Young adults can be valuable contributors to a library planning and design process, but we often struggle to meaningfully involve them. We?re presenting a successful model for incorporating youth into a community engagement process for the whole library, not just teen space: the Youth Opportunity Design Approach (YODA). Our research, evidence-based inclusive design guidelines, and steps for implementation will convince you that, as Yoda might say, “Overlook the wisdom of youth, we should not!”

1: Understand the obstacles libraries face in incorporating young adults into library space planning and design 2: Be familiar with the Youth Opportunity Design Approach (YODA) for meaningfully incorporating young adults into building design and renovation processes 3: Know the key steps they can take to implement the YODA process in order to solicit valuable input from young adults ? not just for the design of teen spaces, but for the library as a whole