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Kimberly Curran
LIS 662
Policy Proposal
May 1, 2018

Proposal to Amend Greensboro Public Library Card Policy

Statement of the Problem

As the wage gap continues to widen, the number of people living below the poverty line
increases, and so does the number of people who will experience homelessness each year.
According to The National Coalition for the Homeless, families with children represent one of
the fastest growing segments of the homeless population (2007). For families experiencing
homelessness, who have often lost consistent access to information, educational resources, and
safe environments in which to simply spend their time, the public library can be “a sanctuary as
well as a place in which to engage in activities around literacy and learning” (Terrile, 2016, p.
133).

As of 2013, families with children accounted for approximately 31% of people

experiencing homelessness in Guilford County (Tippett, 2013). More than 25% of children in
Guilford County are living below the poverty line, and every year as many as 2,750 Guilford
County students will experience some form of housing instability (Greensboro Interactive
Resource Center, 2018). These students and their families will likely turn to the Greensboro
Public Library for information and educational materials that they do not have the financial
means to access another way. However, many parents will find that unless they have reliable
access to transportation and the spare time to spend hours in the library with their children
whenever their children need to utilize library resources, the library may not be as accessible an
information resource as they might have hoped.

The Greensboro Public Library’s current library card policy states that patrons who do
not currently have a permanent address will not be allowed to check out materials of any kind.
This includes all people who are currently residing in emergency or family shelters throughout
the Greensboro area. Library patrons who are experiencing homelessness but are currently
enrolled in a transitional housing program are eligible for temporary resident library cards that
allow them to check out a limited number of items. These housing programs can be very difficult
to access, however, with a minimum wait time of several months on average (Mayberry, 2016).
For students experiencing homelessness who need access to materials right now, it would not be
difficult to view the existing card policy as restrictive, or even discriminatory.

Proposed Solution

Patrons who are participating in transitional housing programs are able to acquire library
cards that have reduced checkout limits and expiration dates set six months from the date of
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acquisition. The reasoning for this appears to be that participation in a housing program is
enough of a guarantee of the patron’s continued residence in Greensboro that allowing them to
take items from the library does not create a significant risk of the library incurring fees for the
replacement of lost materials. I would argue that current attendance of a Guilford County school
serves the same purpose. Due to the documented difficulty of accessing transitional housing
programs, the majority of students who are newly experiencing homelessness will be living in
shelters which do not meet address requirements of the current card policy. For this reason, I
propose that children who are living at a non-circulating address but can provide proof of
enrollment in a Guilford County school, such as a letter or valid school ID card, be allowed
access to temporary resident library cards in the same manner as children in transitional housing.

The American Library Association’s policy statement regarding the provision of

information services to those living in poverty emphasizes the responsibility of libraries in
promoting equal access to information, particularly when it comes to meeting the needs of
marginalized members of the community, and the importance of working to remove all barriers
library services (2018). This amendment to the card policy would ensure that all young students
in our service area have a way to access the library materials necessary for them to succeed,
upholding not only the ALA’s ideals, but also the Greensboro Public Library’s mission to partner
with its community “to provide free and equal access to information, foster lifelong learning, and
inspire the joys of reading” (Greensboro Public Library, 2018).

Conclusion

Thousands of young students and their families experience homelessness in Guilford

County every year, and many of them will turn to the public library as not only a source of
information, but also as a safe and welcoming place where they can spend time and children can
access the resources they need. By amending the existing library card policy to provide a way for
students to check items out regardless of their current address, the Greensboro Public Library
would be removing an unnecessary barrier to information access for a group that is already
facing a disproportionate number of barriers, and moving closer to providing free and equal
access to information for every member of the community. This would not only improve these
students’ chances of succeeding academically, but would also work to mitigate the stress placed
on parents who are doing their best to address their children’s needs while struggling with the
difficulties and stigma of homelessness.
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References

American Library Association. (2018). Policy Manual: B.8 Services and Responsibilities of
Libraries. Retrieved from ALA.org: http://www.ala.org/aboutala/b8-services-and-
responsibilities-libraries-old-number-52#B.8.10

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

Greensboro Public Library. (2018). About Us. Retrieved from Greensboro Public Library:
https://library.greensboro-nc.gov/about-us

Mayberry, L. S. (2016). THE HIDDEN WORK OF EXITING HOMELESSNESS:

CHALLENGES OF HOUSING SERVICE USE AND STRATEGIES OF SERVICE
RECIPIENTS. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(3), 293-310.

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

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/