Teens looking for 'their own space'
Teens looking for 'their own space'
Complaints from patrons question the behavior of teenagers at the library. Are they out of control, or is this the one place they can be themselves?
The malls were the first to go. Individual stores and some community centers soon followed.
As many Topeka teenagers see it, they have nowhere left to hang out. Several places in the capital city exclude groups of teens.
"There is nothing to do in this town. That's why I'm moving," 17-year-old Tykela Beard said. "Nobody lets us go anywhere."
Beard, a Topeka High School student, said her last refuge in the city is the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. Beard and her friends hang out at the library almost every night, drawn in by the computers, groups of kids her age and, of course, the books.
"There is nothing to do at home, not everybody has a computer. This is where everybody goes," Beard said. "They got good books, and movies, a lot of up-to-date teen movies."
But now Beard's home away from home has come under siege. A letter to the editor, published in the Nov. 6 issue of The Topeka Capital-Journal, complained about the out-of-control teenagers at the library.
"I really don't feel safe when those kids are running around," she said. "They are in those groups, hanging outside. It's like they're converging on you. I get out my library card and lock my purse in the trunk. That's how safe I feel."
'Teenagers are loud'
England admitted part of her insecurity comes from the difference in culture from teens of her generation and those of today. But England isn't the only library patron complaining.
Jeff Dawson, manager of Youth Services, said he has heard complaints from adults, other teens and young children about the noise coming from David J's place, the teen section in the library, and from other areas of the building. He said knowing how to handle the complaints has been a struggle since the beginning.
"This is something I've been working on since I started here," Dawson said, who has been running youth services for two years. "We've been very serious about getting the teens into the library, and now they're here. We're not just going to kick them out. This is their space."
England's letter to the editor didn't target just the teenagers in the teen section. England said the teenagers were everywhere in the library, as though they were taking control of the entire building.
"Groups of adolescents playing computer games, fist-fights erupting, profanity even the hard-of-hearing can't miss, threatening the security staff (and each other), playing tag in the aisles, chasing one another, turning the library into a virtual playground," England's letter read.
Dawson said profanity, petty theft between the teenagers and one fight between two girls had been reported. He said he didn't know of multiple fist fights or games of tag. England said she hadn't seen any of these activities either but had been told by reliable sources of their occurrence.
Beard said she, too, had never seen a fight break out or see anyone stealing anything, though she has seen a number of teens kicked out of the library, herself included.
"We were talking loudly I guess," she said. "We got kicked out for the day. It happens all the time. Teenagers are loud."
'Give them options'
Dawson holds the same opinion. He said teenagers are loud and act different than adults, but it doesn't mean they don't have a place at the library.
"They need a place they can go to socialize, where they can do their talking or where they can do their flirting," Dawson said. "We're getting these kids to come into the library instead of roaming the streets. We just want to give them options."
And those options are coming straight from the source. When England's letter was published, library employees placed posters of the letter around the library and on the library's youth blog spot, asking for teens' input on the situation.
Dawson said the teens had a lot to say. Many were angry. Some agreed with England. Sixteen-year-old Emily Brake said she thought it was typical of the way adults treat teenagers.
"Adults just think that teens are loud and irresponsible," Brake said. "But most of us around here are well-behaved."
Chris Beadles, a 14-year-old at Robinson Middle School, said he also thought it was unfair to make a blanket statement about all of the teens at the library.
"I usually stay here every day until my dad can pick me up. I've never seen any trouble," Beadles said. "I think adults are just suspicious of us, but most of us aren't doing anything but sitting here."
Beadles said he thinks a lot of the problem lies in a general prejudice against teenagers.
"I think it has a lot to do with the way we dress," he explained. "You can't judge a book by its cover. We're not all causing problems."
Dawson said he, too, had considered the complaints indicative of a general misunderstanding about teenagers.
"People are intimidated by teenagers. Real or perceived -- that's a fact of life." Dawson explained. "But we're mindful of the safety and comfort of all the library patrons. We're after finding solutions more than just saying deal with it or just kicking them out."
'A teen room'
Several solutions, Dawson said, have been discussed. One such solution would move the media room, the video section of the library located in the east wing, into the main part of the building and turn the media room into a teen area.
"It's away from the rest of the library so teens can make noise, watch TV together, have a snack," Dawson said. "We're not trying to get them out of the public eye. We're just trying to [give] them their own space."
England said she thinks that is a good option.
"It seems to me these kids are taking over the library. They are rude. It's aggravating," she said. "Maybe they need a teen room to be away from the people trying to read or do research."
Dawson said the current teen space, David J's place, wouldn't be taken away. It would be used for teen books and as a research or homework area. The new room would be an extra space for hanging out. He said certain collections of books and magazines would still be in the room to encourage reading.
Beard said the idea is inspired.
"It would be perfect," she said. "We could be louder. We could be together and have fun without getting stared at."
Dawson said the idea still needs work. He said he doesn't want teens to think they are being segregated and he doesn't want the library to be acting as parents.
"Like I said, we're looking at options," Dawson said. "We want these teenagers to be back in the fold as lifelong learners and lifelong readers. That is the ultimate goal."
Capital-Journal reporter Brittany Lewis contributed to this report.
Complaints from patrons question the behavior of teenagers at the library. Are they out of control, or is this the one place they can be themselves?
The malls were the first to go. Individual stores and some community centers soon followed.
As many Topeka teenagers see it, they have nowhere left to hang out. Several places in the capital city exclude groups of teens.
"There is nothing to do in this town. That's why I'm moving," 17-year-old Tykela Beard said. "Nobody lets us go anywhere."
Beard, a Topeka High School student, said her last refuge in the city is the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. Beard and her friends hang out at the library almost every night, drawn in by the computers, groups of kids her age and, of course, the books.
"There is nothing to do at home, not everybody has a computer. This is where everybody goes," Beard said. "They got good books, and movies, a lot of up-to-date teen movies."
But now Beard's home away from home has come under siege. A letter to the editor, published in the Nov. 6 issue of The Topeka Capital-Journal, complained about the out-of-control teenagers at the library.
"I really don't feel safe when those kids are running around," she said. "They are in those groups, hanging outside. It's like they're converging on you. I get out my library card and lock my purse in the trunk. That's how safe I feel."
'Teenagers are loud'
England admitted part of her insecurity comes from the difference in culture from teens of her generation and those of today. But England isn't the only library patron complaining.
Jeff Dawson, manager of Youth Services, said he has heard complaints from adults, other teens and young children about the noise coming from David J's place, the teen section in the library, and from other areas of the building. He said knowing how to handle the complaints has been a struggle since the beginning.
"This is something I've been working on since I started here," Dawson said, who has been running youth services for two years. "We've been very serious about getting the teens into the library, and now they're here. We're not just going to kick them out. This is their space."
England's letter to the editor didn't target just the teenagers in the teen section. England said the teenagers were everywhere in the library, as though they were taking control of the entire building.
"Groups of adolescents playing computer games, fist-fights erupting, profanity even the hard-of-hearing can't miss, threatening the security staff (and each other), playing tag in the aisles, chasing one another, turning the library into a virtual playground," England's letter read.
Dawson said profanity, petty theft between the teenagers and one fight between two girls had been reported. He said he didn't know of multiple fist fights or games of tag. England said she hadn't seen any of these activities either but had been told by reliable sources of their occurrence.
Beard said she, too, had never seen a fight break out or see anyone stealing anything, though she has seen a number of teens kicked out of the library, herself included.
"We were talking loudly I guess," she said. "We got kicked out for the day. It happens all the time. Teenagers are loud."
'Give them options'
Dawson holds the same opinion. He said teenagers are loud and act different than adults, but it doesn't mean they don't have a place at the library.
"They need a place they can go to socialize, where they can do their talking or where they can do their flirting," Dawson said. "We're getting these kids to come into the library instead of roaming the streets. We just want to give them options."
And those options are coming straight from the source. When England's letter was published, library employees placed posters of the letter around the library and on the library's youth blog spot, asking for teens' input on the situation.
Dawson said the teens had a lot to say. Many were angry. Some agreed with England. Sixteen-year-old Emily Brake said she thought it was typical of the way adults treat teenagers.
"Adults just think that teens are loud and irresponsible," Brake said. "But most of us around here are well-behaved."
Chris Beadles, a 14-year-old at Robinson Middle School, said he also thought it was unfair to make a blanket statement about all of the teens at the library.
"I usually stay here every day until my dad can pick me up. I've never seen any trouble," Beadles said. "I think adults are just suspicious of us, but most of us aren't doing anything but sitting here."
Beadles said he thinks a lot of the problem lies in a general prejudice against teenagers.
"I think it has a lot to do with the way we dress," he explained. "You can't judge a book by its cover. We're not all causing problems."
Dawson said he, too, had considered the complaints indicative of a general misunderstanding about teenagers.
"People are intimidated by teenagers. Real or perceived -- that's a fact of life." Dawson explained. "But we're mindful of the safety and comfort of all the library patrons. We're after finding solutions more than just saying deal with it or just kicking them out."
'A teen room'
Several solutions, Dawson said, have been discussed. One such solution would move the media room, the video section of the library located in the east wing, into the main part of the building and turn the media room into a teen area.
"It's away from the rest of the library so teens can make noise, watch TV together, have a snack," Dawson said. "We're not trying to get them out of the public eye. We're just trying to [give] them their own space."
England said she thinks that is a good option.
"It seems to me these kids are taking over the library. They are rude. It's aggravating," she said. "Maybe they need a teen room to be away from the people trying to read or do research."
Dawson said the current teen space, David J's place, wouldn't be taken away. It would be used for teen books and as a research or homework area. The new room would be an extra space for hanging out. He said certain collections of books and magazines would still be in the room to encourage reading.
Beard said the idea is inspired.
"It would be perfect," she said. "We could be louder. We could be together and have fun without getting stared at."
Dawson said the idea still needs work. He said he doesn't want teens to think they are being segregated and he doesn't want the library to be acting as parents.
"Like I said, we're looking at options," Dawson said. "We want these teenagers to be back in the fold as lifelong learners and lifelong readers. That is the ultimate goal."
Capital-Journal reporter Brittany Lewis contributed to this report.
Taylor Atkins can be reached at (785) 295-1187 or taylor.atkins@cjonline.com.