Adapting Through Adversity: Connecting with Teens @ Your Library

2022 NACo Achievement Award Winner

Flagler County, Fla., FL

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About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Since the opening of the Palm Coast facility of the Flagler County Public Library in 1999, there has been unprecedented growth within the community. Flagler County has almost tripled their population. With this population growth it has been noted that teens are the hardest demographic to attract to the library. Through research and trial and error, the Young Adult Services Program or YASP was created to provide teens a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment within Flagler County. If you build it, they will come, so we were optimistic that teens would come and develop a love for learning and literacy. In response to the population growth, the library developed a state-of-the-art young adult space called the Teen Spot, which opened in early 2020. This center provides teens with access to technology, materials, and a space to call their own. The program today consists of classes/demonstrations, meet-ups, lectures, and teen volunteer opportunities. With YASP and the new teen center, the staff was able to keep teens engaged during the pandemic and started planting the seeds for the future of the program. Today the teens are connecting in a collaborative and technology driven environment that inspires learning.

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