The Houston Health Department and HPL seized the opportunity to provide this community with a full-service WIC clinic located within the remodeled library space. Community members challenged this new collaboration to focus beyond health resources for infants and early literacy to engage the whole family, including seniors. Breaking traditional boundaries required the departments to function as one team and to approach customers as joint customers instead of as separate WIC or library customers.

Sharing spaces, resources and coordinating schedules became avenues for learning where WIC and HPL programs intersected and aligned. Collaboration led to library playgroups in the WIC waiting area; WIC providing health and nutrition experts for the library’s Family Place program; creation of dance and cardio classes for seniors, sharing tables at outreach events; and events, such as the Living Room series, that included WIC that celebrated the community with healthy food and activities.

Prior to closing for renovation, Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library & WIC Center offered 174 programs with 1,867 attendees in total. Since June 2017, Stimley-Blue Ridge Neighborhood Library has offered 1,444 programs with 12,394 attendees. Over 4,000 youth have attended After School Zone and after-school meal programs. Health & Wellness classes attracted over 200 adult attendees and Workforce Development classes over 900 attendees. What does a WIC Center bring to your library, besides crying babies? Customers!