HARLINGEN — There are blue and green-toned walls.
One space has an idea lab with a smart board, five desktop computers and a media center.
There’s also a quiet focus pod and a transition area from the adult commons area to the teen area. There are modern sofas in bright hues, blue and orange as well as green for the comfort of teen readers.
It’s all part of Harlingen Public Library’s new Boggus Family Teen Room, which was created with donations by the Junior League and contributors, starting out with the $50,000 savings from past Junior League members.
“The corner that is now our new teen space used to be dark and dingy,” library director Dauna Campbell said.
“There was no teen program before and the vision was to create a space to have teens communicate while also work on homework,” Campbell said. “It took the whole community to come together. I cannot say enough good things about Amy, who helped so much.”
Amy Muniz is the Junior League’s 70th Anniversary Project Chair and an interior designer. She worked alongside and was given special recognition by Junior League President Christina Araguz as well as Treasurer Audrey Hook.
What started as a way to help the community and also commemorate the 70th anniversary became an opportunity to unite Harlingen as a team.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday afternoon and Mayor Chris Boswell gave congratulatory words for both the library staff and the Harlingen Junior League on the three-and-a-half-year project.
The teens of Harlingen will be the beneficiaries of this effort.
The library staff, architects and furniture designers worked with Muniz to design a plan for the room.
“We wanted bold and energizing colors that would inspire the teens using this space,” Muniz said. “We did several surveys and researched on what it is they needed and we tried to fit their needs as well as incorporate our mission into the design of the project.”
Muniz searched for people who could help incorporate art into the room that evoked positivity. Artist Tam Corbette was asked to create a small art piece for the room.
“I added butterflies to represent life and palm trees because of the RGV. They asked and I delivered.”
