Everyone Deserves a Library

Serving Patrons Experiencing Homelessness

Course Details

August 20, 2026 | 2:00 - 4:00 pm ET

2-Hour Online Crash Course

2 Credit Hours

Recommended for all public library workers.

$135 (Save with early bird and group rates!)

IS YOUR LIBRARY STRUGGLING TO SERVE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS?

Frontline staff feel underprepared or uncertain when interacting with patrons experiencing homelessness.
Incidents are handled inconsistently, and you're not sure your policies are actually equitable.
Staff are experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue from complex patron interactions with no support structure in place.
You want to be welcoming to all patrons, but you're not always sure where the line is between accommodation and disruption.
Employees and leadership have different philosophies on how situations should be handled.

This course gives you a framework, language, and practical tools to serve patrons experiencing homelessness with consistency, compassion, and confidence.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Support all patrons while prioritizing compassion, care, and safety.

Live session via Zoom:
Thursday, August 20, 2026 | 2:00 - 4:00 PM ET

(Can’t attend live? Recording sent out after the live session.)

For people experiencing homelessness, the library is often a lifeline. But for staff, those interactions can also feel complicated, inconsistent, or outside the scope of what they were trained to handle. This two-hour live online course helps you build a clearer, more compassionate approach that supports both patrons and staff.

The live session runs on Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM ET and will be recorded for on-demand viewing for six months. For more details, check out the What to Expect tab.

ENROLL IN SUMMER SESSION

Early bird rate is $102 through July 20, 2026. Standard rate is $135 through August 20, 2026.

Need an invoice or PO? Orders of $600 or greater can choose invoice at checkout. For orders under $600, submit this form, and we will process your order manually.

Need approval? Email this course to your supervisor.

TRAINING A TEAM?

If your library needs a more consistent, compassionate approach across departments or shifts, this session gives your team shared language and a stronger foundation for handling complex situations.

Multi-seat discounts are automatically calculated in the cart.

Buying for a larger group? Explore all purchasing options

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What You'll Learn Who This is For What to Expect

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.

ALL THE DETAILS

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.

Rate + deadline	Summer Session
Early bird deadline	July 20, 2026
Early bird price	$102
Standard deadline	August 28, 2026
Standard price	$135
Course date	August 20, 2026 2:00-4:00 pm ET

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.

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