CamCo Library System Announces Grand Opening of The Corner

New 1,245 square foot teen space with special features opens in early December

Camden County Library System Director Linda Devlin welcomes teen customers, local and state officials and other librarians to the grand opening of a new teen space -  The Corner - at M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library in Voorhees on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, 3 – 4 p.m.

VOORHEES, NJ – Nov. 11, 2009 -- On Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009 Camden County Library System will celebrate the grand opening of The Corner – a 1,245 square foot space dedicated to the interests and activities of its teen customers at the M. Allan Vogelson Regional Branch Library in Voorhees.

"The grand opening in early December will mark the realization of a project that started with a successful grant proposal last year to create a space for teens to call their own," explained CCLS Director Linda Devlin.

Among the features designed to attract young people to the new space is a 15 foot graffiti art wall and stage area where poetry slams, musical performances and displays of student artwork can take place. It also offers a multimedia center with 52 inch flat panel screen to accommodate gaming equipment and other event activities.

The graffiti wall built into the design fits the "urban" feel and name of the new space - The Corner. Guests to the grand opening will be invited to write their good wishes with chalk on the specially designed graffiti board.

"We look forward to welcoming a host of local and state officials as well as library professionals from Camden County and from around the state when we open The Corner to the public. Teens active on our Teen Advisory Board will be on hand to demonstrate many of the unique features of the space for our invited guests," noted Devlin.

Maybe one of the most appealing features to teens visiting The Corner will be access to Ready Animator – a software product used for the creation of short movies and cartoons. Six computers with high speed Internet access are also available.

The Corner includes some diner-style booths and even more casual seating such as beanbags, floor rockers and wedges that many teens prefer along with display racks and shelving for teen oriented books, graphic novels and magazines. All of these special features are housed in an area clearly defined and reserved for teens and teen activities.

"We’re proud to be one of only two libraries in South Jersey to have received grant funds from the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library to participate in this demonstration project," Devlin commented.

As the County Freeholder’s liaison to the County Library System, Freeholder Riletta Cream will be on hand to help celebrate the grand opening.

A life-long educator herself, Cream stressed, "The opening of this new teen space shows a real commitment on the part of the Camden County Library System toward young people. The project can serve as a model for what other libraries in the county can do to attract teens in their communities,"

Devlin pointed out, "A lot of hard work and talent on the part of our dedicated staff have gone into writing the proposal, managing the project and really nurturing this dream to have special place to support all the programming we offer teens throughout the year."

The M. Allan Vogelson Branch has a very active youth services department that provided over 90 teen programs in 2008, ranging from a Project Runway-like fashion show, a hip-hop dance presentation, special book clubs, anime clubs and gaming clubs all geared toward teens.

Located on the first floor of the Voorhees branch library, the grand opening event is scheduled to run from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

The Teen Space Project is made possible with funding from the Camden County Library System, the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library, which is responsible for the coordination, promotion and funding of the New Jersey Library Network.

###

Established in 1921, Camden County Library System seeks to meet the recreational, informational and educational needs of its customers with locations in Bellmawr, Gloucester Township, Haddon Township, Merchantville, Winslow Township and Voorhees. The Library is governed and supported by the Camden County Board of Freeholders and the Camden County Library Commission.