STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Schlow Centre Region Library is announcing a new partnership with Mount Nittany Health, creating a private space for mothers to feed their children in the downtown area.

“Parents have always been welcome to feed their babies wherever they’d like in the library,” Head of Children’s Services Paula Bannon said. “But this is a nice, private, quiet space that families can use if they prefer not to do that out in the main area.”

The project, in partnership with Mount Nittany Health professionals, will create a new nursing and lactation space for parents.

“Mount Nittany Health is proud to sponsor this important project,” Kathleen Rhine, President, and CEO of Mount Nittany Health said. “The Nursing and Lactation Space is an excellent addition to the Schlow Library and is another example of the commitment to our mission of ‘Healthier People. Stronger Community.’”  

The space has been in the works for four years. Bannon said she recognized the need in downtown State College when she first became a mother.

“A lot of us have found ourselves perched in bathroom stalls in the area and that kind of thing,” Bannon said. “And that’s just not comfortable and cozy, so we wanted to give people a place.”

Officials at Schlow, which is a nationally designated Family Place Library, hope this addition will continue to be a welcoming place for those who visit.

“One of the things that we try to do is support parents in all of the different areas that they do as the kids grow,” Bannon said.

The space is available for the public to use whenever the library is open.