To serve OSU students, faculty, staff and campus visitors who are balancing the demands of school, work, and a new baby, the Edmon Low Library is committed to creating a lactation room to promote the health and wellness of mothers and their babies. Studies show that women, especially working mothers, have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Therefore, the presence of this space in the Library is a visible sign of community support as new mothers learn to balance multiple roles and demands that could derail their educational and career objectives.
At the heart of the OSU campus, the Library is in a position to reduce physical barriers to accessing a lactation space. In addition to its centralized location, the Library has extended hours of operation seven days a week, which is well beyond the hours of the few publicly available lactation spaces on campus.
Located in an easily accessible space on the first floor, the lactation room will be available through an online reservation system. It will feature a door that locks from the inside, good ventilation and lighting, electrical outlets at an easy-to-reach level, a sink with hot and cold water (for cleaning the breast pump, washing hands, etc.), an appropriate chair, and a table for the breast pump. The space will also be fully wheelchair accessible.
Your gift to the OSU Library Fund will help make this new space a reality! The Lactation Room will be an important and timely way for the Library to support the health and wellness of its students, faculty, and staff, as we continue to make OSU "America's Healthiest Campus."
