“My Library Zine submission is a picture of the library but with a twist. I chose to make the library on the ocean, making the books as “land.” The shelves and books are a place of safety from when you get tired of swimming or want a break from reality.”
“This poem is based on my love for reading and books.”
“This drawing features a young girl at the library who seems to be ready to start a new book. But it seems something else has caught her attention. I won der what it is?”
“I decided to create a library card design. I included the main library colors, bright lettering, and stars to make a cool night time effect, and to make it visu ally appealing.”
Of another world
You can see things in new ways
It can change your life
Reading every day
It keeps your mind sharp and clear
Everyone should try
All books are unique
Each one tells its own story
Find one that you like
Reading the same book Helps bring people together
Try it with your friends
Nick Anderson
“This art piece shows how a library offers books for children to experience an other world. These books allow children to develop their own imagination and grow up with their favorite characters.”
“This is my Library Zine submission that is themed for 2023. I chose to make my submission a design of a library card. The design is simple, but it has a rabbit on the card to represent the zodiac animal of 2023. This was just my idea as a way to include a different culture.”
“My drawing is Arlo the gecko on a tree branch climbing higher and higher. This drawing is meant to portray the quote by doctor Seuss saying that read ing is much like climbing and can take you places you have never been be fore.”
Its beaten pages
Like its own little black hole.
It carries the scent of a thrill
Of a secret lover
An unruly adventure
A wild chase
But hints of loneliness linger
Overshadowed by joy and warmth
Death of a friend
A sweet miracle Bitter revenge
All within a whiff of a book well loved
Makes me weep after a kill Laugh like a tumble of books Hooks me like prey
A rush of adrenaline to keep with the suspense
A knife to my throat
Poisoned water on my lips
A bomb counting down beneath my feet… 3 2 1
Silence.
Hold your breath till the world spins
We are separate worlds, you and I. One beyond my controlOne above my abilitiesOne to enjoy nonethelessThe place to find missing parts of my life.
“My submission for the CCPL summer reading program; with books in the ocean because books can take us to thousands of possible places.”
“Reading books can open up a whole new universe full of creativity, surprise, knowledge, and/or history. When a book is flipped open, an amazing world can be seen bursting out from the book.”
“I digitally drew and designed the front of a library card. The pictures rep resent characteristics of reading, so the planet shows how reading books can transport you to a new planet/environment, the couch shows the overall comfort of reading in a place that makes you tranquil and comfortable, the lightbulb shows the knowledge and new ideas that can arise from reading, and fi nally the coffee/hot chocolate indicates the warmth that can come from sitting comfortably while reading and drinking coffee/hot chocolate.”
“A photo of the library bookshelves I took this past year. I decided to create a mix of a picture of an ocean, as it fits with this year’s Summer Reading Pro gram theme: Oceans of Possibility.”
“Growing up, the library has always been an integral part of my life. Being able to immerse myself in the stories of others, fictional or nonfictional, has given me a greater insight on the importance of libraries in the sharing of such stories. And, by thinking of life as a book of blank pages, one can realize the true importance of each person’s life story with each chapter bringing a new and maybe unexpected turn.”
I’m six years old, walking into the biggest building I have ever seen. Suddenly the world has transformed into a magical land. I walk through the shelves, through space adventures and middle school pre dicaments.
The world is my oyster. I could do anything, be anything.
I’m eleven years old, giving speeches in the study rooms for nobody but myself. I read poems, and stories, and I write. I learn how to code on the library computers, designing the perfect minecraft world.
I open the library website and see a promotion for something, the Teen Library Council.
I’m fifteen, going to the library weekly, honored to be a part of its future. I explore the vast history of the Roman empire and read about the ins & outs of modern politics.
I’m where I’m meant to be, all this knowledge at my fingertips, ready to change the world.
Thank you, for always being there to share the knowledge.
“I’d like to submit this work for the Library Zine. It’s a love letter to the Carm el Library.”
“I digitally drew a “Little Free Library” in a neighborhood. This drawing is inspired by a similar one that I saw when I had gone to California where any one could take or give a book as they walked by for the purpose of increasing the access of books.”
“I wrote a poem about libraries. It describes the nostalgic feeling of the pro cess of entering the library, choosing books, and leaving the library.”
“Do you know our library offers more than just books? It is also the purrfect place to enjoy other fun options like MP3 music and music CDs. You could be the next meowsical cat. Meow!”Rachel Wu
“This work shows some of the many memories I had from being at the Carmel Clay Public Library. Growing up at the library, my entire childhood and youth is seen through the fun activities and events that are shown in the draw ing.”
Hunched over, looking for a surprise, Names, Frames, complicated numbers
I pick up a book and pick up another
I’m anxious to read Excited to dive deep Into new worlds
Like Alice, I flip and turn Into places of magic
I hope it doesn’t turn tragic Books feel like they belong in my hands
Nestled in my lap
I flip the pages in a trance Words in my brain doing a dance
I picture a movie in my head More interesting than on tv
Under the sheets on my bed
Time seems to stop whenever I read The colors bring joy
There are too many choices
Which story do I pick
Which one will I enjoy
I want to leave my problems
I brush my hand over the columns
I will oversee some new adventure
Maybe something fun, or perhaps something solemn
I tire of my schedule, day in and out Books are an escape, not a doubt!
In Fall 2022, the Carmel Clay Public Library opened its newly renovated Main Library at 425 East Main Street. This was the result of a two-year renovation project that saw the Main Library temporarily operating out of a vacant Marsh grocery store in the Merchant’s Square Shopping Center. A major catalyst of this two-year project included building a new teen space on the first floor of the Main Library.
The Teen Services Department at the Carmel Clay Public Library is a dynamic and active department. It has a 150 member Teen Library Council and nearly 900 registered teen volunteers. Teens use the library to attend and facilitate programs, check out materials from the collection, study, and hang out with friends, among other activities. Located directly across the street from Carmel High School, the Main Library is a desti nation point for teenagers, particularly after school.
Included in this zine are works of written and visual art by local teen agers. The works express how the library has had an impact on their lives. As we begin a new chapter at the library, we are looking forward to working with teens and supporting their different interests and paths. Special thanks to all the teens who submitted works to the Library Zine and past issues of the CCPL Teen Zine.