New teen space opens to remember past patron

There’s something new at the Norfolk Public Library in honor of a very special past patron.

Steve Uzzell would come in to the library every day after the kids got out of school.

“He would talk to everybody, because he connected with people and wanted to ‘how’d your day go’ and “what can we do’ and ‘how are we doing’ then he would settle down and work,” one of the projects funders Jane Uzzell said.

Steve had delexia, but still lived to read, so his wife, Jane, wanted to encourage that in teens. Which is why she donated the funds for this space.

“I wanted to encourage young people to know that, even if they have trouble reading, that you don’t have to be a super reader to come to the library,” Uzzell said. “Ask a librarian for help if you need it, they’re more than happy to come and help you.”

At the ribbon cutting on Wednesday, the Uzzell family was able to officially open the new area in honor of their husband, dad, and grandpa.

The library staff knew they needed something different after seeing how the teens really used the other space in the building.

“So we knew some kids were looking for collaborative spaces to hang out and talk with friends and work together on projects,” Norfolk Public Library Director Jessica Chamberlain said. “And some were looking for that quiet little corner to tuck away and decompress after a long day of school.”

The reactions to speak for themselves.

“And one of the librarians made a point of telling me the first teen that walked ack in this area went WHOA!” Uzzell said. “So they know it, they recognize it. And I had a meeting last night here at 6:30, and when I came in, there were already young people sitting in the cubbies over here.”

And now Steve will be impacting the lives of every teen that comes in just like he used to.