Making Space After School: How Lansing (IL) Public Library Serves Tweens and Teens

Where do tweens and teens go after school?

For many public libraries, that question arrives with a mix of opportunity and apprehension. Youth bring energy, curiosity, and community. They also bring backpacks, noise, friend groups, and the full intensity of adolescence. For years, some libraries have hesitated to fully embrace tween and teen services out of concern for disruption or limited space.

The Village of Lansing Public Library District in Lansing, Illinois, chose a different path. Instead of asking how to contain teens, the library asked how to serve them intentionally. The result is a structured, welcoming after-school program that reflects thoughtful staffing, regional collaboration, and community partnerships.

A Regional System that Expands Access

Lansing Public Library is part of the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS), which connects libraries across northern and west-central Illinois through shared catalogs, delivery, and resource sharing. Established in 2011, RAILS supports more than 1,200 academic, school, public, and specialized libraries. For Lansing patrons, this means access extends well beyond local shelves. A resident can place a hold on materials from nearby communities such as Calumet City, Dolton, or the Cicero Public Library, and have them delivered to Lansing.

This networked model reinforces an important message for young patrons: the library is not just a building, but part of a larger ecosystem designed to support their learning. Teachers, caregivers, and students benefit from shared materials and collaborative access across communities. That spirit of shared responsibility also shapes Lansing’s youth programming.

Teen Island: A Dedicated After-School Space

Every weekday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., Lansing’s Teen Island becomes a hub of structured activity. The space includes gaming systems, including a retro Atari console, computers for research and homework, and tables for collaborative study.

Snacks are available through a partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). As a food distribution site, the library follows GCFD guidelines, including tracking daily meal distribution statistics. This partnership ensures that youth not only have a safe space after school but also access to nourishment during a critical part of the day.

At the center of Teen Island is Teen Librarian Jesemin Onayo, known to students simply as “Ms. Jes.” She began her role in August 2024, just in time for the start of the school year. Having previously worked in the local school district serving elementary through high school students, she entered the position already familiar with many of Lansing’s youth. That familiarity has mattered. Adolescents are quick to detect inconsistency. They respond differently when the adult in the room understands their community context. Jes combines clear behavioral expectations with relational consistency. Youth know the boundaries, and they know they are welcome.

Programming with Purpose

Teen Island is more than an open room with equipment. Structured programming reinforces engagement and skill-building.

Programs include:

• International Taster Club, which introduces participants to global cultures through food and discussion

• Teen Movie Night, providing supervised social connection

• Final Exam Study Sessions, offering focused academic support

• Teen Volunteer Programs, helping youth develop responsibility and community investment

These offerings reflect a balanced approach. Social time is paired with enrichment. Recreation coexists with academic reinforcement. Volunteerism builds leadership skills. Importantly, behavioral expectations extend beyond Teen Island. Jes works to ensure that students understand expectations in common areas of the library as well. The message is consistent: the library is a shared space, and everyone has a role in maintaining it. This approach addresses one of the most persistent concerns in teen services. Rather than excluding youth to protect other patrons, Lansing integrates them through structure and clarity.

Rethinking Tween and Teen Perceptions

Public libraries often confront stereotypes about youth behavior. Tweens and teens are sometimes described as disruptive, loud, or uninterested in library resources. Those perceptions can shape staffing decisions and space allocation. Lansing’s experience suggests a different framing.

When young people are given dedicated space, predictable supervision, and engaging programming, they rise to meet expectations. The presence of youth does not diminish the library environment; it expands it. Structured after-school programming also supports broader community outcomes. For working families, the 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. window can be a vulnerable period. Providing a safe, staffed environment during those hours offers reassurance to caregivers and stability for students. In this way, teen services become both an educational initiative and a community support strategy.

Literacy Beyond a Single Day

Lansing Public Library also participates in Reading Across America, a year-long literacy initiative widely associated with March 2 and the birthday of Dr. Seuss. While many communities highlight a single celebration day, Lansing approaches Reading Across America as an ongoing literacy commitment. In past celebrations, the library hosted group storytimes, arts and crafts activities, table and yard games, and family-centered events. One year’s theme spotlighted Pete the Cat, drawing participation across age groups.

The key is inclusion. Reading Across America programming at Lansing serves babies, tweens, teens, adults, and families together. This reinforces the idea that literacy is not siloed by age. Young people who spend afternoons in Teen Island also see themselves reflected in larger library-wide celebrations. That continuity matters. It connects after-school programming with the broader literacy mission of the library.

Lessons for Other Libraries

Lansing’s model is not built on extraordinary funding or elaborate renovations. Instead, it reflects several replicable principles:

1. Dedicate space intentionally.
Even a modestly sized area becomes meaningful when it is clearly designated and consistently staffed.

2. Establish clear expectations.
Behavioral standards should be explicit and reinforced calmly and consistently.

3. Build partnerships.
Collaboration with organizations such as the Greater Chicago Food Depository strengthens the library’s capacity to serve youth holistically.

4. Hire relational staff.
A librarian who understands the local school culture and youth community can dramatically influence program success.

5. Integrate youth into the broader mission.
After-school programs should align with literacy initiatives and community events.

When these elements align, the question shifts from “Will teens disrupt the library?” to “How can the library support teens more effectively?”

A Space That Signals Belonging

Perhaps the most significant outcome of Lansing’s Teen Island is cultural rather than logistical. Youth who might once have felt tolerated now feel expected. The library is not merely a quiet building they must tiptoe through. It is a place designed with them in mind, where adults know their names, where expectations are clear, and where opportunities exist to learn, connect, and contribute.

In Lansing, the answer to “Where do the teens go?” is straightforward. They go to the library. And they are meant to be there