The role of the user in the library - If you are not reading, you are not welcome?

Adams, C., & Krtalić, M. (2021). I feel at home: Perspectives of homeless library customers on public library services and social inclusion. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 09610006211053045.

This article raises an interesting point about that validity and level of acceptance and welcome experienced by library users may have a relationship to the activity they are undertaking while in the library. The participants in their study stated that sometimes they feel unwelcome in a public library if they are not reading. They are asked to move on if they are sleeping or not sitting in a chair. 

"while Participant 7 was generally satisfied with library staff and services, he also explained that he sometimes felt discriminated against when staff questioned why he was sitting or lying on the floor instead of using a chair: 

It seems like they pick and choose which ones to ask, you know what I mean? Yeah. If you’re not sitting there with a book, then, yeah (Participant 7)."

This experience is echoed by a document from the Australian Library and Information Association titled "Libraries are for everyone: Providing quality services to people who are homeless" when they use the words: "Reading and participating in activities can offer a chance to learn something new, act as a retreat, or be a reminder of when times were good. This document will help your library offer people who are homeless and love reading the same access and experiences as the rest of your customers."

Why is there a relationship built between how people use a library and how welcome they are? What is this association with the activity of reading and belonging in a library and being welcomed there? Why must a person be reading to be a valid library user? Why must they 'love reading' to be offered the same experiences and access as other visitors?

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