Illinois: Arlington Heights Memorial Library Opens “The Hub”, A New Space for Teens

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Hub opened April 15 to 60 teens and features a large, enclosed gathering space with a contemporary design and modular furniture for teens to collaborate on homework assignments, work independently at computers, doodle on the paper tablet coffee tables, get their game on or just hang out.
“We feel we can give them a chance to explore, be engaged and have their artistic views expressed here,” said Tom Spicer, teen services supervisor, who helped design the space for teens to work together. “They move in groups because that’s what they want to do socially but also because they’re assigned group projects in school.”
A separate gaming area features one large screen and Xbox 360, Playstation3 and Wii titles for individual or four-person gaming. The DIY, or do-it-yourself, area features interactive programs and options for teens looking for something to create after school. A large dry erase board, which is actually the north wall of this nook, offers directions this month on how to create minimarshmallows out of PVC and next month will offer tips on creating blackout poetry. Five Mac desktop stations are available on the east wall and five Mac laptops are available for checkout.

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See Also: Learn About “The Studio” in the Arlington Heights Memorial Library

The Studio offers the space, equipment, and software for you to get creative with video, music, graphic design…

See Also: More Posts About New Spaces for Teens in the Chicago Area

• The New Teen Place Opening at Schaumburg Township Library is LOADED with Tech Tools, Video Games, and 3D Printer (Nov 14, 2012)
• Fountaindale Public Library Will Open Digital Studio Next Month (February 14, 2013)

Filed under: Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Public Libraries