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Nov 4: Meeting with Directors of Youth Centers

11/4/1996

Directors of Cambridge Youth Centers, November 4, 1996


In attendance were: Mo Barbosa, Bob Goodwin, Andrew Spooner, Michael Daniliuk, Diane Scott, Joseph G. Grassi, Stephen Christo and Karen Carmean and ............of Library 21.
To provide access to all the people of Cambridge and to insure that we manage our resources well, Library 21 is gathering information from as many groups as possible about what the people want.

What would you like in the library?

A. Community Activity Center

  • To feel welcome
  • Theater spaces all over the city
  • Speakers all over the city, especially multicultural
  • Activity space for parents and children programs
  • Authors should speak at the youth centers: Constance Currie spoke at the youth center and the book was given to all the kids. They are reading the books!
  • Family programs where there are things for adults, teens, kids and little ones to do all together or to do separately all at the same time
  • Library sponsored reading groups for young adults at the youth centers
  • Arts and crafts programs
  • Chemistry programs for young adults
  • Puppet programs for young adults and preteens
  • Hands on programs
  • Program on Astronomy- when there is an eclipse or something
  • Astrology program

B. Community Information Center

  • All members of youth centers should get a quarterly newsletter from the library of events and new books, new CDs, new videos to market the library to the youth

C. Formal Education Support Center

  • Homework space with different levels of quiet
  • Areas for group study work
  • Some reference space which was not all quiet
  • Schools should bring kids to the local libraries in 6th or 7th grade so the kids could see there are alternative libraries besides the school libraries where they can keep getting their learning materials for free
  • Research and reference materials related to the curriculum which go with the above video programs from PBS, Discovery, A& E
  • authors come in
  • music programs which are multicultural

D. Independent Learning Center

  • Practice rooms for musical instruments
  • Computer center for people in their twenties who missed the computer classes in school because they came later
  • Computers to write resumes on
  • Classes in using the computer for adults
  • Individual library resources
  • SAT prep program
  • SSAT prep program
  • Asvab ( military testing ) program
  • Toefl prep program
  • PSAT prep program
  • Sample tests of above so students can practice and see how much they need to study for self evaluation

E. Popular Materials Lending Library

  • Resources available in lots of languages
  • Borrow musical instruments like trumpets, clarinets, drums
  • Some areas not oppressed with quiet
  • Internet
  • Videos- feature films
  • Nightline programs to use there, take out
  • Access to PBS curriculum which go with videos like Eyes on the Prize, The West, and Inventions
  • A & E ( cable channel) biography series video series for use in school and youth centers
  • Discovery ( cable channel) curriculum and videos- school & youth center
  • Resources available in lots of different languages
  • Newsletters in different languages on resources newly available
  • Access, free access to computers
  • Internet for those who can't afford it
  • Equal access, equal playing field to internet access, etc.
  • Lots of music:
    • albums
    • CDs
    • music curriculum
    • history of music
    • Place to listen to music right there in the library- like at HMV and all the music stores- that is how they market music
    • Internet, video, cable resources should be shared with schools and youth centers
    • Bookmobile- it was my only access to books when I was growing up
    • Bookmobile was the rallying point in the project when it pulled into the projects; it was neat
    • Bookmobile needs to come to the youth centers
    • More copies of Where the Wild Things are- I love that book and it is always out when I want to get it
    • Multiple copies of books so groups can read books together like the Great books group does- what books do they have- how can I get that list so we can read them
    • Copies of videos of Bill Nye, the Science Guy- TV. program on Sat. a.m.
    • Mr. Wizard videos for kids to borrow
    • Faxes at each library

    F. Preschoolers Door to Learning

    G. Reference Library

    • Ability to research questions we have-
    • Univ. of Kansas advertised that they would research answers to questions
    • Boston Public Library answers questions people have
    • Multi-cultural curriculum for youth centers and schools
    • Research materials on Cambridge should be available
    • Cambridge voting system
    • Cambridge demographics
    • Cambridge history
    • Interactive information on Cambridge

    H. Research Center

    I. Other- important functions missing from list

    • Signs in library in different languages
    • Translators available
    • Outreach to the community
    • Where are the libraries? outreach so people know where they are
    • Satellite libraries should definitely NOT loose their services just because the main library is improving
    • Preteens need local libraries because they can't get to a central library
    • Parents with little children need local branch libraries they can walk to easily
    • Library must be interesting enough to make you want to go in

    J. An Important Civic Building

    Who else should we of Library 21 talk to?

    • Churches
    • Haitian Church in North Cambridge
    • Haitian at Fitzgerald school
    • St. John's
    • Chinese After school program
    • Greek center on Magazine St. and club on Green St.
    • St. Anthony's in East: Noel Serpa
    • Fuller House: Gudil Crosswhaite
    • Tenant Council
    • Cambridge Housing Association
    • Council on Aging: Eileen Ginelly
    • DuBois Academy: Jeff Baird 498-1109 meets on Saturday