Recently, several libraries around the country have issued statements criticizing some parents' practice of "abandoning" their children on their premises, especially during the summer vacation. The Hengyang City Library in Hunan Province, for example, hosts nearly 100 unattended children each day, with parents leaving them there the whole day and even having food delivered there. Due to the lack of supervision, some of these children run and play in the libraries, damage property, and generally disrupt the peaceful environment.

While parents may entrust their children to libraries due to their perceived safety and a desire for them to cultivate an interest in reading, many people argue that this trust is no justification for abdication of parental responsibility. What's more, the reading experience of other library users is compromised and library staff are burdened with extra work. This situation underscores the desperation of some parents when it comes to summer childcare while revealing challenges in managing public resources effectively.

Yang Nan (Rednet.cn): Libraries, as public cultural service providers, are primarily intended to provide a quiet and comfortable reading and learning environment for the public, not to serve as free daycare centers. Parents should not leave their children unattended in libraries for long stretches, allowing them to disturb other library users, simply for their own convenience.

At a deeper level, parents "abandoning" their children is a transfer of their own duty of care. Library staff are tasked with managing a library's day-to-day operations, not with caring for and supervising children. The library is typically overcrowded during the summer, and staff must simultaneously look after children while carrying out their normal duties. Children's inherent nature of being active and energetic further increases the staff's workload. The personal safety of children therefore cannot be fully guaranteed. Any lapse in vigilance could result in irreversible consequences.

Libraries have limited capacity, and summer childcare is a common societal challenge, so collaborative solutions are crucial. Community libraries in some areas offer specialized summer childcare programs. Scaling up such programs can offer a favorable method for resolving the summer childcare problem, which will in turn help ensure the tranquility of libraries.

Jingzi (Nanfang Daily): Libraries have many grievances, and parents also have endless "hardships" to express. If circumstances permitted, the vast majority of parents would likely prefer to be more engaged in their children's upbringing. But under life's pressures, parents have to make a hard choice between caring for children and going out to work. Leaving children alone at home is a cause for concern, while enrolling them in commercial childcare programs can be too expensive. Considering all factors, letting children "hang out" at the library may be a relatively safe expedient.

The core of the matter lies in finding places for kids to go during summer break. Identifying reliable and safe spaces for children is not just a practical necessity alleviating parents' concerns; it's an essential part of fostering healthy childhood development.

Using the library as a makeshift daycare center disrupts those readers who seek a quiet space to study. Therefore, to throw children into libraries will never be a long-term solution. Some companies are running summer childcare programs for employees' children, covering homework assistance, sports training and other activities; some universities are offering youth camps for the children of faculty and staff; and some communities are recruiting university student volunteers to provide all-day services. These are good examples to follow. BR

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson

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