An experiment attempted by staff at the St. Louis Public Library came to an end earlier this month: Library computers will again only be available to people with a library card.
The new policy is, in fact, the same as the old policy. But about a year ago, SLPL executive director Waller McGuire implemented a looser plan, one that required prospective users merely obtain a “computer pass.” Pick one up from the service desk, and you were good to go.
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McGuire says his intent was to save staff time. “We found that the unhoused population frequently needed new cards every time they used the computers, which means the old record has to be located and linked, a new card and account created,” he explains. “The hope was that a computer pass could make access simple and quick.”
Unfortunately, good intentions weren’t enough. Incidents increased “immediately,” McGuire says, including conflict between patrons, conflict with staff members, and even damage to equipment, theft, or accessing inappropriate material.
“There was a correlation between those using computer passes and increased incidents, inasmuch as identification could be made with people using our systems who are not required to give any form of ID,” he says. “I’m a librarian, not a sociologist, but I would surmise that someone who is invited to use sophisticated, powerful systems and asked to make no commitment or provide any identification can sometimes treat that privilege as a given that doesn’t require answering responsibility or sometimes reasonable behavior. I believe that the work involved in issuing cards is worth a potential reduction in incidents.”
Why It Matters: In cities including St. Louis, public libraries have become key service providers for homeless residents. That doesn’t always mesh comfortably with their other duties, but libraries have stepped up, serving as a place for people to cool down or warm up and also connect with the Internet. Trying to facilitate those services without stretching staff members too thin is an ongoing challenge for many library systems.
What’s Next: SLPL makes it easy to qualify for a card; acceptable documents include not just driver’s licenses or work/school ID cards, but also a letter from a shelter. Since the new system was implemented on Sept. 2, McGuire says the library has received no complaints and no reports of conflict.
