Look for the Helpers: Public Libraries and the Homeless
Look for the Helpers: Public Libraries and the Homeless is a poster in the 2020 PNLA Virtual Poster Session. We encourage you to engage in discussion by leaving a comment on the page. The author of the poster will respond to comments the week of August 4-7, 2020.
Presenter: Kellian Clink, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Track: Public LibraryAbstract:
Mr. Rogers is famous for “looking for the helpers” when misfortune happens. There are a million ways that people end up homeless and a lot of ways that public libraries respond. This presentation will review the recent literature and offer up ideas from public libraries about policies and programming. During the pandemic, many have been inventive about serving patrons through wi-fi available in their parking lots, and afterwards? After an overview of homelessness in the PNLA region, this will briefly describe notions from public libraries on services for homeless children and families taken from the pages of our library literature and news sources to generate ideas for after, as I am calling it, bugtime.
Poster:
Supporting Material: Look for the Helpers: Public Libraries and the Homeless: A Literature Review
Kellian Clink has been a librarian for 34 years, 2 of those years while on leave at a public library in Geneva Illinois. Kellian has been a volunteer at the homeless shelter for two years.
