Is it illegal for public libraries to ban homeless and drug addicts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you want to feel safe at the library, get in your car, and drive to an exurb.
You love your walkable, transit oriented neighborhood? So do homeless derelicts.

I have never felt unsafe at nay library in Alexandria, the main library in Arlington (the one in Va Square) or the Shirlington library.

So I am not sure what you are talking about. (I did have an issue when the kids program at Shirlington was so loud it was hard for me to focus on reading).

Did you read this thread? Obviously not. So glad you feel safe in Shirlington. I do too, but I’m not oblivious to homeless dudes hanging around. They’ve never bothered me.
However, if I didn’t want to see them? I’d drive to Middleburg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its a real problem, and its really not fair to library staff, who were educated to work in a library and often love what they do. My mom worked in an urban library and talked about how often and awful it was to have to deal with people who would view porn on the computers, use drugs, etc. All those who have no issue with this, or say its because they have no place else to go, are you advocating for the lobbies in your buildings to be open to the homeless? Those are safe warm spaces where homeless could hang out during the day. What about empty conference rooms at your offices - you could certainly invite homeless people to use those. Because unless you are taking steps to invite the homeless into your workplace, you are a hypocrite. Library employees have the right to a safe and orderly space where they can do the job they are paid to do, just like you do.

Agreed! Why in this country are we increasingly asking teachers and librarians to deal with the consequences of our failing mental health system? I'm guessing no one becomes a librarian to administer Naloxone or break up fights between homeless addicts.

It was a dying profession 20 years go. Maybe librarians are reinventing the field and making themselves relevant again. I used to work as a part-time library assistant in a tiny library in a rich Boston suburb. We didn't have the homeless wondering in (too long a walk from Boston proper), but we did have shelter crowd brought in every week or so. Long story short, I buy my books

Am I the only person who finds this reply ridiculous?

I don't find it ridiculous at all. It's a response like "I was a public school teacher for X years and I'm choosing to homeschool my own children." When people know how the sausage is made, so to speak, and refuse to eat it... well, some of us find that interesting information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like how lawmakers won't make it illegal for homeless to loiter all day in libraries, but you don't see them opening the courthouses, state buildings and other public buildings to the homeless. The courthouse has a great cafeteria and nice bathrooms, why not let the homeless use them??

"Loiter"? You mean, "spending time"?

How do you know that homeless people are not allowed to spend time in the courthouse? If I were homeless, I'd prefer spending time in the library. Actually there was a long piece in the New York Times yesterday about a homeless woman. The MLK library in DC was one of the places she chose to spend time. She also spent time at the Grand Central branch of the New York Public Library. Here it is: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/03/nyregion/nyc-homeless-nakesha-mental-illness.html

[Anonymous]

I think lawmakers need to do more about the homeless population. They closed all the mental hospitals and institutions 30 years ago, but now there really isn't a place for many of these mentally unstable individuals. I really don't have any answers, but i don't think people should be allowed to just monopolize library computers all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like how lawmakers won't make it illegal for homeless to loiter all day in libraries, but you don't see them opening the courthouses, state buildings and other public buildings to the homeless. The courthouse has a great cafeteria and nice bathrooms, why not let the homeless use them??

"Loiter"? You mean, "spending time"?

I don't know what the PP's definition of loitering was, but I'd consider loitering spending more than 3 hours there, 2x per week. I'd personally be fine with a restriction like that - it would allow the vast majority of people to continue visiting and getting the intended benefits out of the public libraries while cutting down on a lot of the issues.

[Anonymous]

WHen I lived in Eastern Europe, you had to pay for admission to the library. It was pretty small, like the equivalent of $1 here, but they didn't have a homeless problem in the librayr, that's for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think lawmakers need to do more about the homeless population. They closed all the mental hospitals and institutions 30 years ago, but now there really isn't a place for many of these mentally unstable individuals. I really don't have any answers, but i don't think people should be allowed to just monopolize library computers all day.

Most of them wouldn't be happy to go to a mental hospital or institution even if they still existed. Those places have rules, and consequences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like how lawmakers won't make it illegal for homeless to loiter all day in libraries, but you don't see them opening the courthouses, state buildings and other public buildings to the homeless. The courthouse has a great cafeteria and nice bathrooms, why not let the homeless use them??

"Loiter"? You mean, "spending time"?

I don't know what the PP's definition of loitering was, but I'd consider loitering spending more than 3 hours there, 2x per week. I'd personally be fine with a restriction like that - it would allow the vast majority of people to continue visiting and getting the intended benefits out of the public libraries while cutting down on a lot of the issues.

You want libraries to enforce a rule that patrons may only visit twice a week, for no longer than 3 hours at a time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think lawmakers need to do more about the homeless population. They closed all the mental hospitals and institutions 30 years ago, but now there really isn't a place for many of these mentally unstable individuals. I really don't have any answers, but i don't think people should be allowed to just monopolize library computers all day.

Most of them wouldn't be happy to go to a mental hospital or institution even if they still existed. Those places have rules, and consequences.

Unlike libraries

[Anonymous]

Why even have a public library, install computers with internet in the homeless shelter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why even have a public library, install computers with internet in the homeless shelter

Agreed. And why aren't homeless shelters open 24/7? If that's the issue is that they're getting kicked out, why not keep them open? The facilities exist, so it's not like a huge cost savings when you close them during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I volunteered at a homeless shelter that closed at 7 a.m. Everyone would head for the library once it closed. They were just looking for a safe, warm place to pass the time and often mentioned how friendly and helpful the staff were. I frequented the library they went to and you would never know there were homeless people there.

I would agree with PPs that there are not enough places for homeless people, especially during the day. But I'm glad the library welcomes those who would otherwise have no place to go.

I agree. DS went to preschool in Foggy Bottom. They used to walk the kids to the West End Library. I never heard of any issues with the other patrons and the kids.
I also used to volunteer at Miriam's Kitchen and many of the people used to talk about going to that library to keep warm in winter or stay cool in the summer.

Who decided that libraries are only for families? As long as they are being respectful and using the library as intended, a home, or lack thereof should have nothing to do with who gets to use the library. As for drug addicts, homeless or not, they should not be allowed in the library.

[Anonymous]

My friend told me this is an issue with the Reston library close to Reston Town Center, which I'm sure many would consider exurban.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why even have a public library, install computers with internet in the homeless shelter

Agreed. And why aren't homeless shelters open 24/7? If that's the issue is that they're getting kicked out, why not keep them open? The facilities exist, so it's not like a huge cost savings when you close them during the day.

A lot of people don't want to go to shelters even if they are open because of the rule that you need to be clean and cannot drink or do drugs in a shelter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WHen I lived in Eastern Europe, you had to pay for admission to the library. It was pretty small, like the equivalent of $1 here, but they didn't have a homeless problem in the librayr, that's for sure.

Love this idea. I'd eagerly pay four bucks to take the kids to the library, knowing it'll be super clean and safe and we're funding it with essentially a $4 donation each visit. But the sad reality is I bet the ACLU would sue the pants off libraries who tried this, local outrage-addicted media (who themselves haven't stepped in a library since college) would rip them apart, pandering politicians (who haven't been in a library in 40 years) would tell them it's immoral. Sigh.