The all-gender restrooms and lactation spaces in the Kraemer Family Library are now open, and the people behind their construction say they make the library more inclusive.
Interim director of access services Kevin Jacobs and director of user experience Joel Tonyan provided further information on the project that started in June and opened three weeks ago.
“We want people to feel like they can come on campus and study without having to worry about finding facilities for location and things like that as a part of that mission to serve the whole campus.” Tonyan said.
According to Tonyan, that mission stems from the KFL guiding principles, which aim to create sustainable and accessible spaces that build a deeper sense of belonging on campus while also meeting the needs of everyone in the UCCS community.
Tonyan and Jacobs said the all-gender restrooms are available to everyone and benefit many people, including transgender and gender diverse individuals, people who require the assistance of a caregiver of a different gender and parents with children of a different gender.
They also mentioned the lactation space creates an extended safe space for those with children in the parent-child study room by ensuring people with children are able to breastfeed in a safe environment.
“I can be biased, but I think libraries have done a really good job of making everybody feel welcome … sometimes to get peace and quiet when you don’t have it, but also just a welcoming space to feel comfortable, it’s a safe feeling — feeling at home almost.” Jacobs said.
Dean of the library Seth Porter highlighted his gratitude for the resources that were provided for the project’s completion. He noted the project shows the library’s commitment to making every individual at UCCS feel valued, welcomed and respected.
The all-gender restrooms and the lactation space are located on the third floor of the El Pomar Center close to the right of the stairs across from the Kraemer Family Library University Archives.
To access the lactation space, you must obtain a key from the front desk located on the first floor.
Those looking for information on the lactation spaces and all-gender restrooms across campus can visit DEI’s website. It includes a resources page with information about inclusive spaces that lists all of these spaces on campus. The page also provides a campus map that highlights the location of each space.
All-gender restrooms and lactation spaces are now available in the Kraemer Family Library. Photo by Meghan Germain.