This year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) declared the month of October: TeenTober! It’s a time to celebrate and highlight Teen Services in libraries nationwide. This is great opportunity for us to remind you about all of the amazing things happening at the Parkway Central Library’s new Field Teen Center. Since our grand opening this past April, the Field Teen Center has become the place to be for Free Library patrons between the ages of 12 and 18.

We offer daily programs ranging from Anime Club and Geekscapes to Video Games and Maker Studio. Come battle your friends in Smash Bros, trade Yu-Gi-Oh cards to create the best deck, or see what you can create using our 3D Printer. We also have special series such as the Adulting 101 life skills workshops and the SATurday: SAT and College Prep Workshops. Learn the skills you need to succeed like basic sewing, cooking, resume writing, and healthy relationships! Studying for the big test can be daunting, but our SATurday program will help you learn test-taking strategies so you can improve your score! There are even programs on the weekends. Join us on Saturdays for the nostalgia-inducing Saturday Morning Cartoons program and on Sundays for a Movie Double Feature.

We are also a great resource for educators. Schedule a group visit to the Parkway Central Library by contacting us at 215-686-5395 or emailing TeenCenter@freelibrary.org. Your visit can be research-oriented with an introduction to library resources or a building-wide scavenger hunt. It can also be a more fun visit – hanging out in the Teen Center and browsing our collection is a great way to introduce students to our space! Depending on your location, library staff may also be able to visit your classroom. Please contact us if you are interested in Outreach Services.

Of course, we are also home to a large collection of Young Adult fiction, comics, graphic novels, and popular nonfiction. And while our space and programs are just for teens ages 12 to 18, our collection is open to all! Patrons of any age may actively browse the collection for a period of 15 minutes.

You can find more information about us here on the Free Library's blog and website, and check out our full list of programs on our Events Calendar.

Hope to see you soon and Happy TeenTober!