Stetson Teen Program Makes It Work

Making a sailboat from the squiggly plastic of a 3D gun. Making even more complex objects from 3D printers. Exploring the open worlds of videogames. All of these and more — much more — happen at the Teen Center and Makerspace Drop-In, Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, located in the Q House at 197 Dixwell Ave. The event and the space are intended to help library patrons learn to create, explore the library more deeply, and have fun doing it.

Brooke Jones, teen librarian at Stetson, has been working there full-time since 2021 and part-time for about 10 years before that, when she worked ​“less with teens, more with the little ones” at Stetson’s old location across Dixwell Avenue. When the new Stetson Library officially opened in the newly constructed Q House in June 2022, it included the maker space on the second floor, outfitted with video game consoles, 3D printers, 3D pens, sewing machines, knitting and crochet supplies, programmable robots, tabletop board games, button makers, a Cricut cutter, arts and crafts supplies, and podcasting equipment. The stocked maker space was part of the vision behind the new Stetson to make the library ​“the best and biggest we got,” Jones said. ​“There is so much stuff in here to do.”

Jones started opening the maker space once a week and quickly expanded its hours to run Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to meet demand. ​“We have regulars,” Jones said, and other teens ​“come and go. Some come for an hour and then leave.” Kids from the ​‘r kids Family Center on Dixwell Avenue come by. ​“It starts to feel crowded with 10 in here,” Jones said. She is looking into reaching out to schools to bring classes in to show students around, so they can come in after school.

The videogame consoles are the space’s most popular items, followed by the 3D printer and programmable robots, which are ​“popular with all ages” and ​“repeatedly requested,” Jones said. Some people come in knowing what they want to do. Others are there to explore. ​“I like it when an adventurous kid comes in and says ​‘what can I do?’ ” Jones said. ​“And I can show them.”

The maker space is part of the larger vision for Stetson Library as a center for community. ​“When they built the new library, they wanted to make a space just for teens,” Jones said. As time goes by, the hope is that the teens have a hand in defining their space for themselves. On Wednesday she’s planning an event, including pizza, in which ​“kids can come in and talk about what programming they would want to see, with all the capabilities we have in mind.”

The teen space is also intended as a jumping off point to check out the library generally. ​“Look at what the library has,” Jones said. ​“It’s not just books.” It’s a repository of knowledge and inspiration, of course; part of Stetson’s expansion in the new Q House included the acquisition of thousands of new books. But Jones pointed out that, even before moving to the new building, Diane X Brown, Stetson’s branch manager, ​“always had it represent something more than a traditional library.” That’s reflected now in the design of the new library, and — a little over a year after its official opening — in the way patrons and staff are learning to use the space.

“It’s very flexible. We can set up for a jazz concert, or we can have study tables,” Jones said. It can also be a place to ​“just have fun.” The philosophy behind the maker space applies to the library overall. ​“Tell us what you want to do, and we’ll see if we can accommodate that — if we can help it come to be.”

The Teen Center and Makerspace Drop-In happens Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. Visit the library’s website for details.