CURRENT POSITION Manager of Youth Services, Nassau Library System, NY DEGREE MLIS, Queens College, City University of New York FOLLOW facebook.com/nlsyouthservices; facebook.com/nassaulibrarysystem Photo by Femi Aziz, Serengeti Design Studios

Calm in the Collections

“After COVID, our local newspapers were filled with stories on how teens were struggling. I thought, ‘Why couldn’t we do something for teens?’” says Renee McGrath, manager of youth services for the Nassau Library System, NY. In answer to that question, she envisioned and piloted Teen Calming Corners.

“These are literally a corner,” says McGrath, “Lots of libraries don’t have the space for more.” The quiet areas are equipped with Yogibos—a kind of structured beanbag chair, says McGrath—and individual libraries have added other calming elements, such as floral wall decor, low lights, and coloring books.

A particularly popular addition has been low-cost, hand-cranked paper shredders, beside which the staff leaves a pad of paper for teens to write their worries on and then shred. “The physical act of shredding is powerful,” says McGrath. “The staff even does it.”

The new areas were created using New York State funds designated for library systems to augment youth and family services in their service areas, and the libraries spent their own funds on items that would need replacement, such as coloring books.

In December 2024, 260 teens used the spaces, which began in the Baldwin, Bethpage, Garden City, Long Beach, Uniondale, and Westbury libraries and are now in additional locations. “There are not a lot of places for teens to go that are free,” notes McGrath. “And [the calming spaces] signal to teens that your mental health is important to us and here’s somewhere you can go.”