Building connections: Fall teen programming update; welcome to youth library assistant

When I started working as the Carnegie Carnegie’s Children’s Librarian in April 2024, I knew that one of my personal goals would be to build up our programs and services for teens.

Teens tend to be an underserved and misunderstood group, not just in library services, but in society as a whole. They are going through a transitional, and often tumultuous, time in their lives, one that has a profound impact on the development of their identity and self-concept.

And coming of age during a pandemic has only made it all the more tumultuous: in 2023, the Surgeon General declared loneliness to be an epidemic and a public health risk to Americans of all ages, and according to the World Health Organization, teens face one of the highest rates of loneliness, with 1 in 5 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 reporting they experience loneliness and lack of connection among their peers.

While circulating books and championing literacy will always be a fundamental mission of libraries, one of the less quantifiable, yet no less important, roles that we serve in our community is to provide a safe space, a refuge, to youth.

Libraries represent a “third place” in people’s lives — that is, somewhere that is not one’s home nor school or work, where they spend most of their time. It is an open and welcoming public space where people can go to relax, socialize with familiar faces, and foster community and creativity.

Few of these spaces exist today, especially for young people, and it is especially important to me that the library is a place where young people can find a sense of belonging and connection, explore their interests, and feel comfortable expressing themselves.

Earlier this year, we were incredibly fortunate to receive a grant from the McElhattan Foundation to support our work in expanding our programs and services to teens in the Carnegie community.

Our goal for this year is to build a robust calendar of after-school programming and create a designated space for teens within the library, somewhere that teens can call their own.

Excitingly, this grant has also allowed us to add a part-time youth library assistant to our small but mighty library staff. The addition of this role has doubled the size of our little Youth Services department.

Bri Grygo officially started in the youth library assistant role in August, and we are so pleased to have her on the team.

When asked about her experience at the library thus far, Bri said: “I am so grateful to call this library my workplace. I love everything it has to offer: the highly spirited teen programs, the warm atmosphere, the extensive picture book collection and so much more.”

Bri brings a warm and welcoming presence to the library, a creative mind, and a fascinating expertise in gardening and horticulture. Though the Carnegie Carnegie is the first library where Bri has worked, her experience working with youth in an educational settings really shines through in all of her interactions with the teens here.

In just the few short weeks since Bri started, she and I have started collaborating to plan some exciting new things for the fall. With input from the hardworking teens of our Teen Library Council, we are in the process of designing and developing both an indoor and outdoor space for teens, a seasonal teen-led Halloween party and numerous other programs that teens can participate in each week.

Teen Programs for Fall 2025

Lego Club: Tuesdays, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Drop in on Tuesday afternoons and express your creativity with Lego creations. This program is designated for kids K-5, but teens are welcome.

Anime Club: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.

Join us to watch anime, draw together and enjoy taste-testing Japanese snacks.

Teen Game Time: Second and fourth Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.

Play our Nintendo Switch, bring your own console or try out one of our board games.

Dungeons & Dragons: One-Shots: to be announced, throughout the year.

Roll for adventure. Join our fearless volunteer Dungeon Master, Alex, for a variety of D&D one-shots and short campaigns. No experience necessary. Join this mailing list to get advance updates and register for campaigns: bit.ly/acfl-teen-dnd-list.

All teen programs are designated for youth ages 10 to 18.

We plan to add further programming on different days of the week as we get settled, so don’t forget to check out our programming calendar at acfree.librarycalendar.com for updates and new programs throughout the fall.

We urge you to come check out some of these new fall programs, and if you see Bri hanging around the children’s section, don’t forget to say hello.

If you want to get to know her, you should ask her about her love of winter birding, cozy crafting or which reality show she is enjoying at the moment.

Mikayla Wobrak is the children’s librarian at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall.