“This Is Our Library, and It’s a Pretty Cool Place”: A User-Centered Study of Public Library YA Spaces

‘Talk to them like they’re people’: A cross-cultural comparison of teen-centred approaches in public library services

“…The libraries studied here, conversely, take young people as the very starting point in creating their spaces and services, working from a fundamental perspective that teens, and tweens, deserve a place of their own. This aligns with one of the important elements of a teen space identified by Agosto et al (2015): a sense of ownership by teens. ‘Ownership’ in both case studies encompasses responsibilities as well as rights.…”

“…Teenagers also go to the library for the positive atmosphere, whether this means a refuge from an unstable home environment or simply a quiet place to study (Agosto, 2013). Agosto et al (2015) analysed the recommendations of teenagers and librarians at a broad sampling of U.S. public libraries and identified five main elements teen spaces should support: physical comfort, leisure activity and information needs, academic activity and information needs, teen space ownership, and effective library policy display and marketing. The Young Adult Library Services Association likewise offers a set of guidelines that emphasise soliciting teen input and creating facilities that are practical and adaptive (American Library Association, 2012).…”

Millennials in the Stacks: Choices, Habits and Attitudes of Frequent Library Users between the Ages of 18–29 in Santiago, Chile

“…In the US and other countries, after the home and the work or school space, libraries can be significant "third places" (Oldenburg, 1999), where people develop a "sense of place" and community, and where civic life and democracy are supported (Lawson, 2004). Libraries certainly have a golden opportunity to shine as virtual third places for their users (Agosto, 2016), but their physical existence continues to be important for creating and sustaining communities, especially among teens and young people, who always need places for social and leisure activities (Agosto, Magee, Dickard, & Forte, 2016;Agosto, Pacheco Bell, Bernier, & Kuhlmann, 2015;Howard, 2011). In the UK, Sung, Hepworth, & Ragsdell (2013) have responded to this need by proposing a library model based on community engagement and Agosto (2016) agrees, urging libraries to remain focused "on the people (not the stuff!…”

“…In summary, despite all the studies pointing to the need to update the definition of the library and the competencies of librarians, there is still a gap in terms of concrete, real-life information about the preferences and habits of young adult library users that would inform this transformation (Agosto & Hughes-Hassell, 2005;Agosto, Pacheco Bell, Bernier, & Kuhlmann, 2015).…”

Restorative justice as a tool to address the role of policing and incarceration in the lives of youth in the United States

“…Counter to a completely traditional approach to library conduct and rules, the library system in this research has worked to incorporate the motif of space and belonging in relation to services for teens. The teen services department has long sought to center teens through implementation of TeenZones (Agosto et al, 2015) and programming that reflects the needs and desires of community youth. Teen areas have been created with the intention of reflecting the racially and culturally diverse communities in which library branches are located.…”