Published 2011-05-03T21:21:00Z”/>

Teresa De Luz

Students may be judging a book by its cover when it comes to the homeless and other non-student community members who visit Meriam Library.

The misconception about the campus library is that it’s only for students and that non-students don’t have the right to the library, said Kathleen Purvis, student personnel and building manager of Meriam Library.

It is true some homeless community members come to sleep or read books, she said.

“We have community members who visit the library, who are regulars, and they pretty much keep to themselves,” Purvis said.

Community members are welcome in the library, and those who may not look like students are not necessarily homeless, she said.

“We don’t make distinctions if they are homeless or not, but if anyone, student or otherwise, are causing problems or we see someone who we are uncertain of, we will do something about it,” Purvis said.

Because Meriam Library holds government documents for reference, it is required to be open to the public, she said. Members of the general public are allowed to apply for a library card if they are a local resident, over the age of 18, have a Social Security number and a valid driver’s license.

Complaints by students about homeless people in the library are rare, said Natalie Adams, junior environmental health science major and circulations reserve student supervisor who works in the library.

“I have only had one complaint so far about someone feeling uncomfortable about a homeless person, but no one really seems to mind,” Adams said.

While there have been few complaints about distracting behaviors, some students have noticed outside community members but don’t mind them, said Marissa Madrid, junior animal science major who frequents the second floor of the library.

Last Monday, Madrid was studying with a friend and noticed what she thought was an older student sleeping.

“It was really silent and he let out this loud snore that woke himself up and he realized he was a distraction, I think, but he packed up his stuff and left,” she said.

The man’s appearance led Madrid to think he was homeless.

“It was kind of weird to see, but they never do anything bad or cause trouble,” she said. “It’s just a quiet place to come chill out and read.”

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<strong>Teresa De Luz can be reached at</strong>

<em>[email protected]</em>