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Kimberly Curran
LIS 662
Analytical Paper
May 1, 2018

Analytical Paper:
Library Services and Parents Experiencing Homelessness

Millions of families in the United States are currently living below the poverty line, and
every year a significant percentage of those families will experience homelessness for some
period of time. The National Center on Family Homelessness reports that families account for
approximately one third of the total population of individuals experiencing homelessness (2011).
The main causes of homelessness among families are poverty, a lack of affordable housing
options, and a decline in both wages and welfare resources, which itself contributes to the
increase in the poverty rate (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). As more families are
affected by these issues, the rates of those experiencing homelessness will only increase.

Public libraries are uniquely well-situated to provide information services to parents

experiencing homelessness. Public libraries have no entry fee, provide access to computers and
other information resources, are often centrally located, and place minimal limitations on the
amount of time people may spend there (Terrile, 2016). Public libraries are places where people
without stable housing can spend their time and search for information, while librarians are often
called on to provide information for individuals and families in a similar way to social workers,
as well as to provide educational resources for children outside of their schools (Giesler, 2017)
(Hinton & Cassel, 2013).

In Guilford County, the number of families experiencing homelessness would appear to

track fairly close to the national average, if not slightly lower. According to a point-in-time count
conducted in 2013, families constituted 31% of the total count of those experiencing
homelessness in Guilford County, reported as 949 people (Tippett, 2013). A later point-in-time
count reported a number closer to 25% of a total 721 (North Carolina Coalition to End
Homelessness, 2016). Regardless of which year’s count skews closer to a true average, based on
this information we can assume that the number of parents and their children experiencing
homelessness in Guilford County is, at any given time, at least 180 to 295 people. Over the
course of the school year, more than 2,750 students may experience some form of housing
instability (Greensboro Interactive Resource Center, 2018).

The Greensboro Public Library’s main location is centrally located in downtown

Greensboro and services a large and very diverse population which includes many parents who
are living in local shelters or participating in transitional housing programs. This study sought to
better understand the information needs of this population, and the ways in which the library can
better meet those needs, whether through the provision of more specific information or the
development of particular programs and services.
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Methods

Parents experiencing homelessness are part of a highly mobile population that can be
difficult to access consistently, and they may be reluctant to share any personal information with
people with whom they have not had the opportunity to build a rapport. These difficulties had to
be taken into consideration when developing a methodology that would facilitate reasonably
open and honest communication with people in this group. For these reasons, information about
this group of people was collected for this study through two different methods.

Data-gathering in the first method was conducted through observation and professional
interaction with individuals within the Greensboro Public Library who were actively utilizing
library services. Participants in this group necessarily identified themselves to the researcher as
parents experiencing homelessness, and were willing to discuss their information needs with a
member of library staff. This was accomplished by focusing the conversation on their specific
needs and their experience with the public library and its services in the context of their personal
situation, and by utilizing open-ended questions intended to give the participant room to answer
in as much detail as they wished.

The second method of gathering information from members of this population involved a
semi-structured interview approach. Interviews were conducted with voluntary participants at the
Greensboro Interactive Resource Center who identified themselves as either parents or the
primary caregivers of young relatives, and who were experiencing some form of housing
instability. These interviews utilized open-ended, neutrally-phrased questions focused on
personal information needs, experiences, if any, with the Greensboro Public Library, and the
ways they felt library services met or did not meet their needs. Conversations were allowed to
progress in as natural a manner as possible, with follow-up questions personalized to the
individual.

Limitations

While every effort was made to access members of this population in organic
environments, it was not possible to interact with any of these parents in the standard family
shelter environment. Family shelter staff are extremely diligent in working to protect the security
and privacy of the people using their services, which is understandable given the potentially
vulnerable nature of these families. For this reason, all participants in this study were identified
in outside environments, and necessarily had to be limited to those who were willing to identify
themselves to the researcher as parents or primary caregivers experiencing homelessness.

Results

Participants in this study can be divided into two groups, where Group 1 consists of
individuals observed within the Greensboro Public Library itself, and Group 2 consists of
individuals interviewed at the Greensboro Interactive Resource Center. 9 people who identified
themselves as parents or guardians experiencing homelessness participated in this study: 4
patrons in Group 1 and 5 interviewees in Group 2.
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In Group 1, 2 participants reported current participation in transitional housing programs,

and 2 reported currently residing in local family shelters. This is significant because the
Greensboro Public Library’s library card policy states that patrons participating in housing
programs are eligible for temporary resident cards, which function similarly to unrestricted cards
save for a reduced checkout limit. Individuals without a permanent address however, such as
those living in shelters or who list the IRC as their mailing address, are not eligible for
circulating cards at all. Non-circulating library cards allow patrons access to library computers,
but they remain unable to check out library materials.

The majority of participants in this group – 75% – reported their children’s educational
needs as their primary reason for using the library. While the parent in a housing program was
able to obtain circulating cards for her children and reported being generally content with their
library experience, the remaining 50% who were living in shelter environments were only able to
access books and resources while inside the library, and were very vocal with the researcher
about their frustration and disappointment with the existing access policies and the way in which
those policies prevented them from acquiring the materials their children needed to complete
school reading assignments.

Group 2 was comprised of 5 voluntary participants located at the Greensboro Interactive

Resource Center. All individuals reported familiarity with or former use of the Greensboro
Public Library, and the majority (80%) reported regular current use. The participants’
information needs as described to the researcher are illustrated in Table 1.

Information Need # Participants % Participants

Computer Access 4 80%

Children’s Education 3 60%

Housing 3 60%

Finances 2 40%

Research 2 40%

Continuing Education 1 20%

Table 1

Due to the semi-structured nature of the interviews, all participants were asked the same
basic questions related to their information needs and their experiences with the public library.
80% of interviewees reported access to a computer as a primary need and one of their main
reasons for visiting the library. Access to educational materials and activities for children and
information about housing resources were the next two greatest needs articulated to the
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researcher, with financial assistance, general research, and continuing education resources also
cited.

While these results are largely similar to what has been reported in previous studies in
terms of the range of information needs recorded, these interviews did yield one surprising result.
100% of participants, when asked how they felt their needs were being met by current library
services, confessed to being almost completely unaware of daily library services, such as career
services appointments, homework help, or children’s story times. Every participant, unprompted
by the researcher, raised the issue of the large community bulletin boards at the front of the
library, and stated their habitual reliance on them as a source of information about upcoming
programs and events, but not everyday library services.

Development of Information Objects

Using the information collected about the information needs of the participating parents
who are experiencing homelessness and the ways in which they feel served or underserved by
the Greensboro Public Library, two new information objects were developed to attempt to bridge
identified gaps in service.

The main information need reported by members of Group 1, and one of those reported
by 60% of Group 2, was materials and resources to assist their children academically. The chief
complaint of 50% of Group 1 was the parents’ inability to check out items their children needed
to complete schoolwork, due to their housing status. One of the other parents, who had
previously been living at the YWCA Family Shelter but had since been placed in a housing
program, was very clear about her positive feelings toward her children now being able to
possess their own library cards and check out their own books. As travelling to the library for
hours each day just to read the needed books is not generally feasible, the existing card policy
that prohibits young students or their parents from obtaining circulating cards while housed in a
shelter can present a genuinely serious and unnecessary barrier to information for a population
already struggling to overcome many different obstacles.

To begin to address this issue, the most direct solution would be to amend the existing
library card policy to allow families experiencing homelessness who are living in shelters access
to circulating cards in much the same way as those in housing programs. While changing the
policy completely would be difficult as the existing policy is deeply embedded in the library’s
circulation services, it may be possible to alter the policy specifically to meet the needs of
students. With this in mind, this researcher is working with librarians and management staff to
draft a proposal for a change to the current policy. This amendment would allow children
enrolled in Guilford County schools access to temporary resident cards, even if they currently
reside at a non-circulating address. While it is not a perfect solution, it is a step toward broader
reform of the policy in the future.

The other main issue observed through this study, as attested to by 100% of Group 2, is
the need for better advertising for everyday library programs and services. All participants
reported relying on the bulletin boards for information, but the bulletin boards are currently used
exclusively for advertising upcoming special events and free community programs. To learn
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about daily library services a patron must obtain a schedule from the front desk or search the
information out on the website, which is not likely to happen if a patron is unaware the service
exists in the first place.

To address this surprisingly straightforward lapse, this researcher has designed a flyer for
the bulletin boards, drawing attention to many of the programs the library currently has in place
for both children and adults and instructing those who read as to where to go to gain more
information. A translation of the flyer into Spanish has also been prepared, considering Spanish
is by far the most common non-English language spoken in the Greensboro area, and the library
serves a significant Spanish-speaking population (Statistical Atlas, 2015).

The completed English version of this flyer was reviewed by participants who were
willing and able to engage in follow-up to their interview. One parent reported that it was exactly
what she had been picturing, and was pleased about the prospect of online tutoring for her 11
year-old son. Another was surprised by the number of services he was unfamiliar with, but
seemed enthusiastic about bringing his young granddaughter to children’s story times in the
future. The third participant was pleased with the design of the flyer, but expressed a desire for
something more noticeable and mobile, like printed t-shirts that the library could distribute or
sell. While this sort of endeavor falls outside the scope of this unfunded research study, it is
certainly something to consider for future marketing initiatives.
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References

Giesler, M. A. (2017). A place to call home?: A qualitative exploration of public librarians'

response to homelessness. Journal of Access Services, 14(4), 188-214.

Greensboro Interactive Resource Center. (2018). Facts About Homelessness. Retrieved from
Interactive Resource Center: http://interactiveresourcecenter.org/donate/facts-about-
homelessness/

Hinton, S., & Cassel, D. (2013). Exploring the Lived Experiences of Homeless Families with
Young Children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(6), 457-463.

National Center on Family Homelessness. (2011). The Characteristics and Needs of Families
Experiencing Homelessness. Needham: The National Center on Family Homelessness.

National Coalition for the Homeless. (2007). Homeless Families with Children. Washington,
D.C.: National Coalition for the Homeless.

North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness. (2016, January 27). North Carolina Point-in-
Time Count Data. Retrieved from NCCEH: http://www.ncceh.org/pitdata/

Statistical Atlas. (2015, April 17). Languages in Guilford County, North Carolina. Retrieved
from Statistical Atlas: https://statisticalatlas.com/county/North-Carolina/Guilford-
County/Languages

Terrile, V. C. (2016). Public library support of families experiencing homelessness. Journal of

Children and Poverty, 22(2), 133-146.

Tippett, R. (2013, October 24). Homelessness in North Carolina. Retrieved from Carolina
Demography: http://demography.cpc.unc.edu/2013/10/24/homelessness-in-north-
carolina/