The NY Public Library And The Homeless
March 19th, 2006
City Limits covers homeless advocates’ concerns with a new library policy that will truncate the only way to utilize the internet that the homeless have:
The New York Public Library now requires users to have a library card to log on to the internet, and an address is required to obtain the card. According to the city, about 4,400 homeless do not stay in the shelter system, where they could obtain an address. The National Coalition for the Homeless estimates that ten to twenty percent of the homeless regularly use libraries.
Homeless people depend on free access to internet in libraries to find out about job listings, keep themselves informed and email rsums to potential employers, said Rogers, who regularly searches craigslist.com for weekend jobs or part-time work. Rogers, a member of the advocacy group Picture the Homeless, has been homeless himself for three years.
But the blog Baby Boomer Librarian says City Limits is looking for sensationalism.They post what they claim is an email from Susan Kent, Director of Branch Libraries, which states that, “Anyone without a library card may ask for a ‘guest pass’ which will provide access to the Internet under the same terms as library card holders.”
By Mike Muller on March 19, 2006, 11:36 pmIn category: Civil Rights, Demographics, Social Services, Tech | 4 Comments »
