The staff at Kirkwood Public Library knows that small changes can make a big difference for guests. It’s noticing the kids nestling in the mobile nook for a bit of calm during story time. It’s seeing the dad with his son using headphones to quiet the noise of the children’s area during a field trip. It’s watching new parents heal and connect with others through baby yoga.
Providing sensory kits and programming, Kirkwood Public Library‘s new “Welcoming Diverse Minds” initiative is about more than fidgets or story times. It’s about fulfilling the library’s ethos of being inclusive to all children and families.
The Offerings
As part of “Welcoming Diverse Minds,” the library now offers:
Materials & Spaces:
- Sensory Tool Kits, which support emotional regulation and equitable access, will include adjustable weighted vests; rocket-shaped fidget boards; fabric, weighted calming books; a range of fidgets; noise-cancelling headphones and sunglasses; and a folder of educational resources for families
- A mobile, calm reading nook
- Story time wiggle boards
- Sensory walking stones and color tiles
- Light covers in the technology area
- Parent educator-recommended children’s and parenting books that celebrate and support neurodiverse experiences
Events & Programming
- Sensory story times, the next of which is November 26 at 10:30 a.m.
- Screen-free play sessions, including on October 28 and November 12
- Baby Sensory Yoga, through November on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m.
Anyone in the community can attain a Kirkwood Public Library card, regardless of ZIP code, and anyone with a card can access “Welcoming Diverse Minds” kits. (The kits and materials will not be circulated across other library systems.) Even those without a card can visit the programming.
“We just want to make sure that families know that we welcome them, regardless of whatever challenges they may or may not be facing,” says Kim Linenbroker, assistant director of youth services.
After just a few weeks of availability, Linenbroker says she and her colleagues are noticing frequent use of the mobile nook and wiggle boards, and families are already checking out the kits. “That has been really satisfying to see and confirm there is a need,” she says. “A family checked out one of our sensory kits just the other day, my coworker and I were super excited We were showing the mom the different items in it, and she was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this could be great.’”
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The Background
“We serve lots of different people from all walks of life in backgrounds and educational levels,” says Linenbroker. “Based on the families that we see coming in, as well as community feedback, we wanted to make sure we were creating a positive sensory experience for anyone who is neurodivergent or neurotypical. We wanted to create a welcoming environment for everybody.”
Funded by a nearly $15,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Linenbroker says the library staff—including fellow assistant director Jamie Potter and library director Christa Van Herreweghe—chose how to spend the dollars based on routine interactions with area families.
“We saw firsthand that there might be a need for headphones or sunglasses when it’s bright or things to fidget with or wiggle seats during story time,” Linenbroker says. “So those are some of the things that we purchased to have on hand, as well as in kits that contain some things they can check out.”
Linenbroker says she wishes she had easy access to things like fidgets and weighted calming books when she was a kid or when her children were younger, as anyone can use tools to help them focus and regulate their nervous system, regardless of learning style.
“We’re not diagnosing anything. We are not claiming to be experts on any of this either. We are just providing tools in order to help people, so that if they are saying, ‘Hey, I feel like my child might need this or that, but I don’t really know,’ we have those tools that they can just try it for free,” she adds. “And from there, they can talk to medical providers, therapists, or other experts if they choose.”
Through the grant, Kirkwood Public Library has also partnered with Kirkwood Parents as Teachers to offer kits that will aid in their developmental work. The library staff themselves are in the process of gaining specialized training on how they can best help and serve families with diverse minds. As Linenbroker says, “Libraries are for everyone.”
