This presentation addresses the question of access to public libraries by people experiencing homelessness from an intellectual freedom/equitable access perspective. Rather than providing legal advice or policy prescriptions, I look at this from an ethical perspective and explore whether it is ever justified to block someone’s access to information.
Is it ethical to block a person’s access to a public library because they make other patrons uncomfortable – whether because of odor, appearance, or behavior? These questions could be asked of any library patron, but because patrons experiencing homelessness are perhaps the most discussed in terms of barring their access, I have focused on literature about them.
I answered this question by reviewing recent literature that discusses access to public libraries by people experiencing homelessness. First, I discuss literature about “problem patrons” and behavior policies in public libraries. Then, I cover legal perspectives, reviewing LIS interpretations of case law pertaining to patron behavior in libraries. In the third section of the literature review, I discuss the social responsibilities of libraries and criticisms of the policies in the first section. Finally, I look outside of the LIS field to urban geographer Don Mitchell and his consideration of anti-homeless laws in American cities.
Image credit: James Jowers (Photographer). (1967). New York Public Library. [Black and white photography]. George Eastman House Photography Collection. Retrieved May 7, 2015 from:https://flic.kr/p/5y1X87