By Margaret Weigelt
Teen Programming at Litchfield and Grove City
Encourage TEENS to TAKE this library SURVEY! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DL8F665
If you’re of a certain age you may have noticed the public
library isn’t quite like it used to be. It’s
still the place to find book titles on every topic under the sun, but some of
the activities happening may surprise you. People around the country and around the world
are utilizing libraries for animated interactions together “discovering, making
and doing” stuff like inventing, building and creating new content. Maybe
you’ve noticed Lego creations on display? What’s that all about? For a number of years now libraries have been
building into their programming a new capacity to host and facilitate the
creative genius of their communities.
In the future libraries may be the favorite place to go for
community interaction, support, mentoring and to access a wide variety of tools
and resources (other than books) cooperatively shared by community members to
research and experiment, take apart or put together, and create or experience
new content in both the real and the digital world. Instead of simply consuming
someone else’s creative content we might be lending, submitting our own ideas,
creations, compositions, coding, animations, inventions and discoveries to the
community and library for input, feedback and review.
In the future our resources will likely expand far beyond books and computers. In the future we might be coming to the public library to do a little research and then tackle a DIY/DIT or scientific project with tools and supplies available at the library! We might come to make a prototype with a 3D printer or work on a new invention or enterprise, investigate various technologies, try out new hobbies, get involved in service learning, learn to sew, cook, or make furniture. Who knows? It’s really up to you!
In the future our resources will likely expand far beyond books and computers. In the future we might be coming to the public library to do a little research and then tackle a DIY/DIT or scientific project with tools and supplies available at the library! We might come to make a prototype with a 3D printer or work on a new invention or enterprise, investigate various technologies, try out new hobbies, get involved in service learning, learn to sew, cook, or make furniture. Who knows? It’s really up to you!
Here at the library we’ve taken baby steps toward a “Maker”
kind of mindset for all ages. In
particular we’ve tried to make adjustments to our attitudes and are working to
create library spaces where tweens and teens feel comfortable, especially for
use of digital devices and social interaction. The teen programming at the
Grove City and Litchfield libraries is set up to encourage and facilitate the
creative, social and intellectual development of young people. The first step
in achieving that has been to greet and get to know the teens that visit our
libraries, find out about their interests, invite them to share their thoughts,
advice, ideas and visions of what would make their experience at the library
outstanding! We create programming around those interests.
One of our newest programs makes use of a tiny box of stuff called a Makey Makey. It contains a whole lot of fun in the guise of a small circuit board powered by USB connected to conductive materials with alligator clip wires. Everyone’s eyes light up with ideas when they see the myriad possibilities of interacting with a computer’s apps, games and software via banana, play dough, spoons, or through a chain of conductive objects including three of your friends!
One of our newest programs makes use of a tiny box of stuff called a Makey Makey. It contains a whole lot of fun in the guise of a small circuit board powered by USB connected to conductive materials with alligator clip wires. Everyone’s eyes light up with ideas when they see the myriad possibilities of interacting with a computer’s apps, games and software via banana, play dough, spoons, or through a chain of conductive objects including three of your friends!
There will be a MAKEY MAKEY invention session for teens at
the Litchfield Public Library Saturday April 11 starting 1:30 pm in the big
meeting room! Another session will be offered at the Grove City Public Library
on Monday April 20 at 3:30 pm. All young people ages 12-18 welcome.
Refreshments will be served. No registration required. For more information
call 320-693-2483 (Litchfield) or 320-857-2550 (Grove City).
