​Makerspace in the Teen Room

Cyrene Wells, Mount Vernon Library Foundation Vice-President

It’s 3:00 on a Mount Vernon Monday afternoon in August. You’re 15 years old. What to do? The library is open and so is the Teen Room with its weekly 3-5 p.m. drop-in Makerspace program. Teens can print colorful posters and make small 3-D objects (shown above)—for free during this time. Or, they can do the usual things: read, play computer/video games, be with friends—and perhaps make new ones.

Library Foundation Board members take joy in putting your donated dollars to use. For instance, we fund Makerspace technology and supplies for the Teen Room. I recently visited Makerspace drop-in time, library badge pinned on my shirt to legitimize my presence in the “teen-only” environment to take a closer look.
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A brother and sister, soon to be 8th and 9th grade students, are new to the Teen Room. After making sure it won’t cost them anything, (yes, as long as printing takes less than an hour) they say they’d like to give the 3-D printer a try. With the help of Rachel, the Youth Services librarian, they begin the process of finding suitable 3-D designs from online sites, easy for the sister (a gear that moves with finger action) and a longer process for her brother (a stationary dragon), before converting their chosen designs to a language the 3-D printer will understand. 

Rachel guides but doesn’t hover, shows them how to determine the time required for certain objects, points out the existence of reviews written by others who’ve used the designs, explains that printing in one color is always faster than using multiple colors—all things to consider while choosing a design. She leads them to a cupboard where jugs of colorful, plastic filament live. And then, after laying down platforms and threading filament into the printers, the kids watch as the print tips begin building layer upon layer. It’s a slow process, so first one, then the other turns to the rest of the room where they find their peers browsing books and playing games.
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So, what’s been happening? While the brother-sister team has tried something entirely new, some others are more familiar with the room. One boy, who says he’s been in the Teen Room every day this summer, is 3-D printing while playing an individual computer game; a girl has found a book to check out; and several boys are chuckling as they try to outmaneuver one another and the perils of a game on the multiplayer big screen. A boy who regularly attends Makerspace is making a decision about what poster to print. There’s activity in and out, as Rachel moves among kids, friendly and helpful as needed. One of the teens is older and says he mostly chooses books from the adult section of the library but knows the other kids and joins the good- natured banter of those at the big screen.

For all the various activity, there’s a sense of purpose here and, importantly, a solid trust between Rachel and teens—one born of a careful and ongoing effort to build relationships among kids and library staff. It looks like these teenagers know how to “do library”, and they show newcomers how to keep it going smoothly.  
Free Makerspace time moves to Wednesdays during the school year, but the Teen Room is special every day. It’s a place where teens (12-19) can work, play, and be with others in a safe,
non-school setting—with librarians who care about them and understand how kids learn and grow.
A note:  Adults also have access to the Makerspace equipment.  You just need to make an appointment.  
​Email [email protected] for more information.