An incident involving the revocation of a man’s library card because his address is a homeless shelter has prompted the board of the Chattanooga–Hamilton County (Tenn.) Bicentennial Library to revisit the system’s policy regarding what constitutes eligibility to borrow materials.
Ron Murphy, 35, who uses as his address the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, came to the library January 14 to learn how to use e-mail. But when he had difficulty swiping his library card at the month-old public-workstation smart-card reader, Murphy requested assistance—only to have his card confiscated after the staff member realized that he had no permanent address. “Our obligation is to the city and to taxpayers,” Library Director David Clapp said in the January 16 Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Murphy left and told shelter acquaintances what had happened. The next day, Episcopal monk Ron Fender, who chooses to be homeless as part of his ministry, tested the policy by presenting his card to borrow a book; because his address is also the shelter, Fender’s card was revoked as well. “There are different rules for different people,” he concluded. Another homeless man, William Collins, commented, “I can’t see guys who are homeless blowing the ability to go somewhere to stay warm, read books, and use the computer.”
Library officials were soon apologizing and offering both men guest cards, which give people without permanent addresses every library privilege except material loans. “We will do everything we can to help them,” Assistant Director Barry Bradford told the Associated Press January 21.
Trustees are scheduled to discuss the guest-card policy by the end of the month with Chattanooga Homeless Coalition Director Jim Schmidt, the Times Free Press reported January 21.
Posted January 23, 2004.