The public library and intersections of houselessness in two small cities of interior British Columbia
department or school: Arts and Social Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Isch, Emilie
issued: 2025-01-06T19:07:56Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: This thesis investigates how public libraries presently mitigate intersections of houselessness in two small cities in the southern interior region of British Columbia (B.C.). The research identifies on three main topics relating to intersections of houselessness, small cities, and the public library. The first topic seeks to understand the role of political economic systems (primarily, neoliberalism) as they exacerbate intersections ranging from the toxic opioid supply to housing and privatization, and anthropogenic climate change. The second topic outlines how these intersections and topics function in the small city landscape, broadening the research away from strictly urban environments. Lastly, the topic of the public library places an emphasis on infrastructure, both social and physical, and conceptualizes the public library as more than just a third space, but rather as a lived space. This centers a discussion around public libraries existing in opposition to privatized spaces within neoliberal society. This thesis follows an interdisciplinary research design, using two methodologies ‘content analysis’ and ‘semi structured interviews’ to deliberate five key findings. Content analysis reviewed sources from City Profiles and relevant Institutes, and highlighted key words within their respective discourse on the chosen topics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants from the two sites of study for this thesis – Nelson and Vernon. Outcomes of this thesis position the state of small cities through the changing face of houselessness, urbanization and housing, and community efforts and actions. The findings also explore the function of public libraries as they service to promote inclusivity, safety, community, and harm mitigation. Moreover, this work addresses the role of librarians and library staff alongside challenges and barriers, with outcomes situating relational engagement, training, de-escalation, and skills equipping. Ultimately, the…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/90055
note: THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND INTERSECTIONS OF HOUSELESSNESS IN TWO SMALL CITIES OF INTERIOR BRITISH COLUMBIA by Emilie Isch Bachelor of Global and International Studies, Carleton University, 2020 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Interdisciplinary Studies) (Urban and Regional Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) January 2025 © Emilie Isch, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to The College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: The Public Library and Intersections of Houselessness in Two Small cities of Interior British Columbia submitted by Emilie Isch in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Examining Committee: Jon Corbett, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisor John Graham, School of Social Work Co-Supervisor Jonathan Cinnamon, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Supervisory Committee Member Baharak Yousefi, Simon Fraser University Supervisory Committee Member Carols Teixeira, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences University Examiner iii Abstract This thesis investigates how public libraries presently mitigate intersections of houselessness in two small cities in the southern interior region of British Columbia (B.C.). The research identifies on three main topics relating to intersections of houselessness, small cities, and the public library. The first topic seeks to understand the role of political economic systems (primarily, neoliberalism) as they exacerbate intersections ranging from the toxic opioid supply to housing and privatization, and anthropogenic climate change. The second topic outlines how these intersections and topics function in the small city landscape, broadening the research away from strictly urban environments. Lastly, the topic of the public library places an emphasis on infrastructur…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-02
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0447689
language: eng
degree discipline: Interdisciplinary Studies
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Corbett, Jon
contributor: Graham, John R. (John Russell), 1964-
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90055