What does welcoming to all really mean? While public libraries strive to provide equitable access for all citizens, we cannot be everything to everyone despite our desire to do just that. We are increasingly faced with the challenge of serving vulnerable residents – those with mental health issues, substance abuse issues, homelessness – who demonstrate unpleasant or even threatening behaviours. This session highlights the challenges from small rural libraries to large libraries with a view to developing a deeper understanding of how these social issues impact our library service and with an eye to developing some creative and compassionate resolutions. This session will be formatted as a Q+A – the moderator will offer a brief introduction and then will ask questions with panelists addressing from their own experience/perspective.
Outcomes:
– New approaches to defining patron code of conduct
– Deeper understanding of public library service
– Strategies for support
