Homeless also check out library

The Salt Lake City Main Library is a popular gathering place for Salt Lake's homeless population — especially if the weather is cold.

Almost 3.1 million people visited the Salt Lake City Main Library last year, making it one of the state's top attractions. However, the library is also a place of refuge for the homeless, and the problem with the new facility is that it is far more transparent than the former library building.

There is no official count of how many homeless people frequent the library, but Chip Ward, assistant library director, said the homeless are a fixture at all large urban libraries.

He said that in the old library, most of the homeless would go directly downstairs to the basemen to the newspaper and magazine section. That kept them out of sight to most library patrons. However, the new library is much more open.

"I don't think we have more, they are just more visible," Ward said.

Jim Cooper, manager of the Salt Lake County Library System, said none of his libraries has a particular problem with the homeless.

"It's not a huge issue with us, as it is in the city," he said. A few occasional problems with people bathing in library sinks is about the extent of the problem.

Ward stressed that the homeless should not be stereotyped. Some do look shabby while others wear suits and appear no different from anyone else.

"They're a very diverse group; we just don't know how many there are," he said.

This year's unusually hard winter seemed to bring more of them out in the daytime to the Salt Lake library, where they found shelter from the cold and snow. But since the weather warmed up in early March, Ward said the numbers have been dwindling. He suspects some of the homeless will soon be moving onto construction jobs in the area.

Ward also said the library has a firm policy on the treatment of all patrons.

"We respond to people on the basis of their behavior, not their appearance."

The Salt Lake City Library has suspended 30 people — some of whom were likely homeless — for six-month terms from the library since last fall for being intoxicated or for other improper behavior.

"It's a hard thing to do. We try to be as compassionate as possible." He admits a few came back the next day, not recalling the initial suspension.

He said the treatment of the homeless is a fine line, but the library "isn't an $84 million homeless shelter."

Ward said the library has been concentrating on building better relationships with the police and social service workers to try to cope with the homeless problem.

"The vast majority of people are good patrons," he said. After all, where else will someone trust you and loan you hundreds of dollars worth of books, CDs or DVDs at no charge?

"The new library seems to bring out the best in people," he said.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com