Libraries: A Home Away from Home

The New York Public Library’s Teen Civics Ambassadors program brings together 10th–12th grade students to help develop job readiness and leadership skills with a focus on library resources, civics, and peer-to-peer engagement. Ambassadors work at Teen Centers across the city creating fun, exciting events and resources at the Library for other teens and encouraging teens to learn about and become active participants in their communities.

Libraries provide safe places for teens to explore their interests, discover new passions, learn about opportunities, and connect with others. NYPL's Teen Civics Ambassadors want to take you on an artistic journey to learn more about why the teen spaces at their home library branches are so important. Enjoy art and poetry from across the boroughs! To learn about everything teens have access to at the Library, go to nypl.org/teens.

One building can only have so many stories to tell.
This one has thousands.
To us it’s a library is a lot more than the endless shelves with novels and textbooks 
To us, this place is so much more than a large room with hushed voices
To us the library is a full of possibilities; beginnings that seemingly have no ending 
with their memories living on in us 
To us, the silence is never confining, its freeing; it gives us the space and time we never seem to have
To us, the library is a safe haven, only a ten minute walk away 
To us, the library is so much more than a place to learn about history and science through stories and test prep workbooks
To us, the library is a place where we can learn about ourselves and grow into ourselves

Writing: Zaynab, Parkchester Library
Art: Divine, Parkchester Library

run, for those who walk are trampled in the dust;
scream, for those who cry are lost in the crowd;
the world waits for no one,
for it is too consumed with the thoughts of the future.

inhale, and the smoke will grasp your lungs;
stand still, and the world will bring you to your knees;
the streets have no sympathy for your troubles,
for their own burdens are too much to bear.

but there is a place hidden among the streets,
where those whose bones are weary find rest,
where those who speak find sparks of conversation,
where those who thirst for knowledge are quenched.

sit, for there is a community sitting with you;
listen, for there is a calming silence that steadies your pace;
read, for there is a chuckle to hear and a joke to crack;
the library is gateway for those who seek it,
for it is a place for all and a home for many.

Abigail, Chatham Square Library

Chitter… Chatter… Chitter… Chatter…
Hushed conversations fill out each corner of The Library:
Energetic debates as friends brag about their favorite characters from a recently finished novel
Rhythmic snips as a team of stressed students hurriedly cut out their class projects
Light, uncontrollable  giggles from a group of girls in a tight huddle

Resources available  for various  purposes within The Library:
Computers for scientific research or some casual gaming – depending on the patron
Recreational room for those who simply want to make new friends as they engage in arts-and-crafts
Wide range of genres and authors on the shelves for those who want to fall deep into a world of endless possibilities

A safe space for everyone in The Library:
Colorful corner for little kids as they make their first visit to the library – they find it magical and enchanting, perfect for their wild imaginations to roam free!
Wide space for teens as they flock to the library after school – they find it comforting and reliable, perfect for them to handle their endless heaps of homework…
Organized section for adults as they come to visit the library in their freetime – they find it peaceful and fulfilling, perfect for them to catch up on the latest news and connect with the youth!

Dora, New Dorp Library 

An owl is the embodiment of the Bronx Library Center teen center, to me. Owls are known to be calm, relaxing animals while also displaying wisdom, just like the teen space at the Bronx Library Center. Within the teen floor, a calm aura consumes the space, resulting in you unknowingly spending hours there. The library is a place filled with knowledge, exposing everyone, not only teens to an immense amount of knowledge. A place where teens can do research, join programs, meet other teens, and most importantly feel safe and welcomed. 

Art and writing by Danajah, Bronx Library Center 

The large glass building
Down the road
Walls filled to the brim with
Stories new and old

A place where everyone 
Can let go of their breaths
As they take in the security
Of the silence and the books

Some pages are quite small
Some large with bursting colors 
Their contents seem to unfold
Right before my eyes

And the stories left untold
Stay in the back of my mind
Left to fester and to wander
Each creative crevice

Each time I pass by
I am always surprised 
By the small building that keeps
The history of human lives

Emely, Bronx Library Center 
 

The brownstone building
Barren of teens before noon
A colorful space

Once the clock strikes two
Laughter and joy fills the place
A little corner

Erilinc, Harlem Library 

In my Teen Center, creativity takes place here. Bright and pleasing visuals can be seen all around, teenagers can use this space as they please, and the staff is extremely welcoming! Using an emphasis on books, knowledge and imagination, my teen space here at St. George is meant for all.

Art and writing by Josie, St. George Library Center