Everett Library hopes to give teens a space to enjoy

Published 10:24 pm Tuesday, October 6, 2009

It’s been 75 years since the Everett Public Library first opened its doors on the southwest corner of Hoyt and Everett avenues.

The library will soon host a celebration of its history, even as it plans to shake the place up. The aim of “Everett &Its Library: A Remarkable History,” the fundraiser at 7 p.m. Saturday, is to create a new space for teens.

There’s not much inside the Carl Gould-designed masterpiece of 1930s architecture tailored to entice a new generation. The current teen area is “two-and-a-half rows of shelves, and one table with three chairs,” said Emily Dagg, the library’s manager of youth services and outreach.

Library director Eileen Simmons said the plan is to revamp for teenagers a room now used for children’s story times. A little-used area at the library’s west end would become the story area, and teens would get a place of their own — with books, comfortable furniture, and electrical outlets for computers.

“We’ve raised to date about $65,000, and need about $105,000 to make it happen,” Simmons said.

Library officials have met with teen members of the Everett Mayor’s Youth Council and with a teen group from the Everett Family YMCA. “We can guess what teens want,” Dagg said, but the plan is to involve kids in deciding details.

“We’re hoping to form some kind of teen advisory group that meets in the library to regularly plan what they would enjoy. We really need to ask them. As soon as we know about something, it’s not cool anymore,” she quipped.

Dagg said that unlike some adult and early childhood groups, teens prefer interactive activities. “They don’t want someone to talk at them,” she said.

As a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, 16-year-old Joshua Ogden has met with library staff to weigh in on what kids would like. “We try to give a lot of input about the average teenager,” the Everett High School junior said.

Joshua said that beyond movie theaters, the Everett Mall and the Everett Skate Deck, the city has few places for teens to gather. “A lot of kids want to hang out with friends. It’s all about what’s cool and what everyone else is doing. Teens want a place that’s comfy,” he said.

As far as reading, Joshua doesn’t have much time outside his studies and school activities. Like countless kids his age, he likes the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” series, and J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy “The Lord of the Rings.”

That’s no surprise to Dagg, the youth librarian. “Adolescence is a huge transformation. It can be dark and scary,” she said. “Teens like literature to mirror their emotions. I think they find it reassuring to read about other people going through scary things and coming through triumphant.”

Books are a refuge, and so are libraries. Just ask Nancy Pearl. The former Seattle librarian has found fame with her “Book Lust” volumes of reader recommendations, and her commentary about books on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

“I grew up in Detroit, and my branch library of the Detroit library system was probably more home to me than my own home,” Pearl said Tuesday. “I just read voraciously. I think there are kids out there for whom the library is still a refuge.”

It may seem that today’s teens are spending life online, but Pearl doesn’t believe people have completely changed. “All the electronic bells and whistles are not substitutes for the joys the library offers in terms of both finding yourself in the pages of books and losing yourself in the pages of books,” she said.

Most libraries have great programs for young children, Pearl said. “I applaud the Everett library for realizing just how important it is to get teens back in the library,” she said.

And kids — if you’re looking for a book, Pearl suggests “Sunshine,” by Robin McKinley.

“I think it’s the best vampire book ever,” she said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Library fundraiser

The Friends of the Everett Public Library will celebrate the library’s 75th anniversary at its downtown location with a fundraiser, “Everett &Its Library: A Remarkable History,” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the library, 2702 Hoyt Ave. It will feature treasures from the library vault shown by historian Melinda Van Wingen; an art collection tour guided by historian David Dilgard; and wines, hors d’oeuvres and desserts. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance. Proceeds will fund a new space for teens at the library. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006.