(WXYZ) — "I think being a full-time working parent, it sometimes doesn't feel like the world accommodates you very well," said new mom Lia Greenwell of Grosse Pointe Park.
So on her first trip to the Grosse Pointe Public Library post-baby, the book lover got a pleasant surprise.
"While I was looking at the board book section learning that a baby can destroy the other books, another librarian actually brought over the new parent outreach slip to me and said, 'maybe you would like this,'" said Greenwell.
The new parent outreach program, which is a spin off of the library’s existing homebound outreach program, provides new parents with books and other resources to help them during the baby’s first year in the Grosse Pointe Library District.
"I just thought if we could bring a new parent something fun to watch while they're up with the baby all night or a delivery of books to make the older sibling feel special, that's like helping the family build a connection with us and with the community and just making things a little easier," said Grosse Pointe Public Library outreach librarian Annie Spence.
Spence personally delivers those books and resources to parents, including knitted hats that Spence's mother knitted.
Parents can ask for specific books, or for recommendations based on what they may need at that time for their baby, their other children or themselves.
"I had postpartum with my first son and reading really saved me ... so it's really nice for me to be able to pass that on to other people." said Spence.
And it’s an effort that resonates, creating a sense of community when a pandemic has pushed us apart.
"The idea that someone's willing to come and bring things that you need ... just to save you that time out of your day, getting your baby in and out of a car, in and out of a stroller, especially with COVID, it's really kind, and it feels like that's how we want to support families and kids," said Greenwell.
It’s just one example of how your local library may have more to offer than you think.
"What I always say about the library is that they can help you with whatever you want, whatever needs you have. We can't directly do the help, but we can usually point you in the right direction," said Spence. "It's really, you know, so much more than just walking in and pulling a book off the shelf."
Greenwell adds, "I'm a huge library lover, so it doesn't take much to sell me, but I think that having a child opens you up to a completely different set of resources that the library has."
Spence says when the library was able to open back up after initially closing down at the start of the pandemic, bringing home that first batch of books for her kids was like a breath of fresh air, so she’s hoping a program like this helps new parents, whether it’s through a new birth, adoption or foster care, adapt to their new roles and routines.
