According to Feinburg and Keller (2010), “children’s and teen spaces need to reflect the library’s philosophy of service and be designed as an integrated entity with a consideration of and an attraction for young patrons.” The designing and building of such spaces requires an examination of the aims and roles of the library and how the library utilises space to satisfy the needs of the community. In particular, the library should focus on the needs of families and youths, from infancy through to young adulthood.

When visiting the Caboolture Public Library, it is quite obvious that a lot of thought and effort has been put into creating engaging and comforting spaces for both children and young adults. Both children and young adults can visit the library and discover entertaining and educational materials, as well as technology designed especially for their age groups. The way that parents act within these spaces will also determine how children will act and feel within the library setting.

The Caboolture Public Library is situated inside the Caboolture Hub, which is a large building on King Street that encompasses the library and an art gallery on the ground floor, and a number of business and conference rooms on the upper floor. The library itself is large and open, full of natural light and light, bright colours.

The children’s area is separate from the adult and young adult sections of the library and contains all of the related materials, including picture and chapter books, non-fiction books, children’s dvds and cds, toys, puzzles and games, so that children need only visit their area of the library. Everything in this section is awash with bright lime green, as can be seen in the picture above. The space is full of areas for children to sit and play, including soft green couches, tables and chairs, and carpeted areas on the floor. Flat-screened televisions are also mounted to the walls so that children can watch movies or TV programs, or play games through xbox, playstation or other gaming consoles. A number of computers are also provided for children to use for play or for school homework.

The children’s area also provides an area for children to play while they learn. A specially designed ‘tree’ was built in the middle of the carpeted area for children to play in, read, and escape from the noise outside. It has proven to be very popular with its young visitors.

The space designed especially for teenagers is also made enticing. The space is more muted in colour, with oranges, whites, and browns. More computers are provided for youths in this section, as the older children are far more likely to use them, whether or fun or for educational purposes. This space also has more couches for youths to sit and read or just to hang out. Flat-screened televisions are also provided on one wall of the space, with gaming consoles also available for use. All of the young adult materials are also available next to this space, including young adult novels, manga and graphic novels, audio books, magazines and non-fiction and reference books.

All in all, Caboolture Library has provided spaces where children and young adults can be comfortable while they play, read, learn, and engage with their peers. The library has no policy where children and young adults have to be silent, so they are able to socialise and enjoy their time in the library. The spaces are very popular and always seem to be in use. Caboolture Library have definitely adhered to Feinburg and Keller’s ideals of how libraries should approach the design and implementation of children’s and youths spaces.