Phoenix Library’s College Depot expansion nearly complete
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
GRIT students post sticky notes on a wall.
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
Meghan Meyerson, right, an advisor for Phoenix Public Library’s College Depot Program, assists a student as part of the GRIT program, which helps high school seniors apply to and prepare for college.
The Phoenix Public Library’s program to prepare high schoolers for college is expanding.
Along with an expansion of facilities, one College Depot program is expanding to be offered to high school juniors as well as seniors.
The College Depot program started in 2009 and operates out of the second floor of Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave. An expansion of the College Depot area is planned to complete construction this month with a grand opening in September.
The renovations will add a new lobby with an easy-to-find entrance, many small enclaves and meeting rooms, some conference rooms and a board room.
College Depot Program Manager Judy Reno told the Library Advisory Board during its June meeting that the small enclaves and meeting rooms will offer privacy during one-on-one meetings with students and their parents.
“Especially because one of the topics we talk about most often is financial aid, and we want to be able to offer more privacy for some of those conversations when we’re talking about family dynamics and financial situations,” Reno said.
Meghan Meyerson, right, an advisor for Phoenix Public Library’s College Depot Program, assists a student as part of the GRIT program, which helps high school seniors apply to and prepare for college.
(Courtesy Phoenix Public Library)
College Depot’s GRIT program, which stands for Graduating Ready, Independent and Tenacious, aims to help high school seniors through the process of applying and getting ready for college, including gaining access to as much financial aid as possible.
“[We] kind of mother hen them through every important milestone along the way,” Reno said.
This fall, College Depot is launching a Gateway to GRIT program for high school juniors.
“We’ve heard from a lot of students that they want to get started early, and the earlier the better, right?” Reno said.
College Depot has had 272,871 visits in its 17-year history, 33,220 one-on-one appointments and 10,047 students attend programs, either in person or virtual.
There has been “insatiable demand from the community,” Reno said, with attendance growing each year.
College Depot will be on full display for the grand opening of the new space at 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. The event will also be an educational resources expo. The library has already invited more than 65 partners, including programs to earn a GED or high school diploma, apprenticeships, community colleges, universities, scholarships and wraparound services.
The event will be a “one-stop shop” to view the new space and interact with the various partners College Depot works with, Reno said.
During the construction of the expanded space, College Depot has bounced around temporary homes, particularly for larger meetings. One key partner was the A.E. England Building, 424 N. Central Ave., which is part of Arizona State University’s downtown campus. It is a joint-use building between Phoenix Parks and Recreation and ASU Downtown that College Depot was able to use for several weeks for free. The Phoenix Public Library Foundation worked with the adjacent YMCA to let College Depot use the YMCA parking lot for free.
Library Services Director Erin MacFarlane noted that while Reno has been the director of College Depot since its inception in 2009, she is being promoted to a new role, director of strategic programs for the library. She will still oversee College Depot but from a more removed role and will also oversee programs like StartUpPHX and PHXWorks.
All of those programs will be on the second floor of Burton Barr Central Library, an area that the library is now calling “Launch Pad.”
“You want to launch into your next phase of life: either a new job or a new entrepreneurial adventure or higher education. Judy’s team will be able to help with that,” MacFarlane said.
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Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his two young sons to parks, the Phoenix Zoo, the Phoenix Public Library and other fun events around the Valley. He also participates in a local book club.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, sons and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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