Library Services to Enrich Lives of Shelter Residents in Tri-City Area

Children and adults staying at a shelter in Fremont now have a public library just a few steps from their rooms.

A unique partnership between the Alameda County Library and Abode Services, a non-profit providing housing and services to people who are homeless, resulted in the delivery and installation of a P.U.L.S.E. (Pop-Up Library Services for Everyone) site at Sunrise Village Emergency Shelter earlier this month.

Now, hundreds of individuals and families taking their first steps in the journey back to a home will have access to the county’s entire library system via designated computer stations and 24-hour use of a kiosk filled with hundreds of books, from children’s books and novels to nonfiction, including study guides and other resource materials.

On Thursday, October 23, children and adults got their first chance to use the new library site during a grand opening celebration at Sunrise Village Emergency Shelter.

The 24-hour kiosk will be located in the shelter’s lobby, and residents can access its collection with a county library card. The collection will be rotated regularly, so that children and adults will be able to enjoy new books. The kiosk is also equipped with a device that allows users to download e-books to their mobile devices and/or e-readers.

Children at the shelter will also have access to new AWE Early Literacy Stations as part of the library branch expansion. These digital learning stations are bilingual and promote early childhood engagement with reading, offering programs that can be tailored for each child.

Both the Alameda County Library and Abode Services are excited to provide additional and more convenient access to the public library system, and its treasure of educational resources, for shelter residents. The new library branch will allow Abode Services to offer yet another form of aid that will help residents, both children and adults, on their journey to a new home.

“We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to provide yet another valuable resource for the people we serve,” Abode Services Executive Director Louis Chicoine said. “Our mission is to end homelessness, and providing people with tools to help in that process is crucial. This is another great example of how private-public partnerships benefit society.”

The new library branch will help people who find it difficult to access a library gain an instant connection to the 6.8 million items circulated each year by the county library system.

“The Library is pleased and proud to partner with Abode Services,” Interim County Librarian Carmen Martinez said. “What better way to provide information in a family’s “abode,” than to fill the place with a multitude of Library materials and resources to help them stay connected.”

Information submitted by Abode Services

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