Sanctuary of Mind: The Public Library and Homelessness Conference (DC, Thursday June 26th)

From the DC Library Renaissance Project:

Homelessness is an issue of society at large, but it has a disproportionate impact on public libraries. The MLK Library Friends – a group of library volunteers and advocates – will host a conference to examine solutions to the dilemmas posed for the city’s central library by homelessness in the District of Columbia.

Civic, religious, non-profit and District agency leaders will discuss their challenges and aspirations, ranging from how feeding programs have turned to literature for a second course, to how the library can provide the “home” in homework for homeless children. The program will also be informed by on-the-ground perspectives of DC Public Library professionals, as well as ideas from other library systems. The session is being convened in conjunction with planning for renovation of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Library.

Thursday June 26, 2014 from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm
The Carnegie Institution for Science
1530 P Street, NW
(Red line Dupont Circle south exit, three blocks east on P, corner of 16th and P)
Free and open to the public.
RSVP to: info@mlklibraryfriends.org

8:45 Doors Open: Registration and coffee

9:15-9:25 Welcome
MLK Library Friends

9:30-9:50 DCPL Overview: Existing and New Programming for Homeless Patrons
Jean Badalamenti, Health and Human Services Coordinator, DC Public Library

9:55-10:15 Defending Sanctuary: Freedom to Think
Maria Foscarinis, Director National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty

10:20-10:40 Sanctuary Sanctus
Msgr. John Enzler, CEO and President, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington

10:45-11:05 Feeding the Soul
William Turner, Librarian, West End branch, DC Public Library

11:10-11:30 Working Words
Brian Carome, Executive Director, StreetSense

11:35-11:55 Could This Work Here? Ideas from Other Libraries
Robin Diener, President MLK Library Friends

12 noon-12:15 Moving Forward: Library Planning with Homelessness in Mind
Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director, DC Public Library

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-- "D.C. Libraries: Not a Homeless Shelter, Especially in the West End," Washington City Paper, 2008
-- "Downtown BID Homeless Services Partner with DC Public Library," Georgetowner
-- "Library Service to the Homeless," Public Libraries Journal
-- "The Problem Is Not the Homeless," Library Journal
-- "The Homeless Problem — Annoyed Librarian," Library Journal
-- Extending Our Reach: Reducing Homelessness Through Library Engagement, American Library Association
-- "A trip to the library: homelessness and social inclusion," Social and Cultural Geography Journal, 2008
-- "The poor and homeless: An opportunity for libraries to serve," Southeastern Librarian
-- "The Role of Public Libraries in Community Building," Public Library Quarterly
-- "Strategies That Public Libraries Use to Build Communities," Public Library Quarterly
-- "The Library as a Place," Public Library Quarterly
-- "Libraries, Low-Income People, and Social Exclusion," Public Library Quarterly
-- "Homelessness in Public Libraries," Journal of Access Services