Readers React: Here are the ways libraries can deliver services to homeless people

To the editor: I am pleased that former librarian Amanda Oliver raises awareness about the state of our public libraries, but I do not agree with her statement that there are no quiet days at these facilities.

I have been working in library services for nearly 20 years. Public libraries serve communities, including the ever growing population of homeless individuals. We connect these individuals to local services, and like members of any community, they network at the library.

I would like to see more libraries partnering with social services and offering a bag-check space rather than ejecting individuals with too many belongings. Public libraries could also partner with food kitchens to serve lunches on site; we do this in the summer for children, so we can offer adults in need the same service.

Times have changed. Let’s keep up.

Bethia Sheean-Wallace, Fullerton

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To the editor: Public libraries have become a strange stew of human activities that range from children’s story time, to author events, to a place for study, to a resource for researchers, to a hangout for homeless people.

Libraries are also an example of the law of unexpected consequences. Lack of adequate living spaces, the criminalization of poverty and the dearth of social services have made libraries a last bastion for those who have nowhere else to go.

As a society, we are obligated to do better for our fellow human beings.

Ben Miles, Huntington Beach

The writer chairs the Huntington Beach Library Board of Trustees.

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