Bridges Bay Library Case Summary

Introduction
This case study focuses on the situation at the Bridges Bay Public Library, in which, the staff dealt with people experiencing homelessness, who stayed inside the library to escape the harsh weather. Director Joseph Calenda’s immediate dilemma was what to do about the woman that people had called the “bag lady”. Apparently, she had been going to the library for two straight days. On Monday, several patrons were curious and wanted to know what the library administration would do about her. However, on Tuesday, a few were vocal about being upset regarding her presence and odor and demanded that the library evict her from the premises. A woman even went on to say that as a patron and taxpayer, she deserved to go in and out of the
Calenda and the staff of Bay Bridges Public Library are in a dilemma on how to balance the situation between the woman who was experiencing homelessness and the patrons. To resolve this, they should refer to the vision, mission, goals, and policies of the library, including the laws concerning the rights of the persons who experience homelessness. If the documents show that the woman who experiences homelessness is in violation of the policies, then they can refer to the procedures on how to deal with them. Otherwise, they would have to let the woman stay. If that is the case, then they would need to deal with the woman calmly and respectfully to establish understanding. To assist in handling the situation, the Bridges Bay Public Library may acquire the services of an in-house social worker by way of partnership. It may provide the work space while the government agency or service provider may lend their social worker. In the future, the library may promote understanding among its staff, people who experience homelessness, and the rest of the community, by curating information regarding homelessness, conducting an awareness training, sponsoring programs that foster a culture of inclusion, crafting policies that are fair and meet the legal standards and are cognizant of federal, state, and local laws through the help of a legal consultant, and coordinating with shelters, government agencies, and non-profit organizations by providing the venue for them to make their services
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