Service Proposal Commuter Libraries: Making Library Materials and Services More Accessible to the Working Poor Betsy

Summers Emporia State University

Spring 2012

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries

"More than any other rich society in the world, the United States treats its poor with ambivalencecreating legal, social, and economic systems that operate to make the poor invisible to all of us who are not poor" (Holt & Holt, 2010, p. 14).

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries Abstract This paper offers the vision of a new public library service implemented to help meet the needs, accessibility, and convenience of an exploding population in this country: the working poor. Commuter Libraries are very popular in a number of countries throughout the world. Studies from various organizations and authors are used to provide evidence to support the idea of a Commuter Library in Portland, as one of the best ways a public library can serve the working poor population.

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries Introduction The working poor are an exploding population in America. Defined by Gary Rivlin, author of Broke U.S.A. (2010), as a huge constituent of 40 million Americans who make less than $30,000 a year. Rivlin states that most "earn too much to qualify for government entitlements but earn so little there's no hope they'll ever save much money" (O'Neill, 2011, p. 72). Since the beginning of the Great Recession, the number of working poor has shot up to 46.2 million and continues to climb. Though these numbers are somewhat tricky to pin down because the working poor are not necessarily in "poverty" as defined by the government. According to Metzgar (2010) "the poor are, in fact, part of the working class, and poverty, near-poverty, and the fear of poverty are an endemic part of working-class life" (p. 401). The Working Poor The working poor work harder for less than anyone else in our society; however, making ends meet is a daily battle, and is not always won. Dodson (2010) finds that sometimes the working poor "cannot afford the basicsthe transportation, rent, groceries, fueland most damaging of all, they cannot keep their children healthy and protected" (p. 26). The problem lies in basic math. A person in Oregon working full-time and making the state's minimum wage of $8.80/hr.actually $1.55/hr. higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.could potentially earn as much as $352/week, $1,408/month, and $16,896/year, before taxes, and that assumes

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries they were able to work every business day of the year. Using the federal minimum wage, the numbers are worse. A full-time worker would only make $13,920/year, before taxes. "The 2009 poverty threshold for a single person is $10,956, and it's just $21,954 for a family of four," state Arron and Perri (2011). The numbers indicating poverty are also somewhat muddled. Shipler (2004) writes in his book The Working Poor, that the federal poverty line is archaic in that the formula was created using 1955 spending patterns. "The family used about one-third of its income [in 1955] for food. It is no longer valid today, when the average family spends only about one-sixth of its budget for food, but the government continues to multiply the cost of the "thrifty food basket" by three, adjusting for inflation only and overlooking nearly half a century of dramatically changing lifestyles" (p. 9). By this formula, our government is continually unable to precisely calculateor provide forthe nation's poor. In 2010, Oregon reported having nearly 600,000 residents in poverty, over 15 percent of its population, an increase of nearly 120,000 since the beginning of the Great Recession (OCPP Fact Sheet, 2011). According to the U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder website, there are 298,398 total number of households in Multnomah County. Of those, 74,231 or 24.8 percent are living on less than $24,999/year (2010). For working families hovering near poverty, just one small, seemingly inconsequential hiccup in an otherwise hectic schedule, can throw them into utter chaos. Perhaps stated best by Metzgar (2010) in the following paragraph:

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries A sick kid, your car breaking down, or your babysitter getting stuck in traffic are not trivial matters if youre making $35,000 a year or less especially when they occur in combination, they can challenge your ability to survive, test your resolve, and undermine your spirit no matter how sober and churchgoing you are. Insufficient and unsteady income makes all lifes regular difficulties much more difficult, as they reverberate more broadly and deeply in the rest of ones life. (p. 404) Cause and Effect Making ends meet is a continuous, never-ending daily struggle for working poor families. Low wages are only part of the problem in a society that is rigged against them. Take hidden bank fees versus payday lenders. Both are designed to punish those earning less money. The Pew Health Group's Safe Banking Opportunities Project found that "Banks have long struggled to serve low-income consumers, who tend to rely more on alternative financial services providers like check cashers and payday lenders. Those companies have been criticized for charging high fees, but their prices are often more transparent to consumers than the ATM fees and overdraft penalties that banks impose" (Finkle, 2011, p.1). O'Neill (2011) also points out that working people who used payday services and were "charged high fees for short term loans were happy with the arrangement because they received money quickly and viewed it as cheaper than a bounced check" (p. 72). The same can be said about taxes. The inequity of balancing a state or

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries federal budget on the backs of the working poor has become commonplace. The one saving grace, the Earned Income Tax Credit, which allowed lowincome earners to receive a yearly rebate, is already being phased out in many states due to budget gaps. The Child Tax credit is also being cut. According to a New York Times editorial, "The refundable portion of the child tax credit is a lifesaver for the working poor. Families that would be cut off by this policy change make an average of $21,000 per year, according to the Treasury Department. They would lose an average of $1,800" (1/31/2012). That $1,800 is a fortune for working families. Just affording basic health care for a working family is a nightmare. "Employer-plan premiums are also slanted against the working poor. According to December 2011 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those in the lowest quartile of workers in private industry (earning $10.69 per hour or less) are forking over 6% more money for health coverage than higher-paid workers" (Miller, 2011, p. 5). When you add in other expenses like childcare, food, and clothing, you can quickly see how, as Shipler (2004) indicates, "They spend everything and save nothing" (p. 4). Reading Is Fundamental While part of the working poor's problem does stems from low wages, an equal part stems from their own life choices, including education level. According to a Working Poor Families Project policy brief conducted this past winter, "three in 10 low-income working families had at least one parent without a high school diploma. In more than half of low-income working families, no

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries parent had any education beyond high school, putting them at a severe disadvantage in terms of job security, earnings, and potential economic mobility" (p. 3). So if there were one way to break out of the unending cycle of remaining one of the working poor, studies show that education can make a difference. Education and reading are both keys in helping folks climb out of poverty and break the cycle passed on from one generation to the next. Libraries can make a huge difference in the world of working poor families, especially for the children. A recent study published in the New England Reading Association states "evidence suggest[s] that increasing access to books can not only help students enormouslyit can even mitigate the effects of poverty on school achievement and literacy development" (Krashen, 2011, p. 18). However, studies have also shown that all things are not equal. In the Krashen (2011) article, children growing up in low-income areas do not have the same opportunities as affluent children. "Children of poverty have very little access to books at home and in their communities, with less access to good public libraries and bookstores" and they "attend schools with poorly supported classroom libraries and school libraries" (Krashen, 2011, p. 17). For more evidence, according to a recent Reading Is Fundamental study done in 2010, "When children have more access to books and other print material, they develop more positive attitudes toward reading and learning. This finding appears to hold for interventions that allow children to borrow books

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries to read and interventions that give books to children to own" (p. 46). The study also indicates "One possible remedy to the socioeconomic gaps in academic achievement is to make sure that children of low-income families have access to high-quality, age-appropriate books. Having books can facilitate children's reading and shared reading between children and their caregivers" (p. 3). It is clear that having access to books is an important key to reaching higher academic achievement, landing better jobs that earn more income, and creating a potential break the vicious cycle of poverty. Making access to libraries easy and convenient can be a simple solution for the working poor. Current Library Services The Multnomah County Libraries (MCL) understands the mission of offering services to the working poor. Included on their website are a wonderful array of useful links; everything from earning your GED, to improving your typing skills, to help for job seekers, and money management. For those in housing transitions, MCL donates reading materials and videos, sends out request forms for specific items of interest, such as parenting, GED information, or general fiction, and helps to serve those with literacy needs. The only problem with MCL services is not the lack of them, but more the access to them. Time, it turns out, is a major issue with working families. According to Roy, Tubbs, and Burton (2004), "Consistent daily movement between the workplace and household leads to expectable family rhythms" (p. 168), only for the working poor, those rhythms can be unpredictable. "Low-

Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries income families who do not have access to consistent resources to gain control of time appear to be unadjusted to the 9-to-5 public timetable" (Roy, et al, p. 169). Because of time constraints and ability to find the time to physically access the library within harried schedules, many working poor may be unable to visit the library. "Part of the difficulty of reaching lower-income families is getting them to the library" (p. 327) according to Haller and Hayes in the article by Auld (2005). Stated so well by Holt and Holt (2010) "Living poor means a scarcity of time. Working one job is hard enough. Working two or three is grinding. Add to that the complications of finding and keeping dependable child care or helping out sick family members without any financial reserves to meet such crises" (p. 54). Proposed Solution With time being a major factor in why the working poor underuse the library, the idea is to try and minimize the time factor. By creating a Commuter Library we in fact make library services easily accessible, and consistently available on the very timetable that works for the working poor: during their travels to and from work. Popular in countries such as Chile, the Netherlands, Germany, and Brazil, metro libraries are a way to satisfy the reading needs of daily commuters, low income and affluent alike. TriMet is Portland's public mass transit agency, and according to a recent user study, has indicated that a majority of frequent riders use its services to get to work (Customer Profile, 2010). Partnering with TriMet is the logical first step for MCL, because according to Holt

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries and Holt (2010) "Partnerships are successful when each partner gains more by working with another than by working alone" (p. 124). Having library services available to commuters is indeed a win-win proposition, especially in Multnomah County where its library is such a popular place (Varvel, 2011). Currently, there are seven transportation hubs located throughout Multnomah County, a place where buses and light rail converge to allow travelers to make connections in their commute. MCL would start by creating two Commuter Library branches at two of TriMet's busier hubs, and expand locations as needed, or as patron demand indicated. More than popular gimmick, Commuter Libraries would help the working poor by making access to the library simple and convenient. The Commuter Library would give famiies the chance to stop by the library on the way to or from work as well as allowing them access to computer services they might not otherwise have at home. A mother might be able to take home books to read to their children that they would otherwise not have the chance to pick up. A father may pick up a magazine and read an article that nudges his imagination. A teen might suddenly be aware of the time to begin work on their GED or look for classes to enroll in at the local community college. Time once wasted between bus connections or waiting on the next MAX train could become a productive way to better oneself and one's family. Available Services Not only will commutersfrom all walks of lifebe able to browse the

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries latest magazines, or the newest bestseller, patrons will also have opportunity to logon to the Internet. Each Commuter Library will have secure Wi-Fi and be set up with a number of computers available for travelers. Having free access to computers is especially meaningful in this economy, especially for the working poor, many who cannot afford Internet services. According to Barnardi (2005) "Our adult and teenage patrons depend on our computers to do online job searches, apply for jobs online, and prepare resumes" (p. 322). Each Commuter Library will employ one full-time librarianwho will serve as the branch managerand three other part-time staffers. All staff will be trained in answering social services questions. As stated by Holt and Holt (2010) "at least some public library staff in institution both large and small are going to have to master the complex and sometimes arcane content of poverty programs at the federal, state, and local levels" (p. 72). The needs of lowincome families are specifically information oriented. Barnardi (2005) states, "For example, they might want information about food stamps, unemployment insurance, entitlement programs, or health care. Obviously, we cannot give them all the information they need, and we have to refer them to appropriate agencies" (p. 322). It will be the primary goal of each Commuter Library to meet the needs of the working poor patron. As far as the actual building that the Commuter Library would be housed in, many of the TriMet transit hubs already have small brick building onsite either for mechanical purposes or offices. The buildings would be the perfect

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries size for housing a Commuter Library. Always centrally located, they represent ideal placement for the convenience of the traveler to come in for a brief visit while waiting for their next connection. If these buildings were available, the cost in developing the Commuter Library would decrease substantially. If TriMet were in fact purposefully using them, then a new building would have to be designed and created. This could be expensive, but would also allow for the creation of an amazing, architecturally interesting space. Grants could possibly be obtained through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). According to Holt and Holt (2010), "Money to plan and give partnerships often is available through IMLS and grants are passed through from the federal level by state libraries" (p. 130). Materials within each library would be limited with space at a premium. Popular magazines, newspapers, and bestselling books would be available for checkout. Multiple copies of each format would be on hand. Patrons would require a library card from MCL for checkout, but loan times would be extended to one month. Fines and fees would be the same, with the exception that all Commuter Library staff would have the authority to wave them on an asneeded basis. Another partnership with Powell's Bookstore could create an area for free items. During their visit to the Commuter Library, patrons would have the opportunity to pick out a book or old magazine to take home with them to keep. Programming would be an important aspect of the Commuter Library.

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries According to Mistry and Wadsworth (2011), "Helping poor families connect with existing resources and with each other constitute important sources of support and resiliency for families" (p. 14). The Commuter Library would have current information available to help those working poor in need, including resources to available social services in the city, as well as access to local support groups. The Commuter Library would form another partnership with Portland State University's Community Counseling Clinic to hold drop-in, one-to-one sessions with volunteer counselors throughout the week, free of charge. Evaluation Maureen O'Connor, Director of Library Services for the Queens Borough Public Library in New York City says this about equitable services: The myth in public library service is that we provide equitable service to all our customers. While we attempt to provide the same service, all of our customers don't receive the same service. The variables at work in people's lives create barriers between our potential to serve and the ability of customers to access what we have to offer: hours of service, language, mobility, education, history of library use, access to technology, 323) The idea of the Commuter Library is to make access to the library's services easier for the working poor who may otherwise not have the time or transportation necessary to visit one of MCL's traditional branch libraries. By and level of technological literacy are a few. (Auld, 2005, p.

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries offering reading materials and computer access to commuters by placing a library at TriMet hub locations, library services instantly become more equitable as barriers to access fall away. The ultimate evaluation of success of the Commuter Library begins by taking quantitative measuresthe actual number of patrons walking through the door, as well as circulation numbers. Also, to get successful read on the impact the library is having in the community, qualitative measures such as informal interviews or online surveys, should be conducted. By using a triangulation of both the quantitative and qualitative research methods, we should arrive at a valid evaluation of services. As stated by Holt and Holt (2010), "The idea behind outcome evaluation and other qualitative techniques is that it is important to understand the user experience when considering the success or failure of the library or an individual library program" (p. 136-137). However, Holt and Holt (2010) also caution us in saying "As with many target audience groups, it can be difficult to identify the poor who use libraries informally, let alone to understand the effects of the library on the poor" (p. 132). Understanding the impact of library services to the working poor may ultimately be difficult to evaluate. According to Sharon Smith, Branch Manager at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Libraries, "One of the biggest challenges for libraries serving the low-income population is how to justify how we spend our resources using the existing tools of evaluation. In these settings, you cannot measure success by how many books were checked out or how many patrons

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries attended programs. You measure success in other ways" (Auld, 2005, p. 325). Talking with partners, interviewing Commuter Library patrons, and establishing relationships with those you are serving, are the "other ways" we hope to evaluate the success of the library. Conclusion Authors Roberts, Povich, and Mather (2011) state, "The entire nation has an important stake in ensuring that all working families succeed, and that public investments are used to increase the success of low-income working families" (p. 6). Creating a library geared to make access to reading materials and computer use as easy and as untime-consuming as possible, the Commuter Library offers a unique chance for the working poor to take advantage of an otherwise time-consuming service. The Great Recession has affected millions with economic insecurity; and the invisible working poor are struggling that much harder. The Commuter Library offers a convenient place of hope and is society's way of saying "I see you."

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries

References 211info.org, (2012). http://211info.org/community-resource-database Arron, K., & Perri, L. (2011). What went wrong: Betrayal of the American dream. http://americawhatwentwrong.org/story/working-poor/ Auld, H. (2005). Library services in low-income urban communities. Public Libraries, 44(6), 320-328. Barnardi, J. (2005). The poor and the public library. Public Libraries, 44(6). Commuter Library (2012). Retrieved from http://www.wix.com/betsyssummers/commuterlibrary Dodson, L. (2010). The work-around: How some supervisors of low-wage workers break the rules to make an unfair system a little bit fairer. American Prospect, 21(1). 26-28. Editorial: A harder squeeze on the poor. New York Times, 1/31/2012 Finkle, V. (2011). Hidden fees drive the poor from banks. American Banker, 176(162). Holt, L. E., & Holt, G. E. (2010). Public library services for the working poor: Doing all we can. American Library Association, Chicago. Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2012). Grant applications: Available grants. http://www.imls.gov/applicants/project.aspx Krashen, S. (2011). Protecting students against the effects of poverty: Libraries. The NERA Journal, 46(2).

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries Metzgar, J. (2010). Are "the poor" part of the working class or in a class by themselves? Labor Studies Journal, 35(3), 398-416. Mistry, R. S., & Wadsworth, M. E. (2011). Family functioning and child development in the context of poverty. The Prevention Researcher, 18(4), 11-15 Miller, J. (2011). Working poor might find their costs unaffordable. Managed Healthcare Executive, March. Oregon Center for Public Policy Fact sheet. (2011). A graphic view of poverty. Retrieved from http://www.ocpp.org/2011/11/09/fs20111109graphic-viewpoverty-oregon/ O'Neill, B. (2011). Book Review: Broke, USA: From pawnshops to poverty, Inc. How the working poor became big business. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 22(1), 71-75. Portland State University Community Counseling Clinic. (2012). Retrieved from http://pdx.edu/coun/clinic Reading Is Fundamental. (2010). Children's access to print material and education-related outcomes. Literature Review, August. Roberts, B., Povich, D., & Mather, M. (2011). Overlooked and underpaid: number of low-income working families increases to 10.2 million. The Working Poor Families Project, Policy Brief, (Winter 2011-2012), 1-8. Shipler, D. K. (2004). The working poor: Invisible in America. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

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Service Proposal: Commuter Libraries TriMet. (2011). 2010 customer profile. Retrieved from http://trimet.org/pdfs/publications/customer_profile.pdf TriMet Hubs Map (2012). Retrieved from http://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=330669 U. S. Census Bureau. (2010). American fact finder: Selected economic characteristics. Multnomah County. Retrieved from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview. xhtml?pid=ACS_10_5YR_DP03 U. S. Department of Labor. (2011). A profile of the working poor, 2009. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Report 1027, 1-14. Varvel, V. E., Jr. (2011). The public library data service 2011 statistical report: characteristics and trend. Public Libraries, 50(5).

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