BATH — Morse High School students aim to drive teen programming at Patten Free Library and help the library attract adolescent patrons through a Teen Library Council.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and efforts of this new group,” library director Lesley Dolinger said in an April 9 press release. “Many teens who used the library as children just stop coming when they reach high school. They get busy with other things. We hope the ideas and efforts of these students will help spread the word that the library still has a lot to offer teens.”
High school sophomores Mallory Goodine, Kara Leavitt, Heaven-Leigh Rose, David Rice and Catherine Sener became members of the council early this month. While they intend to hold events geared toward their fellow high school students, they said they also want to organize activities that reach a broader audience.
“I’ve always loved reading books and going to the library since I was a little kid, but as I got older, I started going there less and less,” Goodine said in an April 11 e-mail. “For some reason, I just never seemed to have time for going to the library, or a visit seemed rather unappealing.”
But taking part in the council is now “a way for me to help out my community as well as going back to the one place I had always loved,” she explained. “I personally would like to see the council be able to get some programs together for teenagers to come and enjoy, and hopefully with a somewhat large turnout.”
Planned programming includes a May 25 debate demonstration, featuring state-championship-level debaters from Bath and other Maine high schools, as well as a teen writers’ group, student art exhibition, teen movie nights, a comedy night and a board game tournament.
Teenagers who would like to join the group or who have ideas for events can contact Roberta Jordan, outreach and instruction librarian, at 443-5141 ext. 25, or rjordan@patten.lib.me.us.
Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.
Sidebar Elements
Members of Patten Free Library’s new Teen Library Council include, from left, Morse High School sophomores Kara Leavitt, Mallory Goodine, David Rice and Catherine Sener. Heaven-Leigh Rose is not pictured.
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