Everyone Deserves a Library

AFTER COMPLETING THIS COURSE, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO:

• Apply a consistent, compassion-centered framework for interacting with and supporting patrons experiencing homelessness.
• Strengthen your library's policies and staff capacity so that every team member can respond to complex situations with confidence and care.

You will leave with practical tools and language your whole team can use to serve your community more equitably and effectively.

If you're someone who:

• interacts regularly with patrons experiencing homelessness and wants to respond with more clarity and confidence
• is navigating situations that feel complex, inconsistent, or hard to handle in the moment
• wants to be welcoming and supportive, but isn’t always sure where the boundaries should be
• feels the strain of repeated high-emotion interactions without a clear framework to rely on
• is trying to balance compassion for individuals with the needs of the broader library community

This course was built for you.

This course is especially relevant for:

• public library staff working directly with patrons in shared spaces
• supervisors and managers responsible for setting policies or supporting staff through difficult situations
• library workers looking to create more consistency across shifts, teams, or departments
• anyone involved in frontline service, patron support, or community engagement

If part of your job is making your library both welcoming and functional, especially in complex situations, you’ll find this useful.

Session 1 | 2:00-2:40 pm ET 

Patrons Experiencing Homelessness: Foundations and Backgrounds

What do patrons experiencing homelessness need from the library, and what are different ways libraries can meet those needs? This opening session will discuss the background, context, and foundations for supporting patrons experiencing homelessness while also supporting the staff who serve them.

Break | 2:40-2:50 pm ET

Session 2 | 2:50-4:00 pm ET

Practical Supports, Policies, and Practices

How do you balance compassion, policy, and safety? How can you establish policies and procedures that reduce confusion and increase support? This session will discuss how to strengthen and clarify your policies, all while learning how to apply them consistently in ways that protect both staff and patrons. You will learn strategies for increasing staff capacity and confidence, and leave with ideas to ensure your library is as welcoming and safe as possible for your entire community.

COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Kavan Stafford, Senior Librarian, NHS Lanarkshire (Scotland)

Kavan P. Stafford is a Senior Librarian at NHS Lanarkshire in Scotland. He has worked for several years in Glasgow's public libraries and is Vice Chair of the CILIPS (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland) Board. In 2023, he was included in the CILIP 125 list of the next generation of library leaders, and in 2024, he was shortlisted for Scottish Library and Information Professional of the Year for his work on homelessness in Glasgow Libraries. He has presented on the topic of public libraries and homelessness at national conferences and has written about the subject for publications like The Big Issue. His book, Public Libraries and Homelessness: A Practical Guide was released by Facet Publishing in 2026.

For people experiencing homelessness, the library is often a lifeline: a safe place to rest, access resources, connect with services, and be treated with dignity. But for many library staff, those interactions can also feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or outside the scope of what they were trained to do. This 2-hour, online crash course will help you strengthen and clarify your policies, all while learning how to apply them consistently in ways that protect both staff and patrons. You will learn strategies for increasing staff capacity and confidence, and leave with ideas to ensure your library is as welcoming and safe as possible for your entire community.

SESSIONS AND PRICING

Early bird pricing ends one month before the session deadline. Course materials unlock on the session deadline date.

GROUP OPTIONS

Training a team? Choose the setup that matches how you want to plan and pay :

Group course enrollment: Enroll 3+ staff in this course and save.

Bulk course credits: Prepay once, get the highest per-seat discount on every course, and assign seats later.

Unlimited annual licensing: System-wide access for a year with no per-course approvals.

Request Discounted Group Pricing

Questions? Email groupsales@libraryjournal.com.

COURSE FORMAT

This will be a two-hour crash course and will include:

Live sessions: Guest speaker presentations by leaders in their field. All sessions are recorded for on-demand access for six months after the course ends.

Facilitated discussions: Audience participation in Q&A and discussion with guest speakers.

Asynchronous workshop: On-demand project-based modules connecting what you’re learning to your professional practice. Includes peer-to-peer sharing via discussion forums.

Online classroom: The virtual learning platform holds all course content and remains accessible for six months after the course ends.

Note: The asynchronous work is designed to be completed over three weeks, but you will have six months of access to work at your own pace.

EXPECTED TIME COMMITMENT

If you attend or watch recordings of all live sessions and complete the one-module workshop, you will spend approximately 2 hours on this course. You will earn 2 hours of professional development credit and a Library Journal certificate of completion.

ON-DEMAND ACCESS

All live guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand for six months following the initial broadcast as part of your purchase.

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Complete all course requirements to earn 2 professional development credit hours and a Library Journal certificate of completion. Certificates are emailed upon completion.

ACCESSIBILITY

All video recordings feature auto-captioning. If you require accommodations, please email course-support@libraryjournal.com upon registration and we will make our best efforts to support your needs.

SUPPORT

For technical or course-related support, please contact course-support@libraryjournal.com.