Bright decor and a collection of books spanning hundreds of topics in the Blount County Public Library’s Youth Services department are designed to appeal to younger patrons. But parents who accompany their children to the library could also benefit from an upcoming addition to the department.
The library will soon host one of only a few nursing stations in the county. The Blount County Friends of the Library board voted recently to fund a publicly accessible Mamava nursing station.
There are other nursing stations available at DENSO Manufacturing Inc. in Maryville and at the Alcoa Amazon plant, but those are reserved for employee use. McGhee Tyson Airport offers a nursing station to travelers, though it’s located past a security gate.
Library Director Manny Leite said Monday, April 15, that he expects the new nursing station to be in place by the end of the month or in early May.
The station
Leite told The Daily Times in a March interview that he believed the station would be the first in the county to be open to the public at large.
Nursing stations are becoming more common fixtures in public buildings like libraries. The government of Harris County, Texas, in February approved donations of three lactation stations for some of its courthouses. Federal law requires that certain institutions, like airports, maintain nursing stations.
Leite noted in a March library trustees meeting that some libraries have also begun installing nursing stations.
And with young children and their parents filtering through the Youth Services department throughout the day, staff in the department recently added a nursing station to a librarywide wish list.
The model the Friends are funding is Mamava’s XL pod. Information published on the company’s website shows that that model is designed “for public venues or larger workplaces.” It’s also accessible to wheelchair users and would include grab bars.
Other features include a charging port for electronics, a mirror and a shelf. Part of the purchase price will go toward shipping, installation and a five-year service plan, Leite said, and the purchase includes a product warranty.
Library trustee Lauren Emert commented, “I have breastfed in Youth Services before, out in public. It’s kind of what you have to do right now, or you can go sit in the bathroom and occupy the bathroom, and that is unsanitary.”
She explained that the process can be cumbersome: “Every three hours, you have to pump or breastfeed, and so it’s a hassle to try to find somewhere to be.”
“I think (the station) is great for staff — it’s a wonderful asset for your staff, for the community. It’s also hard sometimes to breastfeed when there’s other kids around screaming,” she said.
Rules
The length of time people could spend in the pod would likely range from 30 minutes to an hour. Leite said he was working with Youth Services staff and Mamava on a list of rules for the station’s use.
The station would be locked by default, though Youth Services staff would have either a key or a code to open it. Leite said that patrons could also access the pod via the Mamava app.
“It will be in clear view of the children’s room,” Leite said.
It will also be cleaned frequently, he said.
Shortly before the library board voted to forward the funding request to the Friends, trustee Dawn Reagan echoed Emert’s comments on the station. “I think it’s a great opportunity,” Reagan said. “If you think about all the young mamas that are here with their babies and that kind of thing. I mean, I would have loved to have something like that 26 years ago, when I had my baby.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0