1. Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness – Ryan Dowd
Ryan Dowd has worked with homeless families and individuals in the US for many years. Through his website and book he shares his beliefs that:
Every human being is worthy of basic human dignity
People are basically good, and – when treated with respect and care – most people most of the time with respond in kind
Compassion and empathy are not weakness but are the most powerful tools for creating a more just world
Compassion and empathy are not enough. We also need skills and practice to make compassion as effective as it can be. We need ‘practical compassion’ in order to change the world

2. Tips
Through his website and his weekly s you can sign up to Ryan offers tips on how to work with homeless, addicted and mentally ill customers.
(Get people to introduce themselves, how many used their housing status?, likewise people who fit the definition of homeless don’t identify themselves in that way. They may say things like I’m a FIFO worker who got laid off and I’m sleeping on my mate’s couch. He doesn’t necessarily define himself as homeless.

3. The Book
Ryan’s book was published last year ‘ The Librarian’s Guide to homelessness : an empathy-driven approach to solving problems, preventing conflict, and serving everyone. He mentions in his book that libraries that have switched to using empathy-driven enforcement report that
Problems with homeless patrons are reduced by 80%
Staff are happier and more confident
Non-homeless patrons feel safer
Homeless patrons feel more welcome and dignified

4. The Course
I hope to make this the next step to get someone to try out the course and share their learnings with other library staff.

5. The Movie
The Public is about downtown Cincinnati librarians Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) and Myra (Jena Malone) who see their regular winter day shaken up when homeless patrons decide to take shelter in their library for the night. What starts as a peaceful sit-in quickly escalates into a face-off with the police and the media.
Released in the US on 5 April. No dates for an Australian release as yet.