Libraries and the Homeless by Alicia Morris Scott

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Library staff come into contact with as many homeless people as shelters do. To say that homelessness in our country is a problem is an understatement.  Libraries are a public place, and many public places have an abundant of homeless people that come in just to get out of the weather elements as well as for a safe place to hang out during business hours. I personally have seen homeless people in the library I worked at. Most are friendly and wish to be left alone. I once witnessed some teenagers being rude to a homeless person that was hanging out in the library. We promptly had security show the rude teenagers out. I do not know what the answer to homelessness are.  There are many things we can do to show empathy to homeless people simple looking for a safe place to spend their day.  In his book, “The Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness” Ryan Dowd discusses some ways that library staff can show empathy to the un-housed and what actions to take if the person is sleeping in the library, showing offensive behavior and when and how to ask a patron to leave.  Library staff should be sensitive to the conditions of their patrons and handle each situation individually and with compassion.  In many libraries across the country, library staff act as a liaison for the homeless population and can set them up with many resources that offer support.  These resources vary between mental health assistance, food banks, shelters and transition housing that assist people addicted to drugs.  Libraries should be a safe space for the homeless and everyone should always be treated with respect and compassion.

 

Works Cited

Gunderman, Richard, and David C. Stevens. How libraries became the front line of America's homelessness crisis: They are destinations "for people who have no place to go.". WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post, 2015. ProQuest, https://login.ezproxy.palomar.edu/login?auth=shibboleth&url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/how-libraries-became-front-line-americas/docview/1705412062/se-2.

 Dowd, Ryan.

The Librarians Guide to Homelessness. ALA Editions, 2018.

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