serving homeless library users

February 16, 2016Twitter chatviolet

Black Angora cat — From The Angora cat : how to breed, train and keep it / edited by Robert Kent James (1898)

52nd chat, Tuesday February 16 2016: serving homeless library users

Moderated by @GinaMurrell1
Storify (pdf, html) by @oksveta

Suggested readings:

“A home to the homeless” by Ellyn Ruhlmann, from American Libraries (2014)
“What do I do now? Handling challenging situations with mentally ill and homeless library users, part 2” from Infopeople (2013) (direct link to 50-minute webinar)
“Not just a place to sleep: homeless perspectives on libraries in central Michigan” by Angie Kelleher, from Library Review (2013)

Discussion questions:

Q1. Does your library offer support services/outreach to homeless patrons?
Q2. Does your library have policies that prohibit behaviors often associated with homelessness?
Q3. What kind of staff training, if any, does the library provide in serving homeless patrons?
Q4. What role should the library have in providing support services to homeless patrons?
Q5. What can libraries do to better serve homeless patrons?