Worcester, MA, Library Sued Over Policy Toward Homeless

-- Library Journal, 7/12/2006

A decision by the Worcester Public Library, MA, to limit the number of materials homeless people can borrow to two, a contrast to the general limit of 40 items, has prompted a class-action suit against the library, reported the Boston Globe on July 9. The move is an echo of a controversial move by the Porter County PL, Valparaiso, IN, which recently decided to limit borrowing by residents of local shelters, but later rescinded that move. Worcester library director Penelope Johnson told the newspaper, “The policy was put in place because we're losing items to people where we could not track them down. The library has a fiduciary responsibility to make those resources available to everyone and the rules we set in place are to do that." She could not provide precise numbers on how many materials had been borrowed but not returned by homeless patrons, though she said the borrowing limit had curbed the problem. Two patrons named in the lawsuit said they were “embarrassed” to have their homeless status publicly disclosed when they visted the library. The Globe noted that other public libraries in Massachusetts limit the borrowing by homeless patrons.