What is the Teen Space?

If you’ve stopped into the Southwest Library or are following our social media accounts, you may have seen us mention the Teen Space. But what exactly is the Teen Space? What can teens do in the Teen Space?

My name is Elliott and I am the Teen Services Specialist here at KPL. Along with our Teen Services Librarian Megan, we make up our Teen Services Department and work hard to make things fun, engaging, and welcoming for teens at the library!

      Megan Nigh is a Kenosha northside native (Somers, Bullen, Bradford) and has worked for KPL in a number of different roles over the years. Megan works with teens in the branches and regularly visits schools across Kenosha. Her superpower is reader's advisory for all ages. When she's not working or reading, she is a cat mom, Auntie Librarian to a growing number of nieces and nephews, and an avid NASCAR fan. 

Elliott has been working at KPL for the past three and a half years. They primarily work in the Teen Space at Southwest staffing the Space, running programs, and spending time with local teens. They love to find new ways to decorate the Teen Space and add fun, new things to do. They’re always down to chat with teens, check in about how life is going, and crack a joke or two! When they aren’t at work, Elliott is listening to music, snuggling with their two cats, crocheting, and playing games on their Steam Deck. 

If you’re curious about the Teen Space at Southwest, you’re not alone. We see lots of new faces peeking in every day to see what we have going on. 

The Teen Space is a unique feature of the Southwest Library for teens (ages 12-19) only. Open from 3-6 Monday through Friday, the Teen Space is meant to be a safe, fun place for teens to go to hang out, socialize, work on projects, and more! 

So what exactly happens in the Teen Space? 

• Video Games      
  • The Teen Space currently has a PS4 and an XBox One which are available for teens to use with a library card. We have lots of games, the most popular of which is NBA 2k24. 
• Computers      
  • We have four computers for teens to use which are just like the other library computers. Teens can use these with or without a library card. We see a lot of Roblox and Friday Night Funkin’ going on these days! 
• VR      
  • For our teens who are 13 and older, we have two Oculus Quest VR headsets available to check out. A library card is required to verify age and to check out a headset. Teens can play games on the VR such as Gorilla Tag, Beat Saber, and even Star Wars! 
• Games      
  • If you like board and card games, we have lots of those, too! From Giant Uno to Jenga to anime-themed puzzles, the Teen Space is well-equipped to play games with friends! We even have groups of teens who regularly use the space to play roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, so tabletop gamers are in good company. 
    

• Arts and Crafts      
  • With the art cart, teens can let their creativity soar. Coloring, origami, friendship bracelets, fiber arts like knitting and crochet, and even Perler beads are available for teens to craft with. We frequently put out new crafty projects, too, so there’s always something to create! 
• Movies      
  • The Teen Space has a big TV screen that we use to show movies regularly. Whether it’s our bi-weekly Movie Monday or a random rainy-day movie, there’s a good chance you and your friends can catch a flick here. We even have comfy couches! 
• Programs      
  • Elliott runs a ton of programs here in the Teen Space. If you check the KPL event calendar, you can find all sorts of teen events that are happening at Southwest and the other branches. We also run lots of pop-up events in the Teen Space, like special crafts, Bingo, and other fun activities day-to-day. 

Sound fun? We think so. Stop in today to check out the Teen Space at Southwest Library and see what cool things we have in store!  

Not a Southwest patron? Northside Library has an open area Teen Space that is available during all open hours. Walled off by the YA book collections, this space offers a nice area to study in, play games, or just hang out. Bored and looking for something to do? We have kits available in the Teen Space for you to make friendship bracelets, scarves, and more. We also have card games and coloring supplies!