Since the winter semester, a parent-child room in the library has been providing a space for learning, working and playing. It is designed to help students and researchers balance their daily university life with childcare.
Has the nursery closed unexpectedly, but your seminar paper still needs the finishing touches? Juggling children and university can sometimes be quite a challenge. To make things easier, a dedicated parent-and-child room has been available in the library since last winter semester. Generously equipped with a work table, a box of books, a games computer and a wooden boat, student parents or university research assistants, for example, can work on academic reading material here or meet for group work whilst their children play, draw or read.
“Our library aims to support the entire work and learning process,” explains library staff member Dr Oliver Schoenbeck. This includes not only literature research but also the opportunity to work on site at individual workstations or in group rooms, or to take a break on the café level. “And it is just as important today that parents can bring their children with them,” he emphasises. This has, in fact, always been possible. For example, there are boxes of children’s books on every floor of the library. The former group room was also available for parents with children – though it was not specifically furnished or reserved for this purpose. Neele Henkenberens from the Family Service ultimately provided the impetus to have the room on Level 3, behind the philosophy and religious studies collections, redesigned to be family-friendly: “We believe it is important for families to be visible in the library, and for them to have a space of their own where they can study, conduct research and learn,” she says, highlighting the initiative.
Funding for the refurbishment comes from the federal and state governments’ programme for female professors: the programme covers the costs of the professorships for three newly appointed female academics for a period of five years; universities can either appoint them earlier than planned or, in the case of appointments made according to schedule, invest the budgeted funds in measures that promote Gender equality across the university.
The result is a cosy room in a maritime style: one wall is entirely painted with an island-and-sea scene, whilst a wooden boat and a large blue whale soft toy complement the atmosphere and invite children to engage in role-play and sea adventures. When making the selection of the games console, particular attention was paid to ensuring that the games offer educational value alongside entertainment – and that children can also play on the device in pairs. Although there are no other children’s toys in the room – the maintenance would be too much of a hassle – there is certainly no shortage of one thing: books. Whether picture books, non-fiction or stories to read aloud – there’s a wide selection. And the nearest nappy-changing facility isn’t far away either: the Family Service has ensured that a changing table has been installed in the accessible toilet on Level 3, not far from the parent-child room.
