Caregivers who need to breastfeed or pump now have a quiet, secure place to do so at the newly unveiled Mamava lactation pod inside the Discoveries: The Library at the Mall in Annapolis.

The freestanding nursing pod, the first of its kind in a Maryland library, offers a safe, clean space without having to leave the Anne Arundel County Public Library branch tucked inside the Westfield Annapolis Mall.

The pod, made by the Vermont-based Mamava and unveiled at a ribbon-cutting Tuesday morning, includes seating, electrical outlets and reading material on library happenings and parenting resources. It’s adjacent to the library’s community pantry, which provides free diapers, wipes, menstrual products and other supplies.

The pod was paid for with a $31,500 grant from the Anne Arundel County Public Library Foundation.

“We were the first mall library in Maryland, and we’re continuing to innovate and share our success with other branches in the system, so hopefully this will spread,” said Rachel Myers, library branch manager at the mall.

Anne Arundel County Council member Lisa Rodvien and representatives of Annapolis-area state legislators were on hand during the ceremony.

The library in the mall is one of the system’s busiest branches, with more than 13,000 visitors and 4,000 program attendees every month, Myers said. Programs include story time, music and other educational offerings. On Tuesday, strollers lined one side of the library, where the Babies in Bloom program was wrapping up its weekly session of songs, rhymes and playtime.

“People are always discovering us as a library whether or not they mean to come here, just because they’re at the mall for other things, so this is kind of a value-added thing to our branch,” Myers said. “It’s kind of a natural way to support the families.”

The nursing pod is a “perfect example” of the library system responding to the needs and requests of its patrons, said Karen Smith, the past president of the library foundation’s board of directors.

Access to the nursing pod is available through the free Mamava app, which is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. There are no time limits.

There are two other Mamava lactation pods in Anne Arundel County — one in the Annapolis District Court and a second in BWI Marshall Airport, according to the company’s website.