenagers walked in with their laptops and started to do work. One girl was doing an essay of some sort on her laptop, another was doing a written homework assignment and the other one was reading a book.  The book was “ Heart Bones” by Colleen Hoover. She suggested it to me. 

After I sat there for a little while, a librarian came up to me asking if there was anything I needed help looking for. I replied, “No, thank you, but could you tell me more about this space.” The librarian has worked in the library for over 25 years in the children's section specifically. She then explained how reading for most children who are becoming older lessens. She spoke about how after school hours the library would be so busy that other young adults were waiting on computers but then suddenly everyone disappeared. She believes that social media and the pandemic had much cause for this issue, but she touched upon the fact that young adults resort to books online or on their Kindle rather than a paperback. I asked her if she ever thought libraries wouldn’t exist anymore and she laughed. She began to say she hoped that would never happen but she desired to have more teenagers show interest in the section. She and other librarians have started many activities young adults can do after school hours which she said the attendance has been increasing but hopes that she’ll get a big crowd rather than a few kids.

I hope that the teen section in the library continues to bring light and joy like the experience I had with my dad and brothers. I want someone and others to have the same experience I did. The best memories always begin in a library.