Children & Teens at the Library

In 1873, when the Main Library opened, the rules for usage made no mention of children. Books for children and young adults were integrated into the collection and, along with fiction, made up a sizable majority of the Library’s circulation. Students used the Library regularly, but there was no place children or teens could gather away from adults.

Calls for a dedicated Children’s Room began in 1909 to “relieve the reading room for the adults from the presence of the young people.” When the 1917 addition opened, children’s books were available behind the delivery desk and children could read at the tables in the alcove. By 1924, the Library Report noted that “our buildings are much used by the school children at all hours, even at recess.”

A dedicated Children’s Room finally opened following the 1933 renovation, in what is now the Thoreau Room. Following the 1968 renovation, the Children’s Room moved into a larger space where the old stacks used to be. At that time, 60% of all Library circulation came from the Children’s Department. Children’s programming expanded with story times for preschoolers and activities for elementary schoolers. In 1988-1989, additional space was provided for books and activities.

As part of the $10.7M renovation and expansion project from 2020-2022, a brand new “Children’s Library” was created in the space connecting the Main Library with the Heywood-Benjamin house. The space includes a service desk, the children’s book collection, an activity room, office space, and family restrooms. 

The new Children’s Garden is a fenced outdoor space that is connected to the Children’s Library and is visible through floor-to-ceiling windows. A bronze rubber ducky sculpture by renowned sculptor Nancy Schön, creator of Make Way for Ducklings in the Boston Public Garden, was donated by Milldam Nursery School. A Hobbit House and other garden features were made possible by a generous gift made in loving memory of Peter T. Jacobsen by his family. 

Teen Spaces

Young adults have always utilized the Library extensively. When Concord High School was located in what is now The Umbrella Arts Center, the students would come over after school ended for the day. In 1955, Library Director Fred Bloomhardt wrote in the annual report that “there needs to be a separate room…for the high school students…with its own collections…and its own Young People’s Librarian who can talk their own language and yell just as loud.”

For the 1968 expansion, the original plan was that the previous Children’s Room would serve as a haven for young adults. Instead, the room, renamed the Thoreau Room, became a place for books on the fine, performing, and applied arts as well as the record collection. A book collection for young adults was begun in 1968, as well as purchasing more rock and popular music records, and a teen volunteer program was thriving in the early 1970s. However, teen library patrons still had no space to call their own.

Finally, in the 2003-2005 renovation, a Teen Lounge was established in what is now the large print area across from the circulation desk. Specific programming was created for teens and tweens, and a Teen Advisory Board was formed in 2013 to recommend programs and materials to the Library. In 2018, the first librarian with duties specific to young adults was hired, bringing new programs, a newsletter, and updated collections. However, the teens had quickly outgrown their space, and the noise level was a concern for the circulation desk and library patrons. 

The most recent renovation from 2020-2022, created an expanded, glass-walled Teen Lounge. The space includes relaxation space, study space, gaming consoles, books and other activities. In April of 2022, the Teen Lounge opened, and it quickly became one of the busiest places in the Library!