Teens and 'Tweens - Teen Zone

In October of 2005 the Bellingham Public Library filed its 2006-2010 Long Range Plan with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. This made the library eligible to receive grants funded by the federal government through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. LSTA (Library Services and Technology ACT) grants are designed to fund library projects that the town, region or state cannot possible afford to do.

In March of 2007, Nina Hunt (Head of Youth Services), Charlotte Rabbitt (Director), Cecily Christense (Reference and Adult Services Librarian, Barbara Selvitella (Volunteer) and Roxanne Starkin (Young Adult Librarian) prepared and filed a complicated grant proposal. In July 2007 we were notified that we were awarded a $20,000 grant for the 2007/2008/2009 years. It was exciting news for the library and we have busy years ahead. The project begins in October 2007 and ends in October 2009. *It must be noted that the grant is provisional; it is dependent upon the yearly LSTA funding to be approved in the federal budget.

What does this mean for Bellingham? It means that the library becomes an afterschool teen center for games, socializing and homework four days per week from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Overseen by our Young Adult Librarian, volunteers and library staff, the Teen Zone will fill a void in Bellingham. This project will also fund many other wonderful teen programs during the next two years.