DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne Public Library and its Teen Advisory Board raised around $500 at the Fourth Annual “Fall into Reading Celebration” Sept. 18 at the Daphne Recreation Center.

The library hopes to use the funds for a teen social area. Young-adult librarian Louise Youngblood plans to meet with the Teen Board in October to discuss the idea.

“We’re trying to build a space for our teens,” she said. “We have an area right now, but it’s under the rules and regulations of the library. We have this outside patio that is partially covered, and I am going to try and find some outside furniture for some space out there where they can socialize, have a soft drink or a snack and maybe some music. It would be considered ‘their spot.’ So, that’s where we are going to try and focus our attention. They can talk out there; they can socialize.”

Youngblood plans for teens to monitor the area; this would allow them to take on a leadership role. She hopes to have the area in use by November.

“I am really excited about it,” Youngblood said. “It’s something I have wanted to do for a while, and hopefully these funds allow us to go forward with it.”

The patio would offer more freedom for teens who don’t want to just sit quietly in the library.

“We found out that teens like coming to the library, but they don’t like the strict library rules,” Library Director Tonja Young said. “They could come out to their area and have a drink or a snack. Adults would enjoy it, too.”

According Youngblood, the teens used the money raised from last year’s “Fall into Reading” event to purchase tables in the library for personal laptop use.

Crunching the

numbers

The $500 total from this year’s “Fall into Reading” is down from last year’s event, which raised around $1,200.

“We just didn’t do as well as I thought with the silent auction items or the raffle,” Youngblood said. “But I got some good vibes from the families that attended.”

Youngblood said 120 people attended the event, which she thinks still made an impact.

“The numbers were the same. We had around the same number of people attend this year as last year,” she said. “Overall, I think it was well received, and I am pleased with it.

“Everyone I saw walking out the door had a book in their hand, which is a good thing.”