Four teenagers stood behind a shelf of audiobooks in Oxford Lane Library and whispered to each other. They did not lower their voices out of courtesy for silently reading library patrons. They were strategizing this Saturday evening.
“It’s time to lock in!” they announced before splitting up and taking off into the bookshelves with laser blasters in hand.
A laser tag event, held Sept. 14, was one of the activities at the Lane Library in Oxford, Ohio that is available to teens aged 12 to 18. This and other events, such as arts and crafts or Dungeons & Dragons sessions, are put on to reach out to kids in this age group and introduce them to the library and its resources.
Twenty-one-year-old, Fabio Chirinos has worked as the library’s Public Services Assistant for almost a year, coordinating many of the events for teens. The library has held laser tag events in the past with varying success.
“Compared to others, this went a lot better,” Chirinos said after the battle was over and the blasters were packed away. “But it never goes as smoothly as it does with adults.”
For an hour and a half, the library was a battlefield for 19 young teens. Players were peeking between books and crouching behind shelves. The picture-book shelves in the corner of the children’s section proved to be a very defensible position in one round. A little hut nearby normally houses a baby doll, but it became a perch to scope out the terrain and spot rival teams’ hiding spots.
Along with the exercise the teens received by breaking the no-running rule, events like this are designed to draw in and introduce members of this demographic to the library and its resources.
“It definitely makes kids more aware that the library exists,” Chirinos said. “It makes them more aware of what the library can provide for you.”
Rebecca Smith, Oxford Lane Library manager, said this age group can be difficult for the library to reach.
“I don’t think we purposefully make more of an effort to have more programs for teens, but we definitely have to put more effort in attracting teens to the library, to our programs,” Smith said.
Librarian Akiko Urayama said this is because teens are more independent, but they do not know about the variety of resources the library has and they do not seek them out the way adults might.
“The library is not just to come and get a book,” Urayama said. “You can hang out here, we have things for them. That’s the message that we want them to know.”
Smith and Urayama said along with books, teens can come to the library to use the internet, access digital resources, play video games and even make themselves comfortable in the library’s Teen Zone.
The Teen Zone has always existed in the Oxford Lane Library building as a space solely for 12 to 18-year-olds to have a space separated from the larger children’s section. This space provides comfortable furniture and table space for using laptops. Smith said this was included to improve on the teen space in the previous building, which she described as just “a chair by the window.”
“I think the space is really telling them that we want them here and that this is their space,” Smith said. “Once they know that there is a space for them, they’re more likely to keep coming back.”
Programs like laser tag similarly give these teens an opportunity to be themselves and have fun in the library.
“I think it provides them another social outlet and activity to get to know other teens too, not just people from their school,” Smith said.
Many of the attendees were already familiar with Chirinos from past visits and some even asked him to strap on a vest and blaster to play with them. He said he sees many of them almost weekly.
Building a rapport with librarians and library staff is another way that Smith believes these programs benefit the teens in the community. “If they feel welcomed and if they feel safe in here, then they’re more likely to come and talk to us and then ask us for other things or help,” she said.
After an anticlimactic free-for-all round, Chirinos decided to organize four teams. While doing so, he even managed to sneak in a math lesson
“Does anyone know what a prime number is?” he shouted over the commotion between rounds.
“It can only be divided by one and itself!” one player answered excitedly.
Chirinos then explained that 19 was a prime number, and the teams could not be divided evenly. In the end, the solution was for him to join the fun.
Chirinos said it was strange at first becoming familiar to children at the library, especially when they recognized him leaving his apartment. Now, he enjoys seeing kids become comfortable in the library and return to use its resources.
“It’s nice to observe people acclimate to the library,” he said. “It feels good to know we’re needed.”
Other library events for teens in the coming weeks include an arts and crafts program for LGBTQ+ teens Sept. 21, D&D Teen Club Oct. 7 and an evening with New York Times bestselling author, Samira Ahmed Oct. 9. Information on the time, location and how to register for these events can be found on the Lane Library website.
