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From left: Emma Rust, Danny Campbell, Jason Rudianto, Melanie McCallum (Teen Services Librarian, Orinda Library), Yassamin Emadi, Jordan Hardwick, Leila Minowada, Lara Sanli, Jackie Decareau Photo Andy Scheck
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What do you do when the Young Adult section of your library becomes more popular with parents than their own teenagers? If you're the library staff in Orinda, you redesign the spot so spectacularly that young Orindans can't help being curious and captivated.
Thanks to Melanie McCallum and Adriana Nino that's exactly what happened when the library's Teen Advisory Group (TAG) received a sneak peak of the new YA corner on Feb. 4. It was an immediate hit with those in attendance.
The project came about in 2014 when Teen Services Librarian McCallum and Library Assistant Nino noticed, soon after their hiring, that local teens needed a more enticing place to study and hang out. "With help from a subcommittee of Friends of the Orinda Library, they investigated other area library teen spaces, conducted research on current thinking on library services for teens, attended workshops on design of library spaces and came up with a design, color scheme and new wall art to completely overhaul the YA corner with the intention of having an actual space that teens would want to utilize," says head librarian, Beth Girshman. "The new furniture was purchased from a company committed to sustainable business practices, and the upholstery fabric is made from recycled materials."
And to be sure they were hitting the nail on the head, McCallum and Nino also sought input from teen volunteers during the final design phase. Funding was provided by the Hart family and Friends of the Orinda Library with additional support from the Contra Costa County Library system. The Library's Teen Advisory Group will advise on program planning and book selection and also help promote library use for all ages in the community. A formal ribbon cutting will be held in March. L. Snyder
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA