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The BPL Compass

Posts Tagged ‘Children and Teens’

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Johnson Building Improvement Project: Enhanced Teen Area

Posted on December 12th, 2012 by Gina Perille in Johnson Building Study, Library Services, Major Projects

The same Compass Principle guiding the children’s library also guides the Boston Public Library to offer a slate of services that provide academic support and intellectual growth for teens. The goal is to create a best-in-class library for teens to advance these efforts.

The teen room could remain where it currently is on the mezzanine level of the Johnson Building. The space could be redesigned to allow for collaborative work, enhanced and expanded technology, a refreshed collection, and updated furnishings. In addition, the current Mezzanine Conference Room could be renovated to become the teen programming room. A review of current teen programs would inform the needs of this space which could include new furniture, carpeting, paint, and a media creation booth.

A successful teen area would include:

  • Book collections that respond to the educational and entertainment needs of Boston’s teens
  • Comfortable, bright, furniture for lounging and studying
  • Enhanced technology offerings
  • Quiet study rooms for young people to gather in small groups to do homework or work on projects
  • Staff work space in the public area as well as an office space
  • Static and/or electronic display boards
  • Wayfinding and signage
  • Other services identified by teens.

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Johnson Building Improvement Project: Children’s Library

Posted on December 5th, 2012 by Gina Perille in Johnson Building Study, Library Services, Major Projects

The Boston Public Library fosters a love of reading and skills in critical and creative thinking among children and teens – from early literacy through mature readership – by offering a slate of services that provide academic support and intellectual growth. This is the Children and Teens BPL Compass Principle. The BPL’s goal is to create a new and larger best-in-class library for children to advance these efforts.

The new children’s library would serve the youth of Boston from birth through elementary school. Dedicated spaces for babies, toddlers, and schoolage kids would ensure that each age group is given the collections they need, technologies to help prepare them for our ever!changing environment, and programming that is responsive to their academic and entertainment needs. The proposed new children’s library would be located on the street level of the Johnson Building.

A successful children’s library would include:

  • Book collections for all ages, from board books for our youngest readers to chapter books, nonfiction and summer reading titles for school-aged kids
  • An early literacy nook with learning manipulative toys to help with infant and toddler brain development
  • Program space for story time, sing-alongs, puppet shows, and more
  • Quiet study space for homework and reading
  • Collaborative work spaces for kids to explore reading, learning, and gathering with family and friends
  • Innovative technology and flexible space to allow for the next generation of technology
  • Computers to help students prepare for the digital world
  • Family restrooms with infant changing tables
  • Staff work space in the public area as well as an office
  • Comfortable furniture for children and their caregivers
  • Stroller parking
  • Static and/or electronic display boards
  • Wayfinding and signage
  • Bright, cheery, welcoming design that stimulates creativity.

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Johnson Building Improvement Project: Goals

Posted on November 30th, 2012 by Gina Perille in Johnson Building Study, Library Services, Major Projects

The goals of this study and project are in line with BPL’s Compass principles of Community Gathering, Children & Teens, and Sustainable Organization. They include:

1. Enriched library services and user experience

  • Improved user services through better access and adjacencies
  • Collections thoughtfully presented and accessible to meet demand
  • Expanded and improved youth services through reimagined children’s library and teen room
  • Expanded engagement opportunities through new functional spaces such as a conference center, “living room,” and potential commercial-use space

2. Improved visitor first impression

  • Improved exterior transparency and engagement, with clear paths and intuitive wayfinding
  • Reinvigorated entrance and lobby, and connection to the streetscape

3. Positive financial impact for BPL

  • Leveraging of public investment with private investment
  • Optimal and maximum use of the existing physical asset
  • Revenue generation and cost sharing from commercial tenants
  • Leveraging benefit of previously-deferred maintenance projects to support library service improvements

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Profiles – Angela P. Bonds, Children’s Librarian, Boston Public Library

Posted on August 3rd, 2012 by Gina Perille in Profiles

Although she was 24 before she realized her true calling, Angela Bonds has always loved the library. “It was librarians who got me enthusiastic about the library,” she recalls. Early in her career, when she worked in circulation and shelving, she loved spending time in the teen room of the Central Library in Copley Square —“even when I wasn’t working,” she says. “I liked watching the interactions of the kids, and even shelving books in the children’s room was so much fun. I liked the hustle and bustle and being asked for book suggestions.”

Today, Angela is thrilled to be a new children’s librarian for the Boston Public Library. “I want to make sure kids have a good time in the library,” she says. To accomplish that, she hopes to find “fun ways to connect” with young people, from story hours and showing movies based on books to providing out-of-school time experiences.

Serving a mix of age groups is one of the rewards of her job. “Seeing kids go from babies to teens is exciting,” she says. “Maybe someday one of them will become a librarian.”

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Out-of-school Time Survey Highlights

Posted on July 31st, 2012 by Gina Perille in Library Services, Outcomes, Strategic Plan

During the development of the Boston Public Library’s strategic plan, community members expressed a desire for a reimagined and enhanced Homework Assistance Program (Principle V, Outcome B, Strategy 1). Since the spring, the Boston Public Library (BPL) has been engaged in a process to fulfill that very request by discussing and analyzing a range of out-of-school time program options.

In addition to the planning work of library professionals on the BPL’s Youth Services team, the library administered a survey to gain input directly from children and teens, along with a separate survey for parents and caregivers. The staggered survey roll-out schedule made it possible to incorporate comments from the children and teens survey (May 2012) into the adults and caregivers survey (June 2012).

Below are highlights from both survey instruments utilized. Adult and caregiver responses appear in blue; children and teen responses appear in orange. For the chart immediately below, survey takers were allowed to choose multiple program types in their response. The numbers along the left-hand side represent what percent of respondents chose a particular program type.

For the chart immediately below, survey takers were allowed to choose multiple activities in their response. The numbers along the left-hand side represent what percent of respondents chose a particular activity.

Work continues on the library’s out-of-school time program offerings. The surveys have direct influence on the out-of-school time programming model the BPL will unveil in September of this year. Programming will focus on themes such as arts, writing, science, math, and robotics each month during the school year. From September to May, the Boston Public Library will partner with other Boston-based organizations offering those types of programs. The library’s calendar (www.bpl.org/calendar) will list out-of-school time programs beginning in September.

Thank you to all who completed the surveys and who offered comments in the open response sections in addition to the objective questions. Ninety-five (95) young people completed the May survey and 191 parents and caregivers completed the June survey.

 

 

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