. As a study by the
RAND Corp said about LA's parks, "Supervisied
activities draw more people to the park"
A staffed Play Library in a park is the best. But as I have been told a City Parks Department may not be able to afford full time staff for a Loose Park Play Library. But what about staff one day a week. This would allow one staff member to staff multiple locations. Once a presence is created one day a week ask for people to volunteer a few hours a week to extend the time it is open.
New York's Jefferson Market Garden is staffed by over 60 volunteers. What these volunteers do is open the gates to the garden and greet people who come in to it. If people are willing to volunteer to do this, why not look for volunteer to lend equipment at a Loose Park Play Library?
-If each park in a neighborhood is staffed just one day a week, people in the community will have access to a Loose Park 7 days a week. On one day of the week the park might be really close by to where you live( I live near 3) , on the other 6 days, you have to walk travel a bit to get to your areas's Loose Parks.
This is the Chelsea section of Manhattan. There are 8 parks in this neighborhood:
-1 Chelsea Waterside Park
2-Chelsea Park
3-Penn Station South Playground
4 20th Street Park
5-Getrude Kelly Playground
6-14th Street Park
7-High Line
8-Hudson River Park
Currently the parks in this neighborhood subtly exclude use by certain groups. For example Penn Station South Playground has basketball courts, a volleyball court (with no net) benches, chess tables, a Jungle Gym, and several sidewalk games for kids. It is inclusive for people who want these features, It subtly excludes use by ping pong players, the disabled who are offered no equipment of interest(wheel chair swings, audible balls etc) ,, youth who would like to play foosball, volleyball. etc, etc etc Can members of these groups still go to Penn Station South Playground? Yes, but many do not bother as the park does not offer recreation opportunities that interested them.
Adding a staffed Play Library 1 day a week to these locations would give people in the neighborhood access to activities that interested them.
A couple yeara ago I was in NYC's Bryant Park at the table games area, a fellow was playing a game with the Park Ranger. I talked to the guy, he lived in the Bronx, and came all the way to Bryant Park, because there was no staffed Table Games play area in the Bronx.
