Introducing the Laman Loft for Ages 12-18

by Bekah Smith, Laman Loft Manager

If you’ve been inside Laman Library in the last few week, you may have seen two frenzied librarians pacing back and forth in behind the Teen Center windows, pulling down paper butterflies, moving furniture, and carting around several gallons of paint. (And you may have heard them belting out Broadway tunes, but that’s nothing unusual for our Teen Team.)

Something big is coming to Laman Library – it’s time to say goodbye to the Teen Center.

And hello to the Laman Loft! The same space with the same commitment to our teens ages 12-18.

For more than ten years the original Laman Library Teen Center logo – a bold, red and black graphic on a paint splattered background – has been displayed on the walls, windows, and marketing sheets of our teen space. It’s time for something new, something fresh, and our Teen Team is elbow deep in blue paint and good vibes to make it happen.

With the help of our students, Bekah and Jill have designed a new graphic and color scheme for this refresh – the Laman Loft will incorporate the bold red already decorating the room into a new color scheme of bright blues, near-white, and grey. The graphic, criss-crossing L’s, is already in use as we advertise for upcoming programs.

These changes are meant for more than pure aesthetic, though.

North Little Rock Libraries take pride not only in our systems, collections, and services – but in you. Our patrons. Our community.

We hope that this refresh sends a clear message to the young folks of NLR: You have a place here; we’ve literally saved you a seat.

Along with the paint and the catchy new graphic, comes a whole host of opportunities for patrons ages 12-18 to explore:

· Mindful Mondays, programs encouraging students to take ownership of their mental wellbeing.

· Sensory hours, designed to make the Loft as accessible as possible for folks with sensory processing needs.

· Teen Advisory Board, a student lead group of volunteers who will take an active role in Laman Loft decisions on programming, collection, and community outreach.

· Near Peer Tutoring, connecting qualified high school students with patrons from our children’s department for homework help.

And that’s just the beginning!

Mark your calendars for August 30 for the Laman Loft Open House, 4-6:30 PM – grownups welcome. Our Teen Team will be here with swag bags, door prizes, and answers to (almost) all of your questions about this exciting transition.

Until then, feel free to bring your ideas, questions, and curiosity our way. The Loft is open!