The ability of public library staff to help homeless people in the United States: exploring relationships, roles and potential

Abstract

For public library staff, helping homeless service users can be challenging as they present a range of needs and concerns. In this exploratory study, library staff in the United States completed postal surveys focusing on their relationships with and abilities to help homeless library service patrons. Findings indicated that library staff may be in a position to help, yet they are not well trained to address the specific and often complex needs of homeless people. In the future, additional training may enable library staff to serve in a gatekeeper capacity to link homeless patrons with formal social service providers.