The Public Library as an Asylum for the Homeless

[alexxkay]

Fascinating, if depressing article:

Although the public may not have caught on, ask any urban library administrator in the nation where the chronically homeless go during the day and he or she will tell you about the struggles of America's public librarians to cope with their unwanted and unappreciated role as the daytime guardians of the down and out. In our public libraries, the outcasts are inside.
...
And if the chronically homeless show up at the ball, looking worse than Cinderella after midnight? Well, in a democratic culture, even disturbing information is useful feedback. When the mentally ill whom we have thrown onto the streets haunt our public places, their presence tells us something important about the state of our union, our national character, our priorities, and our capacity to care for one another. That information is no less important than the information we provide through databases and books. The presence of the impoverished mentally ill among us is not an eloquent expression of civil discourse, like a lecture in the library's auditorium, but it speaks volumes nonetheless.

Comments

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting that. I wonder if library schools shouldn't accept this as a fact of life, and require a class in dealing with homeless and mentally ill people. (Assuming they don't already- the article implies that no one talks about this issue while you're getting an MLS.)

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

Oh, they talk about it. At least, they did 20+ years ago. They don't (i.e., Simmons didn't) require a class on dealing with the users at all; I'd rather not require one on dealing with DPs.

[siderea]

Awesome. Makes some points that have been on my mind since my practicum. Now that I know what schizophenia looks like - and, yes, smells like -- up-close & personal, I now see for myself just how many "homeless" people are flagrantly mentally ill.

[corwyn-ap.livejournal.com]

Absent need for care, I can't really think of a better place for them. Locked away in some asylum isn't my idea of a great solution. In the library their are experiencing (and causing to be experienced) socialization with the general public. If they aren't going to read a book, maybe they can do some shelving.

Shelving

[metageek.livejournal.com]

If they aren't going to read a book, maybe they can do some shelving.

That's a pretty good idea, actually. Some (most?) libraries have volunteer programs; if a homeless person is volunteering, and clearly a positive part of the library instead of an intrusion, then J. Random Patron will be less likely to get nervous about him.