A homeless man whose story was told in the News-Democrat on Sunday says library staff confiscated his library card because they found out from the article that he doesn’t have an address.
Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2011/03/26/1645702/belleville-library-yanks-homeless.html
Fairly simple
He wasn’t entitled to use the service in the same way.
If people don’t like it then they can give him a home or pay more tax to provide the service to non-residents
Policy
How about a policy of allowing anyone to use a computer if they are filling out a job application? Using Facebook or playing games you have to have a library card. (Read the article to see why this is relevant) Computers for job applications can be used without a card.
All cities should have someplace that provides some computers for job application. This does not have to be the library. Many cities and states have job centers that help people find jobs. This would be a logical place to have those computers.
Institutional card
Would there be an option of creating institutional cards that the shelter would be reponsible for?
The article states there
The article states there currently is not a shelter.
Yes but…
I don’t think it’s even the responsibility for items checked out that is the issue. It’s that the tax payers get a service, those who don’t pay tax don’t.
Same with the job element, it’s a very sensible idea but it’s not what the issue is.
They can provide these services if they want to but really someone needs to pay for it. Solve that and the services are available.
really?
Some of these responses seem pretty cold to me. Are we all supposed to considered not citizens if we lose our jobs/homes? Assuming that we need to be taxpayers to use any public services is foolish, selfish, and short-sighted. Passing the buck to lawmakers also seems bitter, resentful, and also forgetting part of the mission of public libraries.
In response to the job finding issue, I’ve seen some excellent programs going on at some regional libraries for helping people find work. The above suggestion of some dedicated computers for job searching sounds pretty good to me, especially in areas where the current economic downturn has hurt the most.
Libraries are for everyone
A library is a reflection of it’s community. I would hope that if I was homeless, I could use the library’s resources to find a way out of that situation.
So he doesn’t pay taxes. Does that mean we should turn our backs on tourists from other countries as well? This is just a downward spiral. Y’all should be ashamed.
but who is a resident?
I was once at a meeting of librarians in New Hampshire who were discussing Kindles and other ereaders in libraries. This was a couple of years ago, when the prices for the hardware were still pretty high. The question was asked, in all seriousness, “Yes, but you wouldn’t loan one to a renter, would you?”
If someone is using a public computer to fill out a job application, then it is entirely reasonable, if not imperative, to give them more than 30 minutes to complete it. I’ve done several of those, and someone who is not as adept with the keyboard, mouse, and web forms as I am could very well need far more than 30 minutes. The public library exists to help people help themselves. That, at least, is what Andrew Carnegie believed. It’s not a handout, because it requires the participation of the library user in order to get some benefit from the offerings.
It’s entirely reasonable for the library to limit cardholders to people who can prove residency or payment of property taxes, or who are willing to pay an annual fee. That’s the way it works in NH and, I’m sure, other states. But the only reason to ban anyone from using the materials while in the building, or using a public computer, is if they are violating rules of behavior. We don’t limit computer use to residents,and I’m reasonably sure that most public libraries in the U.S. don’t, either.
Library card holder
I know libraries that require a library card to use their computers. This then evokes whatever rules there are to get a library card.