"Homelessness is a perennial topic of concern at libraries. In fact, staff at public libraries interact with almost as many homeless individuals as staff at shelters do. In this book Dowd, executive director of a homeless shelter, spotlights best practices drawn from his own shelter's policies and training materials" --

Advocating a strategic approach, this book shows how to form a plan, secure funding and support, and create effective programs for adults, children, and youth who are experiencing homelessness. You'll find guidance for creating partnerships, training staff, and advocating. Taking a holistic approach that will help you to better understand the experience of homelessness within the context of your library community, this book offers new strategies and tools for addressing the challenge of meeting the needs of the entire community, including those who are unstably housed. With basic facts, statistics, and conversations about homelessness, the author makes a case for why libraries should provide support, explains exactly which needs they may be able (or unable) to meet, and shows how this support can be a natural part of the library services you already provide. Topics discussed include trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and mental and physical health challenges; brief stories and concrete examples illustrate the principles and guidelines discussed. Citing innovative services such as Dallas Public Library's "coffee and conversation" program and San Francisco Public Library's social worker program, the book offers both food for thought and tools for action as public librarians strive to understand and meet the needs of a population that has traditionally been stereotyped and excluded.

Public libraries can increase their impact on knowledge development, innovation, and social change by promoting parent and family engagement in children's learning. Libraries are increasingly focusing on families. Educational research confirms that family engagement in children's learning and development predicts school readiness, positive social behaviors, high school graduation, interest in STEM careers, and post-secondary education. A Librarian's Guide to Engaging Families in Learning will inspire libraries and librarians to innovate and promote family learning from a child's earliest years through adolescence. By bringing together research and practice, it will deepen librarians' understanding of families' role in education and help them to learn new ways to build positive and trusting family partnerships that honor diverse cultures and languages, as well as to develop leadership for community impact. Written by thought leaders in the fields of family engagement and library science, each of the three main sections of the book begins with a framework followed by case studies illustrating key concepts of the framework. Cases are followed by reflections from practicing librarians. All chapters focus on practical family engagement in the social infrastructure, lifelong learning, and diversity and social justice.

Despite billions of government dollars spent in the attempt, we are no closer than we were three decades ago to solving the problem of homelessness. Why? And what can we do about it?Tackling these questions, the authors of Ending Homelessness explore the complicated and often dysfunctional relationship between efforts to address homelessness and the realities on the street.

Adolescent homelessness is a growing problem that results in a variety of health challenges. This text is a practical resource designed to promote effective interdisciplinary health and social care interventions targeting adolescents who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. It is based on extensive interdisciplinary experience, reviews of pertinent research and insights and contributions of leading professionals who are directly involved in the care of these young people. Divided into four main sections, Section 1: (Chapters 1-7) section one is a review of the structure and professional involvement of program models targeting youth experiencing or at risk for homelessness to encourage broader understanding and utilization of principles and practices underlying effective programs and identify replicable components. Section 2: (Chapters 8-16) Section two is clinically focused with recommendations for working with adolescents and youth experiencing homelessness and interventions for common and significant medical and mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. Section 3: (Chapter 17) Reviews international agreements regarding stabilization and care of refugee youth and families, description of experiences of refugee children and youth in developed countries, and an outline of conditions from which refugee youth and families have left. Section 4: (Chapters 18 and 19) Engagement of homeless youth in research and future research directions to address needs of youth experiencing homelessness. Written by experts from a variety of disciplines, Clinical Care for Homeless, Runaway and Refugee Youth is a first of its kind text for physicians, social workers, public health workers and any other individual that works directly with these vulnerable populations.

Whether you're an administrator or library leader concerned about the health and well-being of your team, or a library worker excited to launch a health and wellness movement in your library, you'll find sensible guidance and inspiration in Newman's handbook. As part of their dedication to improving the lives of their patrons, libraries have long offered services, programs, and outreach dedicated to the health and wellness of their communities. There is a growing recognition that library workers themselves are in urgent need of such attention; low morale, and complaints of burnout and a toxic work environment, are only a few of the obvious symptoms. The good news is that by turning inward, libraries can foster wellness in their workplace and make a real difference in the day-to-day lives of their staff. Newman, who has led a popular course on the subject attended by workers from many types of different libraries, here takes a holistic approach to examine why and how libraries should focus on improving the health and wellness of employees. Filled with hands-on advice, examples of successful initiatives, and suggested action steps, in this book readers will learn how to define health and wellness, including its physical, psychological, and social aspects, and why they touch upon nearly everything that happens in the workplace; what a workplace looks like when it strives to ensure the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of workers, and the ways in which this approach to a work environment benefits both the library and the community it serves; the role played by the physical aspects of the workplace, such as the ergonomics of sitting and standing desks, the effects of air quality and smell on worker health and productivity, and noise levels stemming from open plan workspaces; about key policies relating to wages, working schedules, where employees work, and child and elder care; real-world advice on addressing complicated workplace issues like emotional and invisible labor, with a look at the part that burdensome or indifferent policies and practices can play in contributing to compassion fatigue and burnout; ways to make healthy choices for oneself and encourage healthy choices in co-workers and staff; concrete, evidence-based steps that libraries can take to improve workplace wellness; how to make a lasting difference by focusing on one aspect they can change personally and one that they can advocate changing library wide.

We are only now coming to terms with how common trauma really is; a landmark Kaiser study that surveyed patients receiving physicals found that almost two-thirds had experienced at least one form of abuse, neglect, or other trauma as a child. Though originating in the fields of health and social services, trauma-informed care is a framework that holds great promise for application to library work. Empathetic service, positive patron encounters, and a more trusting workplace are only a few of the benefits that this approach offers. In this important book Tolley, experienced in both academic and public libraries, brings these ideas into the library context. Library administrators, directors, and reference and user services staff will all benefit from learning - the six key principles of trauma-informed care; - characteristics of a trusting and transparent library organization, plus discussion questions to promote a sense of psychological safety among library workers; - how certain language and labels can undermine mutuality, with suggested phrases that will help library staff demonstrate neutrality to patron ideas and views during information requests; - delivery models that empower patrons; - advice on balancing free speech on campus with students’ need for safety; - how appropriate furniture arrangement can help people suffering from PTSD feel safe; - guidance on creating safe zones for LGBTQIA+ children, teens, and adults; and - self-assessment tools to support change toward trauma-responsive library services. Using the trauma-informed approach outlined in this book, libraries can ensure they are empathetic community hubs where everyone feels welcomed, respected, and safe.

Sharing expertise gleaned from more than two decades as a library security manager, Graham demonstrates that libraries can maintain their best traditions of openness and public access by creating an unobtrusive yet effective security plan. In straightforward language, the author Shows how to easily set clear expectations for visitors' behavior Presents guidelines for when and how to intervene when someone violates the code of conduct, including tips for approaching an unruly patron Offers instruction on keeping persistent troublemakers under control or permanently barred from the library Gives library staff tools for communicating effectively with its security professionals, including examples of basic documentation The Black Belt Librarian arms librarians with the confidence and know-how they need to maintain a comfortable, productive, and safe environment for everyone in the library.

Frankly, it’s not something we like to talk about. There is an unfortunate stigma to acknowledging workplace dysfunction, let alone trying to grapple with the problem. But negative behaviors such as incivility, toxicity, deviant behavior, workplace politics, and team and leadership dysfunction not only make the library a stressful workplace, they also run counter to the core values of librarianship. An important tool for library leaders and managers as well as library staff, this book examines these negative relationship-based issues and suggests practical, research-based solutions by discussing the importance of understanding oneself as related to the library workplace;identifying attributes specific to libraries that foster personal success;showing how organizational dysfunction is rooted in problems such as poor communication, inadequate leadership, and lack of employee engagement;breaking down relatable scenarios to analyze what’s behind them and how to defuse them, ranging from a gossipy coworker who fails to contribute to the organization to workplace bullying and mobbing;exploring causes, results, and potential solutions in the areas of cyberloafing, fraud, theft, and sabotage;delving into the importance of conflict management, surveying a variety of approaches and applications;examining the use of teams in libraries and the impact of favoritism, nepotism, and sexism; andproviding techniques for successful collaboration, leadership, organizational communication, and other key management topics. By tackling the dysfunctional library head on, managers as well as library workers who find themselves in a toxic situation will be poised to better meet library goals and move the library forward.

"Readers will be captivated by this beautifully written novel about young people who must use their instincts and grit to survive. Padma infuses her story with hope and bravery that will inspire readers."--Aisha Saeed, author of the New York Times Bestseller Amal Unbound Four determined homeless children make a life for themselves in Padma Venkatraman's stirring middle-grade debut. Life is harsh on the teeming streets of Chennai, India, so when runaway sisters Viji and Rukku arrive, their prospects look grim. Very quickly, eleven-year-old Viji discovers how vulnerable they are in this uncaring, dangerous world. Fortunately, the girls find shelter--and friendship--on an abandoned bridge that's also the hideout of Muthi and Arul, two homeless boys, and the four of them soon form a family of sorts. And while making their living scavenging the city's trash heaps is the pits, the kids find plenty to take pride in, too. After all, they are now the bosses of themselves and no longer dependent on untrustworthy adults. But when illness strikes, Viji must decide whether to risk seeking help from strangers or to keep holding on to their fragile, hard-fought freedom.