Review by Choice Review
This thoughtful and practical guide will help librarians better understand the homeless population. Dowd (long-time executive director of a large homeless shelter in the Chicago area) provides a wealth of information about homelessness, and as he does so addresses common myths and preconceived notions about being homeless. Dowd defines his core idea, empathy-driven enforcement, as "gaining compliance with the rules by minimizing the power imbalance between the rule-enforcer and the enforcee creating a partner mentality for the patron." He divides the book into four parts: "Homelessness and Empathy," "Empathy-Driven Enforcement," "Special Situations," and "Beyond Problem-Solving." Dowd provides real-life examples and walks through many different tools librarians can use to address potential issues, for example, one he calls "anti-Judge Judy," which entails "not judg[ing] a person for why they became homeless or what their life has become." Readers will find Dowd's advice easy to understand and apply. This book is well worth a read for any librarian working with the homeless. Dowd provides additional resources at http://www.homelesslibrary.com. [Disclosure: Choice is part of the American Library Association, which published this book.] Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals. --Barbara Ghilardi, Fairfield University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Dowd, the director of a Chicago-area homeless shelter, packs a wealth of useful information into this guide, which will bolster library staff in their encounters with patrons of all types. The book blends narrative with what the author calls tools, practical suggestions for defusing problem behaviors and improving communication. This covers everything from body language and handshakes to psychological strategies. The author also includes a lengthy list of common scenarios with suggested resolutions: if you have ever experienced problems stemming from body odor or mental illness at your library, this book will help you. Dowd eschews a punishment-based approach in favor of an empathy-driven model that relies upon personal connections and understanding to correct problem behavior. Even if you're not totally convinced that this model will work in every situation, the techniques outlined here will be useful additions to your librarian tool belt. The author never strays far from the title's topic, but the approaches detailed here will be applicable to all sorts of patron-staff interactions in libraries of all sizes. A comprehensive handbook that's sure to grow even more relevant as time goes on.--Lefteroff, Craig Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
This much-needed guide addresses an important concern to most public libraries: homelessness. Although not a librarian himself, Dowd, executive director of a large homeless shelter near Chicago, recognizes that those who work in public libraries interact with homeless individuals almost as often as those who work in shelters. He started a training program to help librarians who interact with the homeless population, which eventually led to this publication. It's main theme is "empathy-driven enforcement," which uses scientifically based principles to secure voluntary compliance with rules and works much better than relying on punishment. The author recommends tools for how to deal with specific situations, including those involving individuals with mental illnesses or substance abuse problems. Real-life examples throughout shed light on factors that cause homelessness and clear up common misconceptions. By stressing empathy and understanding, Dowd paves the way for librarians to serve these individuals better and to treat them with dignity. VERDICT For professional collections in all public libraries.-Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
