I feel at home: Perspectives of homeless library customers on public library services and social inclusion

Abstract

Homeless library customers often face barriers to equitable library use. This study examined homeless library customers’ perspectives on general and targeted public library services, and social inclusion. Findings presented in the paper come from a qualitative phenomenological study comprising semi-structured in-depth interviews with seven self-identified regular library users of a public library in Christchurch, New Zealand, who were experiencing homelessness at the time of the study. Findings report on a diverse range of information needs and motivations for visiting a public library. Participants viewed the public library as a safe, warm, and quiet place in which to relax and escape difficulties related to experiencing homelessness. The results reflect changes in the role of public libraries and in the expectations of customers, and discuss a need for targeted library services in the form of specialist gatekeeper roles such as that of a community liaison. This study evaluated the effectiveness of general and targeted library services from users’ points of view, providing insights which could be used to inform the design of relevant information policies and services.