Teen Interns: Compassion-Centered Library Design
Howard County Library System
Innovation Synopsis
In July 2025, Howard County Library System (HCLS) initiated the Teen Internship for young people to co-design a compassion-centered and co-governed 9000 sq. ft. library expansion as a teen library space. 193 middle and high school students met monthly for over a year to learn about leadership, librarianship, and human-centered design. The teens created committees to envision their primary priorities, including teen collections, interior design, classes and events, finance, and technology.
The Teen Internship prioritized meaningful youth engagement, inviting teens to shape the library expansion into one in which they feel comfortable learning and socializing. The library spaces and programming are designed by teens, moving beyond traditional library models to reflect the aspirations and needs of young people.
In September 2026, the Teen Interns presented their recommendations to state, county, and library leaders, driving the design of the library expansion scheduled to open in 2028.
Challenge/Opportunity
Teens are increasingly excluded from public spaces due to negative community perception, reporting increasing social isolation and mental health concerns, and in need of safe third spaces to access cost-free resources for social connection and intellectual growth.
2023 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey results indicated that 40% of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, 20% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9% made a suicide attempt.
HCLS’ Strategic Plan focuses on three priorities, including “teens and young adults feel a sense of agency and belonging." However, the present rates of library use by teens illustrate that the library system could significantly expand teen engagement.
As a result of the challenges articulated above, our community is highly likely to benefit from compassion-centered public library spaces, co-designed and co-governed with young people.
Key Elements of Innovation
The HCLS Teen Internship represents a transformative step for library co-creation, demonstrating our commitment to co-governance, equity, and the well-being of young people. Student voice should not just be tolerated; it must be centered and celebrated. The youth who participated in this program discovered the efficacy and agency that already lies within, with the goal of initiating a lifelong commitment to co-creating compassionate co-governance in all their community spaces.
Through the monthly meetings (with resources funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), the youth participants were empowered with the skills and knowledge to design the library expansion as a teen-centered and co-governed space.
The role of HCLS staff in the internship was not to direct the teens’ process but to listen to, learn from, and lead with the young people to design the space that reflects what the youth identified as their priorities for learning, growth, well-being, and connection.
Achieved Outcomes
HCLS created a robust evaluation process for the Teen Internship, including a needs assessment, documenting teens' initial self-identified levels of well-being, sense of agency in community spaces, and interest in having their voices reflected in community decision-making. Milestone assessments at each monthly meeting gauged progress on improving well-being and agency outcomes for teens. HCLS then employed mid-point and post-internship assessments to identify the impact and efficacy of the program on the interns.
Among the results:
• 89.7% of teen interns agreed “At this library, I feel able to be myself.”
• 86.6% of teen interns shared “There is a place for teens like me at this library.”
• 83.5% of teen interns affirmed “Participating in this internship has helped me connect to other teens.”
• 80.6% of teen interns believed “My ideas and suggestions in this internship are taken seriously.”
• Monthly meeting attendance averaged 113 young people over the 15 months of the internship.
