When Isabella Emerald was in her early teens, she felt a bit isolated. Coming out of COVID shutdowns, she had drifted apart from her friends and wasn’t sure how to rebuild her peer community.
That’s when Isabella’s mom found out about the Fairhope Public Library’s teen program. She saw that the library had regular events for teenagers, and Isabella started attending them.
“I met a lot of my now closest friends via the teen programs and just going to the library,” said Isabella. “We all hang out consistently, even when we’re busy. And the library specifically is a spot we hang out the most.”
In a short amount of time, Isabella went from a shy, isolated kid to a confident young adult with an active group of friends. And it’s largely thanks to the Fairhope Public Library, its teen program, and Allyson Russell, the library’s Teen Services Librarian.
Isabella’s Journey from Quiet Teen to Confident Creator
Many public libraries have dedicated teen programs that offer fun events specifically targeted to local teenagers. As I talked to patrons of the Fairhope Public Library, it was obvious that their teen program is hugely important to the young people of Fairhope. It provides a safe and encouraging environment for students to explore interests and figure out who they are during those uncertain and unsteady years of young adulthood.
Teens often get involved at the library through a specific event they enjoy. For Isabella, it was Maker Mondays, which featured a different craft activity each week, such as creating homemade stamps out of rubber erasers.
Isabella has always loved art, so these programs hooked her on the library. Now 19, Isabella is a full-time professional artist, illustrating children’s books for her family’s publishing company, Coosa Books, and taking commissions. (See her portfolio here).
The library was pivotal in more than just her art career. Isabella says it was Ms. Allyson, the teen librarian, who saw her leadership potential and helped her develop it.
“Ms. Allyson is a huge supporter in my life,” Isabella said. “(She) has really encouraged me into a leadership role, especially with younger volunteers here, by giving me more opportunities and responsibility.”
She said that while she’s always been fairly confident, she tended to be shy and anxious about fitting in. The teen program and Ms. Allyson changed that.
“I definitely grew more confident just with talking to people,” Isabella said. “Being here really helped because I realized I could just be myself, and people would enjoy me.”
Jubilee Finds Her Creative Home
Another local teen who loves the Fairhope Library is 16-year-old Jubilee Pryor. Jubilee’s family were library devotees long before she reached her teen years. As a kid attending children’s storytimes, Jubilee couldn’t wait to start going to teen events.
“When I was little and first coming here, I always saw the teen volunteers, and I was like ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so cool! They work at the library. I want to do that.’ Because I have loved books even since then.”
She said she begged Ms. Allyson to let her join the teen program one year early. Her first teen event was a 3D printing class, but her real passions are literature and writing.
Jubilee likes to have a writing project to focus on during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. Ms. Allyson arranged writing sessions for teens to work on their projects together.
“It was so exciting, because November felt like—it was fall, it was cozy, and it was the month for writers. So we’d go in the place where they do story hour, and we’d get in a circle and we’d get writing prompts. And it was so fun to be around other creatives.”
Ms. Allyson’s Magic: “I Don’t Know How She Does It”
Arranging these writing sessions was just one of the ways that Ms. Allyson caters to teens’ individual interests.
Jubilee’s mom, Jada, says that Ms. Allyson is like a family member to them—practically an aunt for the three Pryor kids.
“She remembers the kids’ interests and what they’re excited about. She starts clubs for them,” Jada said. “So much of the magic of the library is Allyson’s magic.”
Jubilee agrees, saying, “She’s always been super hands-on with the teens. I don’t know how she does it because there are so many people who go to her for these ideas and projects. But she still always makes time to specifically help each teenager with what they’re passionate about.”
As an example, Jubilee was once working on a writing project about the Brontë sisters. When she told Ms. Allyson about it, the librarian gushed about how much she loved them. She picked out multiple books about the Brontës that she knew Jubilee would love.
“I thought that was so cool and was really special,“ remembered Jubilee.
It’s not just 19th-century authors that Allyson helps teens with. The Pryors have seen her approach conversations about Pokémon with the same enthusiasm. If a teen is excited about a subject, Ms. Allyson probably already knows all about it. And if she doesn’t, she takes the time to learn.
Jubilee and her family are constantly blown away by Ms. Allyson’s capacity for empathy and knowledge. She goes above and beyond to encourage kids’ individual interests, making sure that the library offers programs for everyone.
“While I like to create and write and stuff like that, there are things for kids who like to do 3D printing or gaming or coding,” Jubilee said. ”And I always thought that was cool because, even if you’re not specifically interested in literature or writing, they know how to make that involved in what you’re interested in.”
“We Did a Whole Thing!”: Theatre at the Library
One of the biggest ways that Ms. Allyson has catered to the teens’ interests is by creating a theatre program. It started with Jubilee writing a stage play and has grown into a program where students from multiple local schools work together to put on plays at the library.
“I started writing my play adaptation of Little Women almost three years ago, and I immediately went to the library with the idea,” said Jubilee. “That summer, the library helped me in producing and casting the thirty-minute show. The next summer we expanded the idea by doing another play inspired by classic literature, that time Alice in Wonderland.”
Since then, Allyson has brought together kids from Fairhope High School (which doesn’t currently have a theatre program), Daphne High School, and the local virtual school. They worked together to write a script, and Allyson brought in a friend to direct.
“We had a production, we did a play,” Allyson said. “We did a whole thing. And it was fun!”
The play was an example of Allyson’s favorite thing about the teen program: watching kids from different schools meet, become friends, and form a community.
The Ripple Effect of One Great Librarian
Ms. Allyson and her staff invest their time and energy into the lives of these local teens, and in doing so, they’re teaching a generation of young people to lift up those coming up behind them.
Isabella now follows in Allyson’s footsteps by making sure younger teens and kids at the library feel just as accepted as she did.
Isabella says that the library “has a lot of younger kids trying to do what I was trying to do,” just wanting to meet friends and find a place to belong.
Sometimes she’ll see herself in a younger teen and think, “I know, I get it, trust me.” She makes a point to specifically encourage those kids.
“Those kids are always the sweetest, most creative kids you’ll meet. They’re just a little quiet. And then you start talking about something they like, and they really get into it. They open up. It’s great.”