Nontraditional Service in Academic Libraries for Student-Parents

Abstract

This paper represents research about student services offered by academic libraries.  The student services are in response to the growing number of nontraditional students identified as student-parents across the United States, England and Wales.  Family-friendly spaces are examined, as there are several academic libraries now offering these spaces for student-parents with small children. A meta-analysis was used combining information found in journals about higher education, sociology, library science and family learning.  This paper will review literature on the topic of student-parents and provide recommended practices on issues of service to young children, family parking, lactating/changing rooms, 24/hour chat and online resources access, after-school programing and funding to make these services happen. Resources also include tips on creating spaces for an age group such as small children that academic libraries are generally not familiar with serving.  Tips on how to find grants, find good partners to collaborate with to apply for grants, how to get more informed and active on campus, and promoting new services in the library are also covered.