Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta-O’Donoghue represented the Garden City Public Library at the American Library Association Annual Conference on Sunday, June 29, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA. Mrs. Giunta-O’Donoghue was chosen to present on the topic of “Creating Third Places for Teens: Utilizing a Multifaceted Approach to Develop Teen-Friendly, Inclusive, Social Environments,” in which she presented both a poster and held a PowerPoint presentation for librarians across the country. She also was awarded an education grant from Nassau Library System to attend the conference.
In both her presentations, she discussed the developments and progress made in teen services at the Garden City Public Library post-Covid, including the creation of a welcoming space for teens to socialize with their peers through programming, and additions to the Library’s teen collection, including craft supplies for last year’s new Teen Makerspace and additions to the teen board-game collection. The Library’s Tweens and Teens Room saw improvements too, including more seating to provide more creative outlets for teens to create art and display it in the room. Further, in 2024, the Garden City Public Library Tweens and Teens Department was awarded a $1,100 grant by Nassau Library System from the NYS “Love Your Library” fund in order to establish a Teen Calming Corner.
Mrs. Giunta-O’Donoghue was glad to positively represent the Garden City Public Library on a national level and to have the Garden City Public Library’s Tweens and Teens Department be a model that other public librarians across the country hope to replicate in their own public libraries.