CURRENT POSITION Adult Librarian–Social Science; Social Science, Philosophy & Religion Dept. (Outreach–Persons Experiencing Homelessness), Los Angeles Public Library DEGREE MLIS, San José State University, 2020 FAST FACT Mellor visits public libraries wherever she travels, whether in California or Budapest. She has attended two Star Trek conventions—yes, she’s met Data. Photo by Krystal Ruiz

Outreach, Reaching Out

Through her mobile outreach work with the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), adult librarian Amanda Mellor creates vital connections between LAPL and persons experiencing homelessness. It is essential to bring library resources and support directly to them, says Mellor, whose efforts focus on delivering compassionate and responsive services to adults in the city’s Skid Row community. Her work includes signing people up for library cards and promoting library programs and services, as well as developing library programs on-site with host organizations or in the library. “Knowing that  you connected the right person with the right resource at the right time” is one of the most rewarding aspects of the work, Mellor says.

“Simply getting the word out about what the public library offers is the main gap bridged with my outreach,” she says. “Bringing the library to organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness helps remove barriers to access for folks who may not be able to visit the library due to mobility issues or [because they] are participating in a recovery program.” She shares information on e-media for accessing books, magazines, movies, and music, as well as programs such as Career Online High School and free Explore L.A. museum passes. Mellor also works out of LAPL’s Central Library location, and she encourages those she encounters through outreach to come to the library if they are able. 

Collaboration is critical to this work. Mellor shares the information she gathers with other librarians serving those experiencing homelessness, and learns from colleagues and community members in turn. “Connecting and collaborating with those staff who match your enthusiasm is key,” she says. Her successful programs rely on longstanding community partnerships, whether she is reaching out with library resources at community events or connecting organizations with library spaces. “If you are able to create a relationship with one organization and provide deep and reliable service, then you are making a difference,” she says. 

Mellor’s ongoing presence in the community, the relationships she builds with homeless shelters and social services agencies, and the library resources that she shares have uplifted and empowered people experiencing extraordinarily challenging circumstances. “When I’m at a single occupancy residence building in Skid Row or at a parole meeting at the probation office, the community sees that the public library is showing up for them, that we want them to succeed,” she says.