Public libraries have a changing image from a cold, quiet, unyielding place to one that is welcoming and aimed at the “intellectual and creative heart of the communities they serve” (Goulding, p. 12). Within every community, however, is another population that many would like to forget, the homeless. Many regular visitors to libraries are homeless and are seen with pity, annoyance, or overlooked. With today’s economic issues, there is a real demand to consider how the needs of the homeless can or cannot be met through library services.
As an example, the downtown library in Phoenix is a beautiful building that reflects the majesty of the Sonoran Desert. Library visitors have two entrances to choose from and both entrances have a number of homeless sitting outside that visitors must walk past in order to get into the building. Once inside, visitors wanting to use the public computers, both adults and youth, may find themselves sitting next to someone who has not showered regularly during a hot Arizona summer. Many adults using the computers are trying to fill out unemployment forms online with little or no computer experience while the children and teens are hoping to find some social connection or escape from their daily lives. Some visitors pretend the homeless are not there while others complain loudly to staff saying they will never come to the library again because of the odor. This is not unusual for many urban libraries and creates a struggle of how to serve everyone in the community no matter their economic status.
The American Library Association has adopted a policy on poverty and library service. It is a comprehensive statement and many libraries may not be meeting the standards or with budget cuts are unable to provide all the necessary training to library staff:
The American Library Association promotes equal access to information for all persons, and recognizes the urgent need to respond to the increasing number of poor children, adults, and families in America. These people are affected by a combination of limitations, including illiteracy, illness, social isolation, homelessness, hunger, and discrimination, which hamper the effectiveness of traditional library services. Therefore it is crucial that libraries recognize their role in enabling poor people to participate fully in a democratic society, by utilizing a wide variety of available resources and strategies. Concrete programs of training and development are needed to sensitize and prepare library staff to identify poor people’s needs and deliver relevant services. And within the American Library Association the coordinating mechanisms of programs and activities dealing with poor people in various divisions, offices, and units should be strengthened, and support for low-income liaison activities should be enhanced.
An article titled “When Service Matters” that appeared in Library Journal in 2010 created a lot of discussion about how far libraries should go in aiding their homeless population by revealing that the San Francisco Public Library hired a social worker who “handles referrals to social services for the chronically homeless, mentally ill, and those struggling with substance abuse who find their way to the library.” The social worker “sees herself as a resource for librarians to consult when library users are in need.” Not all libraries can afford to hire a social worker and must rely on their own expertise in accessing information and creating connections with other social agencies that can provide basic needs for the homeless in the community.
In conflict with the desire to provide service is, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, a current trend to criminalize homelessness in the United States. These criminalization “efforts tear the focus of both homeless people and their advocates away from long term, permanent solutions in order to fight for the right of people who are homeless to simply exist” (as quoted in Amster, p. 171). Moreover, according to Sandy Berman, who has been involved in creating library services for the poor and homeless, the issue is that “libraries should try to shake their condescending attitudes that service to the poor and homeless is to be delivered as a gift from above” (Berry, 2011). Considering both of these statements, it interesting to think how library staff feels about the homeless population in their libraries and spending their time addressing the issues of the homeless community.
Libraries cannot ignore the increase of homeless in their communities. More and more homeless are coming to the library because they can and sometimes they have nowhere else to go. “Begging, sleeping out of doors, taking up space in libraries – these are the few freedoms that still conceivably can be sought once the larger question of entitlements to housing and wealth are foreclosed.” (Amster, p. 171). Sometimes, though, reality gets in the way of providing service. Most library staff that I’ve encountered have been sympathetic to the needs of the homeless community and want to provide help. But, librarians are not social workers and some homeless library visitors do not want to be approached or, to put it mildly, can be combative during reference interactions and library staff must consider their personal safety.
This entry merely touches on some of the issues related to homelessness and libraries. The issues involved are truly complex and cannot be covered in a short amount of space. There are no easy answers to addressing this issue, but libraries are intimately involved with struggle against homelessness because they are welcoming, public places and hopefully, that will not change. Libraries must continue to try to do more and to be proactive in addressing the needs of a community that lacks their own voice and power.
References
American Library Association. 61 Library Services to the Poor. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/governance/policymanual/updatedpolicymanual/section2/61svctopoor.cfm.
Amster, Randall. (2008). Lost in Space : The Criminalization, Globalization, and Urban Ecology of Homelessness. El Paso, TX, USA: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2008. p 171.
Berry III, John N. (2011, June 15). The problem is poverty: shake the view that service to the poor is a gift from above. Library Journal, 136.11, 10. Retrieved from http://rpwayne.lib.wayne.edu/gale-go/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CA258814969&v=2.1&u=lom_waynesu&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1.
London, Charles. (2010, January 10). “The recession has driven new users to libraries. It's taken a toll, and it's inspired new capacity”. Library Journal.Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6713133.html.
Ravenhill, Megan (Author). Culture of Homelessness. Abingdon, Oxon, , GBR: Ashgate Publishing Group, (2008). p 207. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/wayne/Doc?id=10250486&ppg=207
Comment by Diamond:
ReplyDeleteI think this issue is perfect to discuss during these hard time. The homeless population is growing. Many times (depending on the region) the homeless population is ignored when we talk about reaching out to all communities. Even more so, the mentally ill and those struggling with substance abuse are ignored. I really like this excerpt. Great way to cover all kinds of diversity.
I usually visit a certain branch within my library system-- more affluent individuals visit this branch. I don’t go to the main branch very often due to the distance. During one summer, I frequently traveled to the main branch. I was startled by how many homeless people made use of the library. Of course, many of them were seeking shelter and a way to escape the heat. But, I did notice how the library staff ignored these individuals. Most staff seemed as if they looked right through the homeless people. There was no attempt to engage the homeless individuals in summer programs, computer usage or adult reading activities. I wondered why that was so. Are these individuals ignored because of their tattered clothing? Lack of identification-- which is needed to get a library card? Hygiene issues? Safety concerns?
It takes a brave, brave group of librarians to plan outreach services to these populations. The outreach is really needed, and the library is a free resource for all. And, technically, the homeless and the people with other chronic problems, are individuals who truly do need the help of the community.
Diamond,
ReplyDeleteYou made several good points, especially in your conclusion- it does take a brave group to plan services to the homeless community. I agree that the outreach is really needed, but sadly one thing I've realized is that a lot of time they don't want assistance- they just want a warm place.
I've always worked in academic libraries, so the homeless community wasn't one we were trying to serve. I have, however, encountered patrons who were clearly homeless, and they just wanted to be treated like any other patron. We have several that come in daily to "do research," and although they don't have library cards (which are limited to students), we will put their material on our hold shelf so they can quickly access it in the morning.
But for the most part, they don't want to be identified, bothered, or engaged. Again, this is my experience at Wayne State, so I'm curious to see if any others have experiences or suggestions. But you're definitely right- the homeless community are obviously people who could use the the help of the community, a friendly smile, and some good luck!!
I agree with you Rachelle, it seems like many homeless are not interested in the help that many would like to give. I think that just being open and available can go a long way towards helping. A warm, dry place to rest might be all they are interested in, but trying to see that there is a person behind the clothes and odor can be just as important in providing service.
ReplyDeleteFrom Christine K.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting discussion because there are some real concerns when serving a homeless population. Many do need a place to feel safe during the day which a library can provide. In Phoenix we had a large homeless population at the downtown library. They could be safe in the library for as long as it was open. The library was also in contact with local shelters, food banks, showering facilities, and other services as needed. Help was available when asked for.
The problem is that some homeless do not want to be approached and that others have contributing factors to their status such as mental illness. So the question becomes, how do you approach someone who doesn't approach you? That's where a social worker or better training for staff would help.
When I worked at the downtown library, I was told to call security and have one of the officers approach anyone who may need some extra assistance. This was for staff safety. Many homeless carried knives for personal protection on the streets. (The only knife fight I've ever seen was between two of the regular homeless visitors outside the library before it opened. Thankfully, security and police showed up quickly to stop the fight.)
On the other hand, there were many homeless who the library staff came to know well and helped with their questions on bus schedules, job searches, and even some teens who were looking for ways to get out of the cycle of homelessness. It's consistently a difficult problem and one without easy answers.
Christine
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting post. I have seen homeless using facilities in Flint but I've never had to walk past them to enter library. I have seen a few sitting in an area of the library sleep. I hadn't taken time to think about this unrecognized population. The weird thing is ... this population is increasing due to the economic woes. I saw a little boy at the library while conducting my library visit. He was walking around picking up peoples left over food. It was pretty bad. After the visit, I looked for the boyu and gave him a sandwhich out of the vending machine along with milk. He went and got his sister to share the food. I bought her something as well. I never did see the parent. These are drastic times.
This post was interesting to me because I had, for some reason, never considered homeless people as those suffering when discussing diversity. I tend to think different races when this issue arises. Yet, as your post pointed out, homelessness effects library users as well as staff. It is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed in most areas.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was an interesting idea that one library hired a social service employee to support the homeless staff. This would be a great way to help those who are homeless, yet I wonder if there are other services libraries should be providing first. I think that these services can be found else where, and that the idea in general is stretching from the regular services offered at a library. I understand we must serve all groups of people, and the homeless definitely fall within this realm. However, it seems hiring someone who could teach people how to use technology to fill out job applications or adding an addition to the building to include showers or locker rooms might be better for a larger population and still serve the homeless.
However, in general, I thought it was great that the above mentioned library was able to provide such a service to their patrons. This post was very eye opening!
This was a very interesting post and one that I think is extremely relevant to libraries today. For my library visit, I went to an urban library that was right next to a prison. The librarian I spoke to told me that most of their clientele were now homeless people or people on parole. While this did cause some problems with shoplifting and drove away some of the families that used to frequent the library, the librarians treated the homeless as they would anyone else. They even offered programs for people looking for jobs on how to search, how to write resumes, ect. Homeless people are often a clientele that people would like to ignore, but I admire libraries who open their doors to them. It just shows how libraries truly belong to all kinds of people.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is a complex situation! Balancing serving homeless patrons while keeping 'regular' people happy as well is tricky.
ReplyDeleteAn article from last year talks about remodeling a library in downtown Madison, WI. Many of their patrons felt intimidated by or uncomfortable around homeless people that frequented the library. They put a lot of thought into designing a library building that would be comfortable for everyone to use. It looks like construction just started, so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_b6913072-f1c9-11df-9464-001cc4c002e0.html
I'm glad this issue was discussed. When thinking of socioeconomic diversity, I have to admit that I think of the poor but don't usually think of the homeless. I encountered some homeless people at the main branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. I think the library tries hard to be accommodating to the homeless. There are soft chairs where people can sit for a long time, if necessary. This can be good for homeless who need a refuge for at least a few hours. Also, there is a table that always a jigsaw puzzle on it. So people can spend time doing it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I remember when I first moved to Toledo and registered for a library card, I was asked for an address. I had to provide proof of my address in order to get a library card. I remember it being inconvenient at the time because I was still in the process of settling in and I didn't yet have any documents with my new address. What I also thought about though was the homeless. I wondered how they could get a library card since many don't have a permanent address. I'm not sure if TLCPL still has this policy (this was over three years ago) but if it does, I think it's problematic and discriminatory to the homeless.