SNFL Lower Level: A Dedicated Space for Kids & Teens

Narrator: The lower level of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library holds two uniquely designed spaces—one for children and the other for teens. Each area has a dedicated help desk and staff.

On the children’s side: two life-size lions made of Lego building blocks welcome us to a brightly-lit space with kids’ bookshelves and bins; tables and chairs; computers; comfy round cushions; and cozy reading nooks. Blue area rugs sit on gray carpet with a pattern resembling stones.

A highlight of the Children’s Center is a book drop, where kids can slide their returns into a slot, then watch through a window as the books ride along a conveyor belt then drop into designated bins.

On the teen side: shelves display specially curated books, and a central lounge has couches with cushions in various shades of earth-tones. Around the perimeter, you’ll find several glass-walled rooms: a computer lab with media production software; teen-only study rooms; and a professional-grade recording studio with music equipment and editing rooms.

A mural by artist Melinda Beck decorates the walls with cartoon-like graphics of teens carrying backpacks and reading books in a cityscape. Colorful, meandering lines inspired by subway maps lead to symbols such as a book, a soccer ball, a bird, the earth, a skateboard, a rainbow, pizza, and more.

Interpretive commentary follows.

Alison Stewart: The new Children’s and Teen Center is a place for fun, imagination, exploration, and growth. The whole floor is devoted entirely to teens and kids.

And for good reason. Eric Klinenberg, NYU sociology professor and author of Palaces for the People.

Eric Klinenberg: I love perhaps more than anything the moment where I see a child get their first library card. It’s an incredible moment. And what’s so incredible about a library card is, you know, for many of us it’s the first moment where we get recognition of our status as people in a community, recognized by the state. That card is for us. It teaches us something incredibly important about what it means to be part of a community.

Alison Stewart: Caryl Matute.

Caryl Matute: This library is actually the flagship of all the neighborhood libraries in the New York Public Library system. It represents the best of what we can offer to our communities. So, it was really important for us in designing this space to ensure that we offer the very best to the children and the teens of New York City. We have spaces that teens can come and sit and learn. There are private rooms that they can sit and work in.  There’s also a recording studio that’s free of charge to teens right here in the middle of the city.

Alison Stewart: Beyond the recording studio is a full media lab, and spaces available for classes and activities. Architects designed the space to be playful and offer unexpected interactions. A conveyor sorting belt is one of the special touches. Francine Houben of Mecanoo Architects was lead designer on the SNFL renovation.

Francine Houben: We made a window between where the staff is organizing the books where is also the machine of the book handling. So if the children or teenagers bring back the book, they can look through the window what’s happening to the book and how it’s handled with the machine and the people.  It’s not only nice for the children, but it’s also for the staff working there, that they can see who they’re working for.

Alison Stewart: This is just one of many locations where The New York Public Library is engaged in supporting the next generation of scholars, writers, researchers, creators, and innovators. The mission of the Library has always been to be a place that fosters possibilities and opportunities, and spaces like this will continue that work with the goal of helping every young person realize their potential. Whether it is fulfilling a new passion, discovering a new idea, or even creating the next literary masterpiece or life-changing invention—The New York Public Library will be here to support them every step of the way.