West Side Rag » University Manga Grants; UWS Public Libraries Offer Programs to Attract Teens

Posted on January 22, 2022 at 10:15 a.m. by West Side Rag

By Charlotte Hampton

The four Upper West Side branches of the New York Public Library (NYPL) are working hard to attract teenagers, a generation with easy access to books and other reading materials online.

The four branches are: St. Agnes Library, 444 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 81st and West 82nd Streets); Riverside Library, 127 Amsterdam Avenue (65th and 66th); The NYPL for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza; and Bloomingdale’s Library, 150 West 100th Street (bet. Amsterdam and Columbus.)

Representatives from some chapters presented their teen programs at a Community Council 7 meeting of the Youth, Education and Library Committee on January 20.

The Bloomingdale’s branch has opened a new space for young adults following a two-year renovation project delayed by Covid. “Almost every afternoon, teens come in to do everything from homework to talk with friends or just chat with us,” said Sam Scala, the Bloomingdale branch’s teen information assistant. “Some come in during the school day if their classrooms have been closed due to Covid exposures.”

The newly remodeled Bloomingdale’s branch. Courtesy of NYPL.

The Bloomingdale’s branch is also a “central branch” for the Intensive College and Career Access Network (ICCAN) operated by the NYPL. Students are incentivized to participate in ICCAN with the opportunity to win a “Magic Grant” of $1,000 or $1,500. Through ICCAN, students can schedule one-on-one counseling sessions with a librarian about college and careers. Bloomingdale’s also attracts young people with community service hours needed to graduate from many New York high schools. If a student completes a book review, they get credit for two hours of community service.

The Riverside Library also offers help for college-seeking teenagers. Tommy Buttaccio, the supervising librarian, announced an upcoming Princeton Review practice SAT exam at the Riverside branch, located near Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. [Check the website above for when.]

Libraries are also trying to stock literature, like “manga,” a hugely popular Japanese graphic novel genre. “The children are devouring it. It’s really cool,” Scala said. The manga genre’s popularity has led Bloomingdale’s to borrow more books from other branch libraries, according to Scala. And it paved the way for a series of “manga” and “anime” Q&A contest events. [all animated] genres. They publish their calendar of events on their website and social media, and distribute flyers to young customers.

Buttaccio said the Riverside Young Adult Librarian is working on a similar “Comic Chat” program for teens.

Sarah West, senior children’s librarian at the St. Agnes branch, said she and her colleagues, working with Trinity Upper School and PS9, have connected 241 children with library cards since September. West added that the library has added video games as a key part of its children’s programming.