Youth is served

COEUR d'ALENE - The Board of Trustees for the Coeur d'Alene Public Library meets the fourth Wednesday of each month. Its voting members bring together a wide range of experience: education, the law, community activism and politics.

But the perspective is that of adults.

But two other members - nonvoting though they are - provide a slightly different point of view.

Emily Burnham and Kaye Thornbrugh are the Library Board's youth members. Both began terms on the board in 2009 and both will be seniors at Coeur d'Alene High School this year.

"It is important for youth members to be on the library board because this way the youth members can tell their friends about upcoming events," Emily Burnham said. "Also, it teaches youth members how some decisions are made in board meetings."

"I think it is important for young people to know what is happening in their community, and the library is a vital part of any community,"

Emily, the daughter of Joan Burnham, has been involved in Girl Scouts for 12 years and has been a counselor at Girl Scout Camp. She is an aide for Artshop, a day camp for elementary and middle school participants.

"I think a book club would be an awesome thing for teens at the library," she said.

Kaye Thornbrugh, daughter of Catherine Thornbrugh, was editor-in-chief of the Coeur d'Alene High School newspaper, Viking Voice. She is also on the CHS Scholastics Team and involved with the CHS TeraViks robotics team.

This spring she took first-place honors in the library's Writers Competition in the 15-18-year-old fiction category. She is spending part of her time this summer as a volunteer shelver at the library.

"I love the atmosphere," Thornbrugh said. "The library itself has such a wonderful calm, open feel. The library itself is lovely, of course, and has a great selection of books."

She likes to read urban fantasy, a fantasy subgenre that involves the supernatural in a modern urban setting, and would like to see book club-esque programs.

"This often tricky work to find people with whom to discuss a good book, and such programs are certainly beneficial," she said.

She also said "it is important for young people to offer their points of view, which we sometimes have the opportunity to do during meetings, even if we can't cast an official vote."

Emily and Kaye serve on the board with members Katie Sayler, Ann Smart, Kathy Canfield-Davis, Steve McRea and Faye Sweney. Deanna Goodlander is liaison to the board from the Coeur d'Alene City Council.

Like the council, library board meetings are open to the public. Meetings are normally held in the Jameson Room at the library, 702 E. Front Ave.