3D printers hum, lasers whir, and engravers click into place as senior Jackson Hammond steps into the Innovation Center nestled inside the Glenview Public Library (GPL) where he volunteers during his free time. The Innovation Center is one of the library’s most specialized spaces, utilized mostly for engineering and design purposes. However, the library also has a multitude of other frequently overlooked resources that students can take advantage of, Trish Andrew, Youth Services and Community Engagement Librarian, said.
Although filled to the brim with a variety of media, including books, audiobooks, CDs, films, video games, records, and more, the library is often only considered for its most obvious purpose of being a resource where students can study, Andrew said. However, the library also offers opportunities for students to discover their interests, she added. The Teen Advisory Board (TAB), composed of 15 South students, meets round-table style once a month and devises quarterly programs containing engaging events in order to reach out to their peers and the community, Andrew said.
Students in TAB’s main goals are to run programs that teens enjoy and to find ways to further showcase the library’s resources, freshman Arushi Bedekar, TAB Secretary, said. In order to accomplish this goal, the library would also like to hear more from South students, Linda Sawyer, Deputy Director of Library Services at the library, said. Without the input of the students in the community, current and future improvements would be impossible, she added.
“I think it’s really important that the teens talk to us and let us know what they want,” Sawyer said. “So, if there’s other programs or services you’d like us to offer, please tell us. Don’t just say ‘the library doesn’t want us there.’ We do. We really want our teens here. We want to give you a space for them.”
Though the board has faced challenges with attendance at some of their events, they have improved alongside them, learning to promote events in new ways, Bedekar said.
“I found that I myself often didn’t hear about many programs until after they had happened,” Bedekar said. “However, our whole board is extremely resourceful, and we always try our best to overcome such challenges through consistent outreach and collaboration.”
The library continuously increases and improves their services, as reflected through current renovations happening across the library, Sawyer said. A triennial survey conducted in 2024, which included responses from South students, a consensus was reached for new spaces in the library. The construction would include a new play space for its younger children, as well as increased, higher-quality food in the lobby area, and a completely redesigned lobby with more comfortable seating spaces for teens to sit and work together, Sawyer explained. The seating spaces will feature large booths which can be divided into sections where teens can comfortably sit. Furthermore, there will be a vending area that will include a state-of-the-art coffee machine with coffee supplied by Glenview Grind that will change seasonally, Sawyer added.
A second phase following these updates will focus more on spaces to study, with seven new study rooms to be constructed on the second floor beginning January 2026, Sawyer explained. The study rooms can be reserved with a Glenview Library card, Sawyer said.
“Another thing teens always want is a space to study,” Sawyer said. “Post COVID-19, we’ve seen a rise in the use of our study rooms, and the community asked us for more of them.”
Even though the construction has required shutting down chunks of the library for short periods of time, the community has not expressed any ill will toward these projects, Sawyer said.
“People are excited,” Sawyer said. “We had to close the Youth Services Department for a couple days, and people were very amenable to it, because they’re excited for the end result. So, thus far, we’ve only had positive feedback, enthusiasm, and anticipation for seeing this space completed.”
Students also have many ways to further their education through library programming, Andrew said. They can engage with their community through one of the library’s many volunteer events or receive tutoring in any language with the aid of online tutoring services, she added.
The Learning Express is a website through the library’s website, glenviewpl.org, that offers online courses in math, writing, and workplace skills, exam prep for education (GED, SAT, ACT), professional licensing exams, and courses for Microsoft software, according to the library’s official website, glenviewpl.org. Such tools could help make students’ college application process easier, South Librarian Christi Shaner said. The accessibility of the website and being able to acquire so many resources at one’s fingertips is also a major benefit, Shaner added.
“Students need to be aware of these resources to go to the library and use them,” Shaner said. “They’re there for the public, they’re there for the students, and they’re there for adults once students graduate from high school. That’s what makes the library great, that you can do what you need to do in person, but you also have so many options online and digitally.”
Further Teen-centered areas are evident in future planned activities, Andrew said. For example, a popular “Study For Finals” event seeks to provide students with designated study spaces over an extended period of time, Andrew added.
Additionally, volunteer opportunities are available through a Martin Luther King Day of Service, where different community organizations at the library help with hands-on projects. A Teen Service Sunday, next scheduled for Feb. 1, also offers students the chance to volunteer by participating in a service project, Andrew added. Recently, the library hosted Crafts and Cocoa during which kids and teens shared hot cocoa while crafting in the Teen Scene.
“The Crafts and Cocoa event was another way to focus on socializing,” Andrew said. “People make crafts they could use as a holiday gift while sipping some yummy cocoa. Like the Teen Service Sunday, it was a time for teens to come together while performing a service to others.”
Many South students first encountered the library as young children, Sawyer said. She hopes that these new initiatives will allow the library to grow alongside them, Sawyer added.
“We want students to be lifelong library learners and users. These are all steps towards solidifying that and meeting students where they’re at with what their needs are from the library.”