# Walk me through a homeless person's day **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480 "2009-06-21T15:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/41 "2009-06-23T17:25:01Z")
All this talk of libraries and homeless people reminded me of when I worked in Tech Services for the Tulsa City/County Library System in the mid 80s. We weren’t allowed to deny homeless people the privilege of checking out books. Each library card had a designation on it… i.e. ‘child’, ‘adult’. ‘senior’. Homeless people’s designation was ‘transient’. ## As often as not, we’d go have lunch and see a homeless person trying to sell a book he just checked out (or stole) from the library. On a different note, You never wanted to go #2 in the library bathrooms because the stall doors had to be removed. It was becoming a problem for homeless people who would go into the bathrooms stalls so they could lock themselves in the stall and sleep on the toilet. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/42 "2009-06-23T18:13:09Z")
Homeless guy blog here: [http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/](http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com/) Lots of insights into homelessness, mental illness, addiction, etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/43 "2009-06-23T19:21:11Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > As often as not, we’d go have lunch and see a homeless person trying to sell a book he just checked out (or stole) from the library. Yeah, but that would only work, what, once? and then the person in question wouldn’t be able to check out books anymore. At least if your library system is anything like mine. (You aren’t allowed to check out books if your fines are $5 or more.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/44 "2009-06-23T19:33:34Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Yeah, but that would only work, what, once? and then the person in question wouldn’t be able to check out books anymore. At least if your library system is anything like mine. (You aren’t allowed to check out books if your fines are $5 or more.) And homeless people are always so awesome at planning for the future? Meanwhile you’d still be out a book. ETA - or the maximum number of DVDs you can get at once. Which here is 60. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/45 "2009-06-23T19:42:27Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > And homeless people are always so awesome at planning for the future? Meanwhile you’d still be out a book. > > ETA - or the maximum number of DVDs you can get at once. Which here is 60. Yeah, but that’s how America works. We can’t assume that people are going to commit a crime based on demographics. I don’t know about you, but I prefer it that way. And it sounds like the library needs to lower the maximum number of items they’ll allow people to check out at once. Who the hell can watch 60 movies in a week, anyway? (Or however long you’re allowed to check them out for there.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/46 "2009-06-23T19:56:46Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Yeah, but that’s how America works. We can’t assume that people are going to commit a crime based on demographics. I don’t know about you, but I prefer it that way. > > And it sounds like the library needs to lower the maximum number of items they’ll allow people to check out at once. Who the hell can watch 60 movies in a week, anyway? (Or however long you’re allowed to check them out for there.) If you have a permanent address in the county (not a shelter), you can get a card here. We lose materials all the time from people who have no intention of paying their fines - they’re certainly not all, or even mostly, homeless. Most people can get some sort of address, even if they have to use somebody else’s. I’m not saying we shouldn’t give out cards, I’m saying we lose a lot of stuff. It’s 60 items period - think about children’s books and such. People were thrilled when we raised it from 30. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/47 "2009-06-23T20:08:58Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > It’s 60 items period - think about children’s books and such. People were thrilled when we raised it from 30. Well that’s silly, IMO. Why would you have one blanket rule to cover all types of media, when they have different replacement costs, resale values, and usage patterns? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480/48 "2009-06-23T20:27:20Z")
The fines are higher for DVDs, and new books and DVDs only go out for a week. I’m pretty sure the total items allowed out is a software thing - too much work if the computer won’t do it for us. ETA - the point is, though, stuff like collections agencies don’t work on people who don’t care about their credit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walk-me-through-a-homeless-persons-day/500480.md?page=2)