Social Work Perspectives in the Library is written by Antonia Bruno, Excelsior Service Fellow for the NYS Library in the Office of Cultural Education.
Whole Person Librarianship
One of the first works I delved into was Whole Person Librarianship which is written by librarian Sara K. Zettervall and social worker, Mary C. Nienow. Published in 2019, this book serves as a resource for understanding the many connections between social work and librarianship. The authors provide context on the relationship between these “Sister Professions,” offering guidance on how to integrate a social worker in your library.
There are a few approaches to bringing a social worker into a library setting. A common method in New York is to partner with a local School of Social Welfare inviting MSW students to complete part of their internship requirement in the library. Another option is to contract with an outside human services or social services agency, allowing an employee from that organization to work with patrons or staff within the library. Both of these approaches, discussed in Whole Person Librarianship, help navigate budget and civil service barriers that can arise when hiring a social worker directly.
However, when it’s possible, hiring a social worker or social work graduate student can provide significant benefits to a library, as it can further demonstrate your library’s commitment to serving all members of the community that frequent the library. This type of permanent social worker presence might even attract new library users. For more information, you can visit the Whole Person Librarianship website, which features a map showing locations of library social workers across the country, a blog, and additional information about the book.
Urban Library Trauma Study
The Urban Library Trauma Study has been instrumental in deepening my understanding of the harsh realities faced by library staff. Although the study specifically measures the challenges encountered by urban public libraries, its findings are applicable to suburban and rural libraries as well. Conducted by Urban Libraries Unite (ULU), the Urban Library Trauma study was motivated by the personal experiences of its authors, who faced trauma in their own workplaces.
During my time as a social services advocate in a public library, working directly with patrons, I had not fully grasped the struggles that library staff endure. By conducting focus groups of library staff across the country, ULU revealed the trauma and burnout experienced by library staff in urban libraries. An outcome of the study is the Library Workers Support Network, a peer-led support group aimed at fostering community and emphasizing that no library staff member has to deal with these broader social issues alone.
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