Giesler, M. (2021). Perceptions of the Public Library Social Worker: Challenges and Opportunities. The Library Quarterly, 91(4), 402-419.

There is the idea of Social Workers in the library as working  mainly with a focus on Zetterval's 'mezzo/ approach - training staff & changing library culture - rather than 'micro' level of assisting individual patron needs. And perhaps a feeling from library staff of gratitude about the social worker's presence, but a desire to have them working at the 'micro' level rather than being trained to do it themselves?

Maybe given protocols and procedures to deal with customers with high social needs is just another layer of work they do now? Author described some resistance among library staff of 'having to do social work now'. They have been trained, but this work is situated as a source of tension between their understanding of their role and their alignment with their belief that they are part of a democratic organisation and their desire to serve all people. 

The lack of clear protocols regarding challenging patrons contributes to this uncertainty about whose role is whose. 

Library social workers often work in isolation and highly autonomously. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm, burnout, and a lack of direction beyond being told of their supervisor's vision for their role. There needs to be a way of keeping them connected to a community of practice to provide peer connection. 

The use of space is an intersting element of this article. Pros and cons of the provision of space in the library for social workers were discussed. By not providing a space for the SW to interact with people, we force the interaction out into the public which can make the customer uncomfortable, invades their privacy and makes it difficult for the intervention to happen away from the other users. However, providing a devoted space for SW interactions removes the fluidity of access for and to clients to seek out the SW and also invades privacy as staff and other patrons are likely to see who is using the space. 

There is also an interesting discussion about the value of 'peer-outreach' workers being put on staff in the libraries to act as a conduit between potential clients and the services and programs available to them. An interesting argument for using peer outreach workers to identify patrons in need of social work practices and funnelling them in to the social worker who is in a separate private space. This gives an answer to dilemma of space previously described - like a triage service where the frnot line is highly approachable and connected to the situations faced by the patrons. 

Includes a useful list of recomendations and areas for future study. Some good references to follow up.