search-engines-web.com sends this piece on homeless people in Las Vegas area libraries from the Review Journal.
There are about 7,800 homeless in the Las Vegas Valley, according to Nevada Health Centers. Clark County Social Services counted 1,725 beds last year available in local shelters. But there are few spaces offered during the day where the homeless can go to escape heat and cold, short of a few nonprofit shelters scattered throughout the valley. Several hundred homeless visit libraries every day and have for decades, said John Farrell, outreach case worker for Nevada Health Centers.”
I have no problem with this…
I have no problem with this as long as the homeless follow the same rules as other patrons. They should be quiet, respectful of others, etc. If they are behaving as good patrons it should not even be an issue.
Of course if they are causing a problem as an individual they should be tossed out just as any 6-figure suburbanite should be.
“Become”? How about “Have Been”.
This isn’t a recent situation and the homeless have been in public libraries for years.
I avoid my main public library because I view it as unsafe. In addition, the bathrooms are vile. If we go to the public library, we go to branch libraries.
I have no problem with allowing homeless into the library; however, most families are going to avoid going to the library if it is a homeless daycare center. In some places throughout America, people are choosing Barnes & Noble and Borders over the library because of perceptions about homeless people in the library and safety.
Remember, a large majority of homeless people have drug and alcohol problems as well as mental health issues. That doesn’t make them bad people but most people are not going to choose to be around others with those problems.
This is a pretty difficult issue and I don’t know the answer.
Re:”Become”? How about “Have Been”.
Of course the homeless (we called them bums when I was a kid. Being homeless does not sound bad but no kid wants to be a bum. Homeless sounds like fun- you know camping and stuff like that) have always hung out in public buildings. I guess that is what ‘public’ means. Seems like they have the right to do that if you ask me. Heck I have even seen the occasional bum read.
However I agree that the bums or the soccer moms who break the rules should be booted out the door. As a society we have a moral obligation to assist these unfortunates as they work their way back to self-sufficiency. However we don’t have to hold out our hand if they keep kicking us in the gonads. Make shelters available; make work programs available (The Civilian Conservation Corps did that after the depression and it worked.) There is dignity in all work, there is little in sitting around drinking Aqua Velva all day.
As an RN in a big city ER I have met thousands of homeless people and about 10% care about moving off the street. Each state has laws that allow for involuntary commitment of those with psychiatric illnesses that present a danger to themselves or others (and Florida just came up with an outpatient Court ordered monitoring program to make sure patients take their meds after release from Court ordered psych treatment) so that should take care of the mentally ill, drunks and drug addicts have programs available to them and the motivated ones take advantage of them. However when it comes down to it a dime rock is often more appetizing than a hot meal and a warm bed so they make their own choices.
Since this nation is based on personal freedoms people are allowed to choose to be bums. Those bums can use the library and I know I provide the same services to them as all other patrons. (Actually sometimes more as I had bus schedules faxed to me for the next county for some homeless guy who wanted to get to the VA to dry out- since he had no address they could not mail them to him.) So as long as they toe the line they, and the soccer moms are welcome in the library. I can’t tell people how to lead their lives but I can make information about alternatives available, after all I am a librarian not a psychiatric social worker.
Oh, and if the library toilets are disgusting tell someone and if they don’t do anything about it keep telling supervisors until someone does something about it. I have mopped bathroom floors in the library after a backup. The custodian was off on Saturday and it had to be done. If they won’t do it go in the back and find a mop. They will either do it then or call the cops. What are the cops going to do arrest you for cleaning a public toilet? Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel. Don’t accept mediocrity; I don’t.
People are choosing B&N and Borders over libraries because libraries, librarians and the ALA are doing an extremely poor job of communicating the value of libraries to the public. Sure bookstores have books, and the internet has all sorts of information but neither have librarians – you know people paid to help you with your information needs. People will line up for free government cheese, but few will line up for free informaiton or free bibliographic instruction or anything else. (but if the tax forms haven’t arrived they feel free to call me an idiot.)