Taking Back Summer with the Broome County Library’s Teen Programs

If the video rental industry was worried about its future when it came to the introduction of Netflix and Movies on Demand, public libraries are next in line to becoming extinct in the face of e-readers and online shopping.

Sure, e-readers are convenient to carry and easy to use and Amazon has an endless selection of books available at the click of a button, but what those things don’t offer that a library does is a sense of community (oh, and that amazing old-book smell).

Teens these days have built communities online and have intimate relationships with their smartphones, and while that might seem perfectly fine to them in the world they’re growing up in, it’s time to teach kids how to learn and socialize the good old fashion way, and thanks to the Broome County Public Library they can do just that this summer.

Beginning July 9th, youth ages 12 and older can participate in fun and educational programs at their local library, including:

-Cartooning with John Bon Fed: Wednesdays, July 9th & 16th, 10:30am
-Book Speed Dating: Thursday, July 10th, 3:00pm
-Teen Book Club: Thursdays, July 17th and August 7th, 3:00pm
-Team Trivia @ Vestal Library: Wednesday, July 23rd, 6:30pm
-Duct Tape Crafts: Tuesday, July 31st, 3:00pm

All events require registration except for the book club meetings, and are an easy and fun way to spend a summer afternoon or morning on hiatus from Facebook.

Additionally, the Library will be holding a Read, Review, Raffle program that enters teens in a prize drawing each time they read and review a book! Read an awesome book, tell people about it using the Quick Review form on paper at the library or online, and repeat these steps as many times as you’d like between June 30th and August 23rd for a chance to win gift certificates to the Oakdale Mall and Barnes & Noble.

So, if you’re with us, let’s help bring libraries back in style and get teens off their couches this summer with the Broome County Library!