Library Play Spaces: Tools for Staff Support and Engagement

As library professionals working with children, we often emphasize play. Last month, I wrote about defining our play space standards. This month, I’m tackling the next step: creating tools and resources to support staff in our play spaces. When you’re familiar with early literacy and child development concepts, play is intuitive. It’s part of what we do. For some staff, though, those connections aren’t as obvious. We wanted to create resources that not only meet staff where they are but also support our unique and changing communities. Here’s what we did.

Processes and Procedures

For system-wide consistency, we needed clear, universal processes and procedures. With all libraries operating off the same procedures, it’s more likely that patrons have similar experiences. In addition, creating standard procedures ensures that all libraries operate from the same framework. Further, all staff receive consistent information and expectations for managing their play spaces. After setting our standards, we collectively brainstormed the tools needed to support and implement them.

Space Design

Creating resources for space design was the most challenging because each building has a unique floor plan and community considerations. To support this, we drafted a general recommendations document. First, we described some of the whys behind the design, helping staff understand the unique needs of various ages. Then, we added pictures from our existing spaces as examples.

Available Toys

While our standards selected general toy categories, we wanted to leave sufficient flexibility for each building to choose items that worked for them. However, we also realized sharing information about what works well, and what doesn’t, ensures better stewardship of library resources. To that end, we created a toy recommendations spreadsheet to guide purchasing decisions. First, we included general characteristics and recommendations. Next, we included a tab for each toy category, outlining relevant information about the number of pieces, cost, vendor, recommended ages, and other details. We also included a tab with general storage recommendations. Finally, we included a tab to log items not recommended with staff explanations.

Cleaning and Maintenance

To support consistent, sustainable cleaning, we documented general tips for establishing a cleaning schedule and notes for cleaning different types of toys. In addition, we wanted staff accountability for the space throughout the day. To support unique building needs, we developed three cleaning logs. Then, each building chose the one that worked best and customized as needed.

We also created a toy management log for each building with three components. First, the rotation briefly outlines the toy options available in each set. Next, the inventory tabs outline the specific toys, including information like vendor links, purchase quantities, and relevant notes. Also included is space to conduct a regular inventory that automatically calculates losses. Finally, a future orders tab collects staff recommendations for replacements or supplementing the current collection.

Staff Engagement

Supporting staff understanding of play spaces and facilitating patron/staff interactions required more nuance. We created an FAQ and sample conversation guide. First, we outlined common questions, with short talking points. Next, we explained key play benefits for different types of toys. Then, we mapped a basic structure for patron interactions. Finally, we used example situations to give staff approaches to try, with reasoning about why we might use each option.

Our final resource was a trainer guide that outlines consistent training. We’ll explore that resource, as well as our training rollout, in next month’s post. In the meantime, what resources does your library offer to support staff and play spaces? What resources do you wish existed?

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All images courtesy of the author. For sample documents, please contact the author. This post addresses ALSC Core Competency #1: Commitment to Client Group and #2: Reference and User Services.

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Jaime Eastman is a senior Public Services Librarian and Early Learning Coordinator at the Harrington Library, one of the Plano (Texas) Public Library locations. She’s currently serving as a member of the ALSC Board of Directors. Jaime is also working on at least two ambitious cross stitch projects, dreaming of future travel plans, and reading far too many books at once. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be an author. Writing for the blog and publishing with Children and Libraries feel like a good start, and she regrets nothing about her adult decision to be a librarian doing storytimes who didn’t have to grow up too much.