July 11, 2019

We started this morning with a site visit to DOK, the public library here in Delft. One of the things that really struck me from this visit was how they integrated the fine arts throughout the library, and offered different art lessons through the VHK. This stuck out to me because my life has been entirely filled with art lessons (drawing, painting, violin, guitar, piano, voice, dance, etc.) and they were all incredibly formative for me. I met my best friends through the arts, and each of my instructors served as a role model and significant adult in my life. Beyond just personal gain, there is much research about the benefits of music and art on individuals, both cognitive and psychological. Having easy access to these programs is contributing to community growth, and I was particularly heartened to hear that low-income individuals were given discounted rates so that they could still access these lessons. From a more practical standpoint, the collaboration between DOK and VHK is also helping both institutions stay relevant and accessible to the community.

During our tour of DOK, I couldn't help but be reminded of the reading for today, A Librarian's Guide to Homelessness. In chapter one, the author, Ryan Dowd, goes over ten common myths about homelessness and contrasts them with the truth. Myth 4 is that most people are unemployed, and myth 6 is that most homeless people are stupid and/or uneducated. Dowd writes from his own experience that about half of the homeless population he works with are in fact employed, yet their salary doesn't cover enough of their living expenses. Similarly, many of the people that Dowd polled at the shelter had bachelor's degrees and higher, who experienced hardships or mental illnesses that pushed them into homelessness. These myths stuck out to me in relation to DOK because it is a place which accommodates low income, and allows people to continue their education at a low (or free) cost. Particularly for parents experiencing homelessness, it's critical that both of these myths are countered by DOK, because it allows their children to get the same enriching experiences and access to educational supplements that other families are providing to their children. One of the questions that we often discuss on this trip is why library services and homeless services are so often assumed to be interconnected, and whether or not this is correct. The DOK, to me, seems like the prime example of how natural it can be for the library services to serve the needs of the homeless population, and how these services actually go beyond the homeless population to also benefit the other constituents of the library. This reading also helped inspire me in relation to the innovation proposal, because I felt driven to come up with an innovative idea which integrated homeless individuals without drawing any particular attention to them. Dowd makes the point that individuals experiencing homelessness don't desire any special treatment and don't want attention drawn to their homelessness, which is what drew me to focus on a program which would cater to those desires.

After our visit to DOK we had a break for lunch and then met back up for a quick class session. The final two chapters of Ten Faces gave their presentations about the caregiver and the storyteller. The caregiver persona seemed to me to embody many of the qualities that are discussed in the psychology major as beneficial for enriching relationships. So, although this persona is presented in the book as describing someone's natural disposition, it is also possible to work on these qualities through practice and mindful effort. Being able to create strong personal relationships can be more beneficial in a business and innovation setting than even having the ideas in some cases, because the relationship itself can blossom into new ideas as you begin to collaborate and share experiences. This quality of forming strong relationships is also discussed in The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness as a sort of currency, because homeless people value relationships more than wealthy or middle class individuals. This also helps answer the question of how libraries are natural settings to serve the homeless population, because librarians are often individuals looking to create lasting connections with the community members who visit the building. According to The Librarian's Guide, this type of person would be particularly attractive to a homeless individual, because they are often met with rejection from the community when they are looking for acceptance. The library is probably one of the few places where they have access to equal services and the chance to form strong relationships with the librarians.