What are the legal rights of homeless library users? What policies are legally permissible for libraries to make? What does the law have to say about balancing the needs and preferences of homeless users with the needs and preferences of your other library customers and staff? In D.C., a homeless man sued a public library, its board of trustees, director, and individual employees, claiming that the library's policy violated his free speech and due process rights. Tune in to this webcast to see how the court ruled.

We will also look at library policies on issues such as solicitation, harassment, bedrolls, and odor, as well as the positive role that libraries can serve by providing homeless users with literacy services, referrals, email, and library cards.

Webinars are free of charge and registration is only done on the day of the event on the WebEx server. No passwords are required. 

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• Speaker's slides:
  • Homeless ppt [5.7mb] - pdf (3 slides per page) [304kb]
• Handouts:
  • Agenda and Key Resources: doc [120kb] - pdf [28kb]
  • Just a Little Understanding: A Social-Service Provider's Perspective on Homeless Library Users, by John Gehner and Kali Freeman, Monday September 19, 2005