Nashville Public Library + Nashville Public Library Foundation | 2015 Annual Report

MSNBC Recognizes Library’s Work
With Homeless Community
NPL’s staff is proud to work with patrons
experiencing homelessness to help them
find hope. Liz Coleman, a reference
librarian at Main, is a case in point.
Named “Footsoldier of the Week” by
MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry, Coleman’s
dedication to NPL’s patrons is
gaining recognition on a
national level.
Some of Coleman’s
patrons come to the Main
Library every morning.
They come to get out of
the heat or cold, to use
computers – and to meet with Liz, who
connects them with organizations that
provide housing and health support.
Last year, she continued to work with
the Library Homelessness Advisory
Committee, a group composed of
“NPL’s staff is proud
to work with patrons
experiencing
homelessness to help
them find hope.”
library staff, representatives from the
city’s Homelessness Commission, Police
Department, Social Services and local
outreach organizations including the
Mental Health Cooperative, Oasis,
Centerstone, Open Table, and Room
In The Inn, as well as patrons who are
experiencing or have
experienced homelessness.
In 2015, outreach workers
at NPL offered more than
290 counseling sessions
with patrons experiencing
poverty, homelessness
or mental health needs. NPL is proud
of Liz and its staff’s dedication to
serving every patron, no matter their
background or circumstance.
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