Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to consider the potential for public library policies that specifically target “the homeless” to undermine their own objectives, and seeks to suggest alternative approaches to extend inclusion and ensure that all demographics are served equally.Design/methodology/approach – The paper was written for a satellite meeting of the 78th IFLA Congress entitled “The Homeless and the Libraries – the Right to Information and Knowledge For All”. Drawing on previous research detailed in Muggleton, and Muggleton and Ruthven, the author presents a discursive perspective on the impact that assumptions about homelessness might have for policymaking.Findings – Extant prejudices and the tendency to create a homeless “other” mean that policies specifically addressing the homeless have the potential to accentuate difference and patronise and alienate the intended beneficiaries of these policies. Moreover, political opposition to more inclusive, accommodating policymaking makes it important to reject...
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