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Six reasons to love the downtown public library
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Being homeless and jobless in America's third world can be a real drag. Finding a place that can help you feel normal and provide much needed resources is important to keeping up morale. The New Orleans Public Library downtown branch is one such place.
Close to public transportation: most buses and the street cars stop somewhere near the intersection of Loyola and Tulane Avenues, which is where the library is located. New Orleans RTA bus maps are notoriously difficult to read, so look for Elk and Canal or Rampart and Canal as your reference. Buses coming from the Westbank, Metarie and Kenner also stop near here. You can pick up copies of bus maps and schedules from the Information Desk on the first floor.
Free Internet & Wifi: if you have a laptop, you can pick up the free, high speed Wifi anywhere inside of the library. If you don't, the library has computers hooked up to the Internet. You will need a library card for this, and if you don't have an address, you can get a “computer access only” card. The other catch is that you are only allowed one hour per day, so I always have a game plan. There is usually a wait for the computers, but you're in the library, so you'll have plenty to occupy your time with. You can print and fax, but I find these services to be expensive.
Great Magazines, DVDs, Music and Self-Help Books: you can read anything from “The Times Picayune” to “The Atlantic Monthly” to “Vogue” at the library's newspaper and magazine collection on the 2nd floor. You can't check these out, but it's a good way to stay current and stay in the loop. You can check out the DVDs, CDs and books, but you'll need a full library card for this, which requires photo ID or two proofs of residency. That's a bit tricky if you're homeless, but there are ways around this.
Temperature can be a real pain if you don't have a place you can be. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. As long as you're not sleeping or causing a riot, you can be in the Library to abate the effects of cold or heat.
Art is something the homeless don't get a lot of. And why would we care when we're trying to figure out where we're going to sleep that night? But, while you're in the library, you might as well check out the art exhibitions. Next to the patio entrance on the third floor is a fascinating display of turn-of-the-century mug shots. “This exhibit focuses on people who worked and lived in New Orleans beyond the view of tourists and business interests, who eked out an existence on the margins of respectability, who struggled to survive in the urban jungle.” Sounds like things haven't changed much since these mug shots were taken.
Outdoor patio on the third floor: get a breath of fresh air, have your lunch alfresco and for those who have 'em, then smoke 'em.
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