{"id":10676,"date":"2022-03-02T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/innovationhub\/?p=10676"},"modified":"2025-05-12T10:56:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T14:56:42","slug":"community-repost-supporting-student-caregivers-at-university-of-torontos-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/innovationhub\/community-repost-supporting-student-caregivers-at-university-of-torontos-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Repost: Supporting Student Caregivers at University of Toronto’s Libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Yusur Al-Salman<\/strong>, Redefining Traditional Project Lead<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the rising costs of childcare and the COVID-19 pandemic, entering parenthood as students seems more challenging than ever. And yet, there is growing effort to accommodate the practical needs of student-parents and to address them meaningfully, and one example is in making university libraries family-friendly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recently, the University of Toronto Libraries\u2019 launched a pilot childminding program,  Family Study Space at Robarts Library,<\/a> which was the culmination of the efforts  led by the library and its partners, and two forces behind are User Services Librarians Kyla Everall and Jesse Carliner. In November 2021, they published an article titled \u201cTime of one\u2019s own Piloting free childminding at the University of Toronto libraries\u201d<\/a>, where they detailed Robarts Library\u2019s journey in making the family-friendly space a reality. I interviewed Kyla in December to discuss the article, and below I share some key highlights of our conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sowing the Seed of Family-friendly Space at the Library <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kyla<\/strong>: \u201cThis all came from a comment we received from library user survey. Every three years we do a large-scale survey of users to find out how they like our services, how we are doing. And there\u2019s open comments where people can write anything, and someone had said they did their degree in Europe and that having space where people can bring their children to campus is really common, UofT should do this.\u2019 I read that, and I was curious to know more because this is not something I had heard of in a North American academic library before\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pivotal Collaborations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Kyla<\/strong>: \u201cThinking about their needs as student-parents or student-caregivers was outside of the wheelhouse of what we normally do. As we put a proposal for funding for the space, we knew we were not the experts, so we collaborated with FCO. There are so many people at the University, but people under 18 don\u2019t generally come here, so it\u2019s outside of who we\u2019re used to serving and making spaces for.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Designing an Accessible Family-friendly Space<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Figure 1 (University of Toronto Family Study Space Robarts Library. Francesca Kennedy\/University of Toronto Libraries<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kyla<\/strong>: \u201cOur goal was to build a hybrid space where parents can come and do their schoolwork and bring their kids. There are a lot of areas where people can study but not a lot of places where people would comfortable bring their kids. We thought it would be nice for the space to be in the Stacks (9th<\/sup> floor) where all the books are, in case they needed to use the print materials. That way it would be closer than, for instance, the 1st<\/sup> floor, where you would have to come all the way up to the stacks to access books. There are workstations where parents can work. There is also a collaborative table so if someone has a group project, they can bring their group and their child\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenging and Successful Moments Encountered<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Kyla<\/strong>: \u201cOne of the challenges in that the space is in 9th<\/sup> floor, and that part is only accessible to people who are current students, faculty or staff. One on hand that\u2019s great for security because it means there are fewer people, but on the other hand if you want to bring someone with you to help with childminding, like with your partner (who are not university-affiliated), they would not be able to come. That\u2019s feedback we received, and we really want to work on trying to accommodate that need.\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, to be part of the team meeting an essential need for students is  gratifying. Kyla<\/strong> elaborates: \u201cThe response [to the childminding program] was incredible, which was kind of another challenge because the response far outstripped the availability of spaces. Getting all the emails of parents wanting to participate, and hearing from all parents who wanted to have this every weekend. Once when the space first opened, I was going up to bring some supplies, and I ran into a PhD student who had a three-month-old baby; they said \u2018thank you so much for making a space like this because otherwise I don\u2019t know how I would do my studies and be a parent at the same-time\u2019.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice for Institutions on Creating a Childminding Space <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Figure 2 https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2019\/09\/busy-boxes-for-children-available-at-brock-library\/<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kyla<\/strong>: \u201cWe\u2019ve heard from universities across North American who are thinking of making similar spaces and one of the things I always tell them it looks <\/em>like you need massive budget to make spaces like this. But making spaces family friendly does not have to be expensive. Just take a space you already have, add IKEA kids furniture, some toys and books, and communicate to the community that this space is available is all you need to get started. There are many approaches institutions can take to making family friendly-spaces and they don\u2019t have to be expensive or resource-intensive, it can be adapted so suit local needs\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kyla brings the example of Ryerson Library who have a program called Busy Boxes<\/a>, where they just \u201ckits, of toys activities that a parent can check out from their library if they bring their kids to campus\u201d. Such boxes can be taken so that \u201cyou don\u2019t need a big space, any space can become a family-friendly space\u201d. This initiative has been picked up by other higher education libraries, such as Brock University, as shown below in a picture of two James A. Gibson librarians packing a box together.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Recognizing and Representing Student-Parents <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kyla:<\/strong> \u201cPeople with kids are an invisible population on campus. it\u2019s not a really kid-friendly place, and making spaces where students can bring their whole selves to campus is so important for them to feel supported, and to create community. Since you generally don\u2019t see students bring their kids with them to campus, you wouldn\u2019t know this is part of their identity, and from talking to people, I see it can be very isolating to be a student with caregiving responsibilities. So, creating this space has practical benefits but it also to says [to student parents] \u2018you\u2019re seen, you\u2019re welcome here as you are, and there\u2019s other people just like you who you can meet and connect with\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uplifting Non-traditional Student Experiences<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visibility is the first and most essential step towards supporting the needs of student-parents. Having a space like the Robarts Family Study Space that acknowledges inequitable access to university facilities due to family responsibilities can start the conversation and effort in other institutions, leading towards the creation of low-budget but effective solutions to the various needs of students. Universities are imagined as the birthplace of ideas and consolidated efforts that tackles the needs of marginalized people. That\u2019s why accommodation of the needs of non-traditional students in university libraries affirms universities as the place where we materialize the change we wish to see in the world.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to learn more about the pilot, you can access the articles below: <\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/tspace.library.utoronto.ca\/handle\/1807\/102685<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/crln.acrl.org\/index.php\/crlnews\/article\/view\/17586\/19400<\/a>Skip back to main navigation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n

By Yusur Al-Salman<\/strong>, Redefining Traditional Project Lead<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the rising costs of childcare and the COVID-19 pandemic, entering parenthood as students seems more challenging than ever. And yet, there is growing effort to accommodate the practical needs of student-parents and to address them meaningfully, and one example is in making university libraries family-friendly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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