Running Head: ASSIGNMENT 3 Lortie 1

Assignment 3: You Create a Library Space

John Lortie

LIS 60608

October 23, 2016

ASSIGNMENT 3 Lortie 2

The previous two assignments this author has submitted for Kent State

Universitys LIS 60608 have examined two libraries that he has frequented in years

passed. These libraries are The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox Countys

Main Library and The Athens Count Public Libraries Athens Public Library Branch. This

assignment will focus on a library that has not been previously discussed: The Public

Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Countys (PLCH) Pleasant Ridge Branch Library.

This shift in focus was brought about through a perceived need of familiarity with the

library being discussed herein to successfully complete this assignment. It has been years

since the author has been able to physically visit either of the libraries about which he

wrote in the previous assignments. However, he is currently a full-time employee for

PLCHs Pleasant Ridge Branch Library and has been one since August 2015. Due to this,

he is familiar with not only its physical spaces, but also the patrons to whom the library

caters. This gives him the foundation knowledge to make the following statement: The

Pleasant Ridge Branch Librarys teen section could be redesigned to better suit the

branchs community by changing its location within the branch as well as by offering

new technologies to its users. This statement is the driving force for this assignment and

will be discussed in greater detail.

The Pleasant Ridge Library Association started in 1879 as a library where

members were required to pay an annual fee in order to use its services. Just over two

decades later, in 1900, it officially became a branch of the PLCH system. In 1929 it was

moved to its current location along Cincinnatis Montgomery Road. 2012 saw the library

receive massive physical updates that included an elevator in order to become compliant

with the Americans with Disabilities Actthis renovation was made possible through
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generous donations from community members (The Public Library of Cincinnati and

Hamilton County, n.d.). The proposed floor plan for the branchs accessibility project,

which was retrieved from PLCHs website, can be seen in Appendix A below. This

shows the proposed addition of the elevator that made the accessible to all patrons. It also

shows two areas of particular interest for this assignment: the current teen area and the

branchs quiet reading area. The author of this paper has added labels to help the reader

identify these areas.

The final layout of the branchs floor plan can be seen in this papers Appendix B.

The author obtained this document through PLCHs employee intranetit cannot be

accessed through any other means. Similarly to the floor plan showcased in Appendix A,

labels have been added to this floor plan to show the reader the locations of the teen and

quiet reading areas.

The first proposal this assignment will pose for better utilizing the librarys space

to cater to its community is this: The locations of these two areas, the teen and quiet

reading areas, should be switched. This comes from the concept that teens need an area to

themselves within the library. As the branch is currently laid out, which can be seen in

the first attached floor plan, the childrens area is on the west end of the branch, the adult

area is on the east, and the teen area is positioned in a small space near the middle of the

branch. If the teen area and the quiet reading areawhich observation indicates mainly

serves to hold the Pleasant Ridge Branch Librarys periodicalswere switched, the

branchs teenage patrons would have a larger space that is designated just for them.

Why is it important for teenage library patrons to have a space specifically

designated for them? There are numerous resources that discuss this. Harper (2011) wrote
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the first of these that this paper will consider. In her book, Harper (2011) explicitly stated,

In most cases, teens prefer to be with other teens. Thus a designated space and resources

for teens are often well received (p. 32). This statement was presented in the context of

the developmental process through which teens go, which involves discovering who they

are and beginning to value their independence (Harper, 2011). In this light, it makes

sense for teens to seek out a space within libraries where they can be themselves without

having to worry about interfering with the other operational procedures taking place

within the library.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (2016) also discussed the

importance of teen library spaces. According to the association, it is important to consider

teens when renovating or building a library and ensuring that there is a space allocated

for them. Doing so creates a positive, safe environment for learning, socializing, and

leisure activities (Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016, p. 14). The

association also stressed the importance of developing an area that is not only for teens

who already frequent a library, but for all teens within the community served by the

library. Furthermore, the publication also stated that, although teens should have an area

specifically for them, they should not be made to feel unwelcome in other library areas

(Young Adult Library Services Association, 2016). This articles serves to highlight the

importance of ensuring that teens are supplied their own area within a library while

discussing the benefits of such a space.

The final supporting article for the assertion that the Pleasant Ridge Branch

Library should redevelop the current quiet reading area into a teen space comes from

Brisson (2014). In her article, the author provided an example of a teen-oriented library
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space from the Brossard Public Library in Brossard, Quebec. The space, which originated

from an idea proposed by a teenage patron, was designed around the following goals:

to promote reading in all its forms, to favour success in school, and to facilitate the

personal, emotional, and social development of the spaces users (Brisson, 2014, p. 23).

The physical space of the area is located within the librarys basement. This was

renovated for teens by knocking down a wall to convert two small rooms into one large,

open area with different zonesfor completing school work, socializing with others,

reading, and relaxationdesigned with movable furniture in order to enhance teens

library experiences (Brisson, 2014). By crafting a teen-centric space within its library, the

Brossard Public Library has found a way to increase its value to the teens it services.

The author of the assignment believes that the Pleasant Ridge Branch Library

would do well to craft a teen area similar to the concepts discussed within the above

referenced works. The branchs current teen area seems like an afterthought. While both

children and adults have large, dedicated spaces, the branchs teenage patrons only have a

small area near the branchs entrance. By moving the teen area to the current reading

area, teens would have a large space to call their own. Furthermore, if the branch were to

furnish the area with movable pieces, teens would be able to customize their area to meet

their needs, which is a concept seen within the Brossard Public Library and is

recommended by the Young Adult Library Services Association (2016).

Given the composition of the community it serves, such a teen area is a viable

option. Demographic data from the 2014 United States Census estimate indicates that

roughly 13.9 percent of the population of the Cincinnati neighborhood of Pleasant Ridge

was between the ages of 10 and 19 years old. During this time, an estimated 13.3 percent
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of the same population was under the age of 10 (American FactFinder, n.d.). The

community serviced by the branch contains roughly the same amount of teenagers as it

does children. Why, then, is the teen area of the Pleasant Ridge Branch Library

significantly smaller than the childrens area? While observation does indicate that more

children frequent the branch than teens, perhaps a large, more private teen space would

encourage more teenage patrons to visit the branch.

The author of this paper also believes that improved technological offerings

within the branch would not go amiss, especially as they concern the appeal of the library

to teenagers. This is a concept discussed within two of the previously provided resources.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (2016) states that an effective teen space

should enable ongoing upgrading to support the evolving way in which technology

and digital tools are used by teens (p. 14). Observation indicates that there are seven

public computers within the Pleasant Ridge Branch Library. By adding more computers

to a newly moved and renovated teen area, the library would better meet the needs of its

teenage patrons by providing them with materials that allow them to exercise their

creativity and expand their knowledge.

In her explanation of the Brossard Public Librarys teen area, Brisson (2014) also

acknowledged the role technology plays in supplementing teens education and

creativity. The area is equipped with two desktop computers, six Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, a

SMART board, two televisions with five video game consoles, and two sound domes that

play music audible only to those sitting directly under the domes. The technological

offerings of the area have proven to be a successin the first six months of operation, the

space had a total of 4,427 visitors. To put this into perspective, the total population of
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Brossard is nearly 85,000 (Brisson, 2014). The teen area of the Brossard Public Library

provides strong evidence for the concept that teen services can be improved through the

provision of technological offerings.

In Janes (2013) book Library 2020, Fontichiaro wrote that the library of the

future will be a place that serves to provide its users with experiences. The library should

become a space to which patrons can turn to exercise their creativity (Janes, 2013). While

Fontichiaro was specifically discussing the purpose of maker spaces within public

libraries, this can also be applied to the teen area I am proposing for the Pleasant Ridge

Branch Library. By providing the communitys teenagers with an inclusive, safe space

that features technology that enables them to learn new things and exercise their

creativity, it will truly become a place that offers them unique experiences.

The current layout of PLCHs Pleasant Ridge Branch Library seems to mainly

cater to children and adults. However, population statistics show that the community is

comprised of as many teenagers as it is children. Due to this, this assignment has

proposed that the branchs teen area should moved from a small space near the front of

the library to a larger room in the back of the building. Doing so would serve to give the

branchs teenage patrons, and the possible teenage patrons who are community members

that may not frequent the library, a safe space by providing them with the privacy to

socialize, experience everything the library has to offer, and, perhaps most importantly,

just be teenagers. The branch should also provide these teens with technological

offerings, such as new computers and video game systems, within this newly renovated

teen area. This technology would serve numerous purposes. It would allow the teens to

showcase their creativity, expand their knowledge base, and provide with electronic
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avenues to engage in socialization. If the branch looks to Quebecs Brossard Public

Library for inspiration, it would go a long way to providing excellent service and

experiences to its teenage patrons.

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References:

American FactFinder. (n.d.). ACS demographic and housing estimates. Retrieved from

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=

CF

Brisson, S. (2014). Teens at the Brossard Public Library: A necessary adaptation of

space and services. Feliciter, 60(6), 23-25. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cfd16204-80bc-4761-

af1e-c1d7852d8241%40sessionmgr4009&vid=9&hid=4101

Harper, M. (2011). Reference Sources and Services for Youth. New York, NY: Neal-

Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Janes, J. (2013). Library 2020: Todays leading visionaries describe tomorrows library.

Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc.

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. (n.d.). Branches Pleasant

Ridge. Retrieved from http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/branches/

pleasantridge.html

Young Adult Library Services Association. (2016). Teen space and public libraries: A

YALSA position paper. Young Adult Library Services, 14(4), 13-15. Retrieved

from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cfd16204-80bc-

4761-af1e-c1d7852d8241%40sessionmgr4009&vid=5&hid=4101
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Appendix A

Accessibility Project Floor Plan

The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. (2011, April). Whats new
Pleasant Ridge Branch Library accessibility project. Retrieved from
http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/news/2011/pleasantridgeadaproject.html
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Appendix B

Emergency Exit Floor Plan

Retrieved from The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Countys employee
intranet. File was uploaded 12/16/2015.