Newsroom

CORVALLIS, Ore. – In order to help Oregon State University student parents in need of care for their children, the Associated Students of OSU and the Valley Library have teamed up to create Our Little Village-Library.

Our Little Village-Library, a short-term childcare center for student parents, is located in Valley Library Room 3564, directly behind University Archives.

Any currently enrolled student can drop off their children ages six months to 10 years old on a first-come, first-served basis for a maximum of two to three hours. Student parents must stay in the library while their child is being cared for at the facility.

Parents are given a pager when they drop their child off so center staff can contact them.

The space is divided up and there are age-appropriate toys and programs, said Stephanie Duckett, student-parent advocate for ASOSU.

The program is paid for by student fees, so there is no extra cost to use the center, Duckett said.

“This is an excellent way of alleviating the guilt that parents have of being a student, but also being a parent,” Duckett said. “This helps support them in their goal of higher education.”

“It is exciting to be the first university library in the country – as far as we know – to be able to offer this innovative resource to our students,” said Karyle Butcher, University Librarian. “The university’s focus on student engagement calls for all of us to look at new and different ways of providing services to our students so that they feel that they are a part of the university community. Our Little Village is one way that the library can do this.”

Hours for the center will be 2:30 to 11 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.

An open house and grand opening for Our Little Village-Library will be from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the center, Valley Library Room 3564.