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Teenagers take over Knowsley

Handing over part of a library to a group of young teenagers could be viewed as an accident waiting to happen. But Knowsley Library Service’s decision to hand over a separate space within Halewood Library to its young people has greatly improved relationships between staff and teenagers. The “Headspace” project - part of a national programme initiated by The Reading Agency - has boosted library use among young people and encouraged them to participate in planning and development.

Knowsley’s decision to consult its teenage customers was certainly beneficial when it came to building a new library in Halewood.  By launching Headspace in the existing library, not only did the project incorporate “Fulfilling Their Potential’, a national strategy adopted by Knowsley, but it also met the local authority’s agenda on ‘Positive Activities for Young People’.

Pam Jones, Knowsley’s Reading and Learning Services Manager, explained:  “By working with young people we are managing to reach our goal in attracting new users and we have high hopes for Headspace when it moves to the new library later this year.”

The library worked with local Halewood college students to review current stock and not only did they discover they didn’t stock material they would read, the teenagers also viewed their libraries as “uncool” and felt there was nowhere for them to relax. They didn’t feel they belonged in the adult area and the children’s section was just that – for children.

“It was a real eye-opener,” admitted Kate Deegan-Spragg, Children’s Coordinator for Knowsley Library Service. “They wanted more non-fiction and less fiction, glossy magazines, books on the paranormal and study guides. It was a very broad selection. In the end they took about 80 percent of the stock off the shelves!”

The students also asked for a separate space, away from the front desk, housing a study and chill-out area. But rather than make the changes themselves, library staff decided to handover the design and stock control to the group.

Pam added: “This was quite a brave thing to do, but it was done with our staff providing guidance. It gave the students a rounder picture of how the library service works and, while they got to have a say on what they wanted, they also had to compromise to stay within budget, so it’s given them a taste of the world of business.

The design of the teenage section, along with the stock and furnishings, will be incorporated into the new Halewood Library when it opens in December.

David, a Year 12 student at Halewood College said: “The year we visited the library we took part in a fair few activities and also engaged with workers from various sectors in Knowsley Council. We were able to get our views across about what we felt could and should be done in the libraries so they are more appealing to young people in our area.”

Since adopting the new changes, Halewood Library has attracted 140 new teenage members and signed up 40 young people as potential volunteers. Two additional libraries are now repeating the success, working with young people in redesigning, furnishing and stocking Headspace areas in their libraries.

According to Kate the section is now in constant use: “We’ve even had a grandmother come in and use the section to check out the latest fashions so she knows what to buy her grandchildren.”

For more detailed information on Knowsley libraries please visit the case study section on the MLA research website.