Makerspaces: Aotearoa New Zealand: Teen Central at Boston Public Library

by Natalie C. Anderson

I’m sitting with Jessi Snow, Teen Services Team Leader for The Central Branch of the Boston Public Library, in what is quite possibly the coolest place in Boston. At the risk of sounding like a big nerd, yes, it’s a library.

Brand spanking new after a massive renovation, the Teen Central is where we’ve plopped ourselves. The leather couches look like they belong in a trendy coffee shop. The wall of windows let in sun and a view of the busy downtown. We’re surrounded by restaurant-style booths, and stacks of bookshelves adorned with antique typewriters. There’s a video-game lounge, and a room with enough high-powered computers to launch a rocket: the Media Lab. And of course, there are teens. Teens milling, teens talking, reading, gaming, and working on laptops. Teens basically “HOMAGO”-ing, a term Jessi has introduced me to, meaning, “Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out.”

As Jessi tells me about this space and where it’s going, it soon becomes clear that it’s not just a cool place to hang out. It’s bigger than that. Things are cooking. The recipe is simple: add one part creative teens and one part cutting-edge design technology, shake, leave alone and see what explodes out.

It’s about to get messy in here.

Natalie: So Jessi, what was the impetus for creating the Teen Central?

Jessi: We’ve been talking about the concept for years. We had a Teen Space before, but it was basically tables, chairs and books. It was nice, but we wanted to do more. So with the renovation, the idea was to keep the concept of a dedicated teen space, but to expand programing and exposure to technology, art, and content-creation that is by and for teens.

So for instance, in the lounge teens can play video games, which is awesome, but maybe those teens will look at the next room, the Media Lab, and say hey, we want to try making our own games. You can do that here. We have software to let them make art, make music, do 3-D imaging and design… it’s endless.

Natalie: Were you seeing this sort of thing in other libraries? What was the spark for a space that was more than just books?

Jessi: We’d been talking about what other libraries were doing for teens. For example, the Cincinnati Public Library has a technology focus, and we were really taken with YouMedia in Chicago, which is also now in Hartford, CT. YouMedia is a space; essentially HOMAGO in action.

Mimi Ito, a social anthropologist from MIT, coined the concept of HOMAGO, and her ideas really influenced us. HOMAGO encapsulates the the idea of creating a space for teens to be themselves. Essentially, there’s space to hang out and mess around, and in a space like this teens can dip in and dip out of programs, and be thoroughly exposed.

HOMAGO encapsulates the the idea of creating a space for teens to be themselves.

Teen input and leadership is really important in all this. They have to have ownership of the space and programming. We looked to them to help design the space and seating, and especially what went into the Media Lounge. We still gather as much input as we can about things they want to see and participate in.

Natalie: So what kind of creative software do you have here?

Jessi: All kinds. We have Adobe Creative Suites, which has different design programs like Illustrator and Photoshop, FL Studio to create music, and Anime and Manga Studios, where you can create storylines and characters. There’s a 3-D printer, too. Coming up we’re running programs like, “Design your own album art using Adobe Illustrator”, and “Draw cartoon characters using Illustrator”, and “Introduction to vector drawing using Illustrator.” The majority of the programs we’re offering so far are from teens’ suggestions.

Natalie: Are the librarians versed in this stuff? I mean, this isn’t software that most people have access to on a regular basis!

Jessi: We have two regular teen librarians, and two specifically focused on technology. We’re getting crash-courses in all this too. We want to learn with the teens. And we’re looking to partner with outside agencies in the community who can teach classes. For example, we’re working with an organization called Press Pass TV. They work with a group of shoe designers from Converse and New Balance, both based here in Boston. The designers are doing an eight-week program here in shoe design.

The designers are doing an eight-week program here in shoe design. They’re learning all sorts of stuff – design, branding, promoting, how to customize the sneakers they design, how you have to take anatomy into consideration. They use the Media Lab, and at the end of the program…the sneakers will be made by Converse or New Balance. It’s all tangible; it’s exciting.

Natalie: That’s so cool!

Jessi: Very! They’re learning all sorts of stuff – design, branding, promoting, how to customize the sneakers they design, how you have to take anatomy into consideration… all that. They use the Media Lab, and at the end of the program they’ll have designed a pair of sneakers. Those sneakers will then be made by Converse or New Balance. It’s all tangible, it’s exciting. And that’s just one organization. We’re looking to partner with others. Boston’s such a tech-rich area, and we want companies to come and share their knowledge with teens.

Basically, we’re all just really excited about what’s possible.

Want More?

For more information on Teen Central, including upcoming programs and classes,check out the BPL Teen blog
Connect find them on Twitter @BPLTeenCentral, and on Facebook

Jessi Snow is the Teen Services Team Leader, Central of the Boston Public Library. She has been a public services librarian for 14 years specifically for teens and children. She also has a passion for providing library outreach services to underserved and underrepresented populations.

Natalie C. Anderson is the 2014-2015 Associates of the Boston Public Library Writer in Residence. She has a background in international relief and development and is working on her first YA novel, Rules for Thieves, about a refugee girl on a mission to avenge her mother’s death. She lives in Boston with her husband. More at: nataliecanderson.com.