Teen Services

Teen Services provides incredible programs, resources, and services to youth ages 12 to 18. We are dedicated to helping teens become their best selves, while also supporting them along the way. This includes helping to get teens started on their college and career journeys. In addition to friendly staff, we also have spaces in every branch where teens can read, do schoolwork, and hang out.
 

Do you want to know about all of our AMAZING teen programs? Subscribe to our newsletter here.

 

Are you interested in presenting a program for teens? Submit your application here.

 

Teen Volunteer Opportunities 

Our VolunTeen initiative is year-round, which means that teens ages 13 to 17* have the opportunity to earn community service hours by becoming a VolunTeen up to twice a year! Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is looking for responsible teens who enjoy working with the public, helping others, and giving back to their community. *If you are 18, you must be enrolled as a high school student. Otherwise, please apply to the adult volunteer program.
 

Applications are only accepted twice a year. On April 15th for the Summer semester, and August 15th for the School Year. Select branches may be recruiting in the Spring, so you can always check our volunteer page on January 1st. During application windows, please apply on the Volunteer page. Click on Become a Volunteer and search for “VolunTeen” opportunities. Applications will be accepted throughout the month as designated or until a branch has reached capacity. While there are a limited number of opportunities, almost all locations are participating in this program.  

If you do not see a position posted for your preferred location, then a position is no longer available and you will need to apply to another location. You may only apply to one location per semester. Please note that applying does not guarantee a position. After you apply, someone from the library will contact you to set up an interview if you meet qualifications. If you wish to inquire about your application, please reach out to the branch where you applied to follow up. Check our VolunTeen FAQs below for more details.
 

In addition, opportunities to earn community service hours are available throughout the year at several locations. These programs are listed on our calendar and can be found by searching for "community service." Projects typically last an hour or two and require registration, so please check the calendar for more details. Lastly, we invite you to explore our Virtual Volunteering opportunity available anytime for teens here.
     

More About Teen Services

Have you visited your local library? Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has many services just for teens. We offer:

  • Access to books, movies, music, magazines, and more 
  • Free computer use and Wi-Fi access at every branch
  • Study spaces in our branches including access to online resources 
  • Friendly and knowledgeable library staff to help guide you to the books and resources you need to succeed
  • Programs and activities that focus on the following priority areas: Learning, Literacies, Creativity, Community, and Leadership & Life Skills
  • All of our branches are designated National Safe Place sites


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    Tutor.com Live Homework Help

    NEW HOURS: 3pm-11pm - Get free homework help from a live, online, qualified tutor—up to 15 free tutoring sessions each week! All you need is a library card and an Internet connection. You can use tutor.com from home, school and even the Library. tutor.com is available for three different age groups:

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    Libby by OverDrive: Teen Collection

    The Libby by OverDrive: Teen Collection site filters the Library's Libby by OverDrive collection to show only Teen content, which gets teens to the titles they want faster!

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    Teen Health and Wellness

    Provides middle school and high school students with nonjudgmental, straightforward advice and self-help support. Topics include diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition, mental health, suicide, bullying, green living, financial literacy, and more.

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    freegal music+

    freegal music+ is a free downloadable music service from your Library. freegal offers download or streaming access to more than 10 million songs, including Sony Music's catalog of legendary artists. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library customers get 5 free downloads and 5 hours of streaming each day. Once downloaded, the songs are yours to keep! Mobile and tablet customers, download the freegal app for iOS and Android.

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    LinkedIn Learning

    LinkedIn Learning is an online educational site that includes over 3,000 courses (and over 130,000 videos) in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production, and business.

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    Learning Express/PrepStep

    Suite of highly-acclaimed eLearning solutions which provide interactive tutorials, practice tests, e-books, flashcards and articles for academic skill-building, standardized test preparation, career development and more.

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    Teen Book Finder by YALSA

    Find great recommended books from YALSA's (Young Adult Library Services Association) award, book, and media lists! Search 4,000+ books, audiobooks, and films from YALSA's book awards and book lists.

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    hoopla

    hoopla allows customers to instantly borrow e-books, comics, audiobooks, music, movies and television — with no holds, and no waiting! And there is no need to worry about late fees; hoopla features an automated service that returns your item once your time is up. Content can be streamed to computers, tablets or smartphones, and can be downloaded to mobile devices to allow for offline viewing any time.

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Questions?

Phone: 704-416-4661

Holly Summers-Gil, Senior Program Manager - Teen Services