In a cozy corner of the city, a library branch introduced Nya to a world of possibility. Every page she turned transformed her future. Now, let's hear her story in her own words. 

Dear Readers, 

I am one of the many people that have grown up calling the library their second home. My name is Nya and I’m in a 6-week placement with OPL through the Youth Futures program. Third spaces are a common topic amongst my generation; interning for OPL has made me realize that although the library is arguably the only free third space available to the public, to me, the library is primarily my second space. 

What drew me to the library was my love for reading. At twelve, I was given a free bus pass I could transport to school. The students at my school would often go to Carlingwood mall after school, and that was how I stumbled across the Carlingwood branch. It was my form of escapism, where I could immerse myself in different worlds. As the eldest daughter in an African household, I could exist without having to worry about my responsibilities at home. 

Over the years, my reasons for going to the library changed. I transitioned to online schooling after not having enough credits to graduate with the rest of my friends in 2022. My main barrier was that I didn’t have a device to do schoolwork on. I couldn’t replace my broken phone, and I didn’t have a laptop or computer at home. Without access to a free Presto pass to get to the building of my online school – which was almost two hours away from me – it was difficult to use the chromebooks they provided students there. But a 30-minute walk away from me was the Carlingwood branch. Every day the branch was open, I would borrow a chromebook for a couple hours and work on my assignments there. Once I could purchase a laptop of my own, I would still do my schoolwork in the library. It wasn’t just out of habit, but out of necessity. Although we had internet in our home, whenever I wanted to work on my assignments, there was nowhere to sit with my laptop aside from the couch. You wouldn’t think a highschooler would need something as simple as a table and chair, but at the time, it was the biggest impact the library had on my day-to-day life.  

There have been many other impacts that the library has made on my life. Printing my first resume has been at the library, going to my first painting class has been at the library, many sweet interactions I’ve had with strangers have been at the library, my first interview has been with the library, and now, my first paid job is with the library. The library has been my form of escapism, my free access to books, my education ground, my space for hobbies, my comfort, and my daily social interactions. At different stages of my teenage years, it has supported the different needs that took turns at the forefront. Although my affinity for reading was what drew me to the library, there are many other aspects I love that made me stay. 

                                                                                                                                                                   Nya