Education Libraries, Volume 36, Number 2, Winter 2013 
3 

 
 

 

E d i t o r i a l 
 
 
Ethnography 
What makes a population or group tick; how do we 
reach them? I came across two articles on homeless 
women in Chicago by T.J. Luhrmann (2008, 2010), 
an anthropologist from Stanford. Luhrmann’s 
research focuses on why some homeless women 
refuse housing. One way to get off the streets is to 
agree to a psychological examination. Many 
homeless women refuse even though they exhibit 
behaviors associated with mental illness. Survival 
on the streets depends upon the perception of not 
being “crazy.” Luhrmann noticed that these women 
negotiate two worlds. On the streets, they appear 
fierce and aggressive to minimize their 
vulnerability. In the shelter, they are required to 
obey rules and demonstrate compliance. For some 
who end up in housing, the many regulations 
present barriers. Luhrmann discovered that 
“housing first” client-driven housing with no strings 
or diagnosis attached works best. This approach 
emphasizes the client’s perspective. The results 
show that these women stay in housing longer, and 
receive treatment. The cost is the same as traditional 
methods. 
 
Key points here are twofold: listen to the client’s 
perspective, and observe participants. In other 
words, become an ethnographer. The University 
of Rochester Library hired an ethnographic 
anthropologist in 2006 to renovate the library to 
best meet students’ needs. In a revised edition, 
the editors build upon the results of the first 
study. Armed with surveys, interviews, 
photographs and lots of data, the researchers 
analyzed the components that make up a good 
term paper, how students work and use tools to 
create those papers, and ways the library 
contributes. Foremost, they wanted to see the 
library from students’ perspectives. 
 
While hiring anthropologists may not be feasible,  

 
there are instruments at our disposal. Embedding  
librarians allows close relationships to develop. 
And frankly, corporate/special libraries have 
always been embedded within their institutions. 
Other tools include surveys, focus groups, and let’s 
face it, just talking to people. The authors of the 
two articles in this issue describe how they reached 
their primary users. 
 
Foster, N.F., ed. (2013). Studying students: A 
second look. Chicago: Association of College 
and Research Libraries.  
 
Luhrmann, T.M. (Winter 2010). Down and out in 
Chicago. Raritan, 140-166. 
 
Luhrmann, T.M. (2008). ‘The street will drive 
you crazy:’ why homeless psychotic women in 
the institutional circuit in the United States often 
say no to offers of help. American Journal of 
Psychiatry 15: 15-20. 
 
If you are interested in contributing book 
reviews, please contact Kim (kimberly-
bloedel@uiowa.edu). 
 
Education Libraries is now included in the 
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) at 
http://www.doaj.org/. 
 
Education Libraries is looking for an editor 
starting in 2015. Please contact Maya Kucij, 
maya.kucij@mcgill.ca, for more information. 
 
Enjoy this issue of Education Libraries. And do 
send education.libraries@gmail.com comments, 
questions, submissions and the like. 

 

mailto:kimberly-bloedel@uiowa.edu
mailto:kimberly-bloedel@uiowa.edu
http://www.doaj.org/
mailto:maya.kucij@mcgill.ca
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