NC LIVE 2024 Annual Conference

Student parents and caregivers benefit from college and library support that recognizes their need to balance their competing obligations as both students and parents. Creating lactation, mothering, and caregiving/parenting support spaces and services (kits, policies, programs) in academic libraries removes barriers to library usage and supports the academic success of parents and other caregivers. This presentation will provide an overview of the research and best practices for supporting caregivers and offer examples of lactation spaces, parental support spaces/kits and family-friendly study rooms, including design, policies/procedures, communication, and collaboration with campus partners, as well as examine the broader issues student parents/caregivers face on campus and how services can be designed to be more inclusive of caregivers.