People often think of the library as a place to sit quietly while reading or studying.
But the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is challenging that stereotype by turning the library into a creative hub for teens.
It was the second week of June, and Pittsburgh Public Schools had been out of session for two days. And yet, half a dozen teenagers and pre-teens were sitting around a table, enthusiastically engaging in a lesson about ancient Egypt.
“What do we know about Egypt and why was it such a big deal?” asked Oliva Hric, museum educator with the Carnegie Library of Natural History. “Can you think of anything in the landscape that maybe would make Egypt a really great place to live?”
“Because they were on the Nile River they could have had a good water supply,” answered 12-year-old Jonathan Freeman, clearly familiar with the concept.
Freeman and the other teens weren’t at summer school; they were at The Labs at the Carnegie library’s East Liberty branch.