Faculty Sponsor(s)
Lisa Weidman
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
Subject Area
Mass Communication
Description
This project is an in-depth feature article that investigates how public libraries in Oregon provide a public place and vital services for homeless people, especially in poorer communities with higher rates of homelessness. This is the kind of article that might be published in a publication like The Oregonian or The Atlantic. The article is 3,000 words and includes audio and photos. I plan to submit it to The Oregonian and The Atlantic for publication. I am presenting my work through Atavist – a multimedia publishing website. Through on-site observations and interviews with library directors and homeless people who use their libraries, this article illustrates how libraries provide shelter as well as access to restrooms, the Internet and other resources homeless people use. This article also addresses how libraries are part of the solution in fighting homelessness in Oregon. The project focuses on four libraries in rural and urban areas in Oregon, specifically, Clatsop, Yamhill, Multnomah, and Lane Counties. This project also takes an in-depth look at the kinds of funding libraries in those counties receive, how those funds are used, and whether they are adequate for the population each library serves.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Jonathan, "Public Spaces and Information: How Oregon Libraries Are Helping the Homeless" (2017). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 98.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2017/all/98
Public Spaces and Information: How Oregon Libraries Are Helping the Homeless
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
This project is an in-depth feature article that investigates how public libraries in Oregon provide a public place and vital services for homeless people, especially in poorer communities with higher rates of homelessness. This is the kind of article that might be published in a publication like The Oregonian or The Atlantic. The article is 3,000 words and includes audio and photos. I plan to submit it to The Oregonian and The Atlantic for publication. I am presenting my work through Atavist – a multimedia publishing website. Through on-site observations and interviews with library directors and homeless people who use their libraries, this article illustrates how libraries provide shelter as well as access to restrooms, the Internet and other resources homeless people use. This article also addresses how libraries are part of the solution in fighting homelessness in Oregon. The project focuses on four libraries in rural and urban areas in Oregon, specifically, Clatsop, Yamhill, Multnomah, and Lane Counties. This project also takes an in-depth look at the kinds of funding libraries in those counties receive, how those funds are used, and whether they are adequate for the population each library serves.
