Library Zone Fits Teens to a ‘t’: Oro Valley Kids Played Key Role in Room’s Design

By Shelley Shelton, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson

Jun. 12–Oro Valley teenagers have a new hangout where loitering is encouraged and they don’t have to buy anything to be welcome.

In January, the Oro Valley Public Library at 1305 W. Naranja Drive opened the Teen Zone, a separate room in the library dedicated to teenagers and their entertainment and study needs.

It’s the second such room to open in the Tucson-Pima Public Library system. The first opened at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library Downtown about five years ago.

The Oro Valley incarnation came about after considerable input from the branch’s teen advisory board — a group of a dozen teenagers plus executive officers who discussed everything from the services the zone should offer to the kind of furniture that should go inside.

The final product is an airy room featuring a 52-inch plasma television in one corner, with rocking futon-type chairs arranged in front and a sort of chain-mail curtain that closes around it for privacy.

In the opposite corner, a similar curtain encloses a study table and chairs.

The space between is occupied by books for teenagers, a rack of CDs and DVDs to listen to or watch, a cold-drink machine — with a snack machine coming soon — and a wall of computer terminals that offer access to the Internet, the library catalog and such common software programs as Microsoft Excel, Office and Publisher.

Six surround-sound speakers dangle from the ceiling, which has an unfinished, warehouse look.

It’s just how the teens wanted it, said Becky Blount, the library associate in charge of the Teen Zone.

Blount has lots of experience with this age group, she said. Before coming to the public library, she worked for 2 1/2 years in the library at Canyon del Oro High School, 25 W. Calle Concordia.

“The teens need a place of their own to be comfortable in,” she said.

Though homework help is offered there during the school year, with school out Blount has been busy organizing a schedule of summer events to entice the sometimes fickle demographic to spend more time in the place that was designed just for them.

Every Saturday at 2:30 p.m., the zone serves popcorn and shows movies.

Art events are held on two Tuesdays each month and include such activities as scrapbooking and fashion design.

On at least one evening each month, the space becomes a cafe where the kids can listen to their favorite music. Blount is working to bring in some local musicians as well.

“The kids like having their own space where they’re not bothering anyone else,” Blount said.

And for youths who want to stay academically focused during the summer months, Blount is hosting a scholarship-search series — a set of four hour-long workshops during which teenagers can learn which Web sites to search for scholarships and the parameters that can be used to find unique opportunities.

“It’ll give them some tools so they can search on their own,” Blount said.

Getting involved at the library has helped Kaitlin Akif, 16, adjust to her new community since moving to Oro Valley from Pittsburgh last summer.

Akif served on the teen advisory board at her library back East, she said. So it wasn’t much of a leap to find Oro Valley’s teen advisory board and join. She soon became treasurer.

She likes the Teen Zone that she helped plan, she said. And it’s bigger than the one in Pittsburgh.

“It’s a really good place to come and meet up with your friends if you need to do homework or you need to do a project,” she said. “Teens should have more resources at the library and at other places as well.”

Fellow board member Julie Lytle, 15, said having the Teen Zone in Oro Valley saves young people from having to spend money to hang out at Nico’s Mexican Food, which is the other main stomping ground for teenagers in the town.

Blount has a pretty good feel for what teenagers want, Lytle said. And Lytle has seen more teenagers at the library since the zone opened, she said.

“Before, the Teen Zone was basically a corner, and a lot of teens wanted more space for themselves.”

Her biggest hope is to see more new books added to the section, she said.

“I’ve read a lot of the ones in there already.”

Northwest The schedule –For Oro Valley Public Library Teen Zone hours and events, including Saturday afternoon movie screenings, check out the Web site www.ci.oro-valley.az.us/ library/Teens.htm or call the library at 229-5300. The library is at 1305 W. Naranja Drive.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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