Today I popped in to the Masonville branch of the London Public Library. I tried to put myself into my 15 or 16 year old self, which was somewhat traumatising. Still, I found that it was a useful strategy to get a sense of how a teenager would feel in the library's young adult space.
To be fair, the Masonville branch is pretty tiny, so for the limited space, at least some effort was made to draw teens in. Still, the section was so tiny, (maybe two short shelves and a half) and so sparsely furnished, that it wasn't necessarily welcoming. Also, the space was more or less amalgamated with the children's section, to the point that there was no separation. With so many young kids around, basically annexing the two pieces of furniture designated for teens, I personally would not want to hang around too long.
The collection was in great shape, in terms of the physical condition of the books, so perhaps the section has had more priority recently. Teen series (Gossip Girl was the most pervasive), Manga, and graphic novels seemed to make up the bulk of the collection. Oddly, there did not seem to be any separation between fiction and non-fiction, so perhaps the materials could have been better organised in that sense.
On my way out, I picked up a few pamphlets in the teen section for programs specifically directed towards them. One I found was dedicated to high school English courses, which would definitely come in handy for a student who has little experience in doing academic-ish research. More recreationally, there was a yoga program, Wii nights, and craft nights that I think would have been fun, which were all offered at different branches.
Somewhat disappointingly, I didn't see any teenagers in the section when I went (it was after school was out). Perhaps LPL could focus on adding some more services or programs that would encourage teen socialisation, and more importantly, reading.
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