JAMES CITY — This summer, the James City County Library is inviting teens to take a break from the heat with a visit to its new teen room.
The teen room features everything from a virtual whiteboard, Nintendo Switches and an arcade game table to a magnetic poetry wall, board games and crafts and a study area. Additionally, the Young Adult book collection will be located nearby for easier access.
This new feature mirrors the Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio, located in the same building, which was designed for younger children, according to Williamsburg Regional Library Director Betsy Fowler.
“We just recently opened the space and teens are already using it to connect, play, study, and have a space they can call their own in the library,” she said. “The Kiwanis Kids Idea Studio … has been a great success and we wanted to offer teens the same opportunity.”
The teen room is available to teenagers 13-years-and-older and is open during library hours. A number of special teen-only programs will take place this summer, including Teens Night Out on Fridays after regular library hours, anime film showings, a video game tournament and more. The first Teens Night Out event is slated for June 16 at 6 p.m.
The ultimate goal is “to create engaging spaces in the library for readers of all ages, so everyone always feels as though they have a special place to call their own,” Fowler said. “This is how our youngest library visitors transition into being lifelong readers and library users.”
For more information on the library’s offerings for teenage guests, visit wrl.org/teens. The James City County Library is located at 7770 Croaker Rd.
Sian Wilkerson, 757-342-6616, [email protected]
