Libraries as Social Hubs

Libraries have a special place in the lives of caregivers, especially stay at home parents. As long as I have been one, we have utilized the library. From story times, to movie nights, special presentations and learning about specific topics. Parents need the library for socialization. One thing I didn’t anticipate when we started going regularly was the community I would gain. Parenthood can be an isolating time. Visiting the library and being greeted with a friendly smile or even a nod of recognition at what a handful kids can be can really boost a parent’s morale. Add to that being inclusive of all communities like having a drag queen story time, hours dedicated to teen parents or goat story time and we can all find our community to lean on. By providing a variety of programming, libraries ensure parents come back. This in turn helps to facilitate a lifetime love of libraries and learning in their children. Recurring programs give parents a safe place for a weekly social time with other adults, sometimes the only other adult interaction you will have that day. These integral library programs provide a place to feel connected to other adults, guaranteeing they will come back for the social interaction and all the benefits to their children’s social, emotional and intellectual growth.

Works Cited:

Malloy, Karen, and Marlin Day. “Not Your Typical Library Program: Goat Storytime.” Florida Libraries, vol. 59, no. 1, Spring 2016, pp. 29–31. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=117822497&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Prendergast, Tess, et al. “Reaching Out to Parents.” Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children, vol. 17, no. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 38–39. EBSCOhost, doi:10.5860/cal.17.1.38.

Staino, Rocco. “Storytime Gets Fabulous.” School Library Journal, vol. 63, no. 7, July 2017, p. 14. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=124220840&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Hickey, Grainne, et al. “A Universal Early Parenting Education Intervention in Community-Based Primary Care Settings: Development and Installation Challenges.” Education Sciences, vol. 8, Jan. 2018. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1201078&site=ehost-live&scope=site.