The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness

 

Homeless. [Photograph]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
https://quest.eb.com/search/300_1172706/1/300_1172706/cite

DiBello, Amy

Librarian's Guide to Homelessness. (2018). Librarian's Guide to Homelessness. Retrieved 2 March 2018, from http://www.homelesslibrary.com/

Although this topic has little to do with collection management, those of us who work in public libraries serve patrons from all walks of life. Our homeless patrons deserve respectful, compassionate service, even in the most challenging instances. 

One of my colleagues at a neighboring library sent me a link to Ryan Dowd's Website: Librarian's Guide to Homelessness.  Dowd has also written a book The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness: An Empathy Driven Approach to Solving Problems, Preventing Conflict & Serving Everyone which is available through the American Library Association's publication page. 

Dowd offers online training in dealing with homelessness in public libraries. Dowd's Website also offers helpful tips on how to respectfully, but assertively handle sensitive conversations about sleeping, snoring, hygiene, panhandling, and patrons burdened with delusions. You can subscribe to his email list for tips and advice on serving your homeless patrons with empathy, respect, and better outcomes. 

Engaging Community in the Weeding Process

(May 15, 2015). Campus-wide review. S15-10, University Policy, Revisions to SJSU Library Policy (7.2.2.2). Retrieved from http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S15-10.pdf

When I popped on to the SJSU King Library website this morning, I noticed an interesting post that pertains directly to our class.  Last year, SJSU Library Policy was updated to reflect a new communication method that encourages campus-wide involvement in collection management procedures.  Most recently, the Accounting and Finance department has devised a list of items set to be discarded which the Liaison Librarian has put out to the campus community for review.  Instructions are to review the Google document of titles and freely make comments where appropriate using a separate form.  This is a good example of a library policy which values the input of patrons in developing a collection of the highest quality and relevance.

Find the posting using this link.


J. Hasselberger
Spring 2016