Amanda Aykanian et al, (2020) Library-Based Field Placements: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Patrons, Including Those Experiencing Homelessness

 Amanda Aykanian, Peggy Morton, Kathi Trawver, Lane Victorson, Sarah Preskitt & Kimberly Street (2020) Library-Based Field Placements: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Patrons, Including Those Experiencing Homelessness, Journal of Social Work Education, 56:sup1, S72-S80, DOI: 10.1080/10437797.2020.1723757

The abstract of this article makes the point that libraries are places that vulnerable people visit, and that librarians, like social workers are frequently advocates and supporters of these visitors. They then go on to say that librarians may not have the skills and knowledge to deal witht he complex needs of such people and that is where social workers come in handy. 

The authors identify libraries as "second responders, stepping in when needed services are unavailable or inaccessible".

The authors describe how libraries emerge as a reflection of their users' needs - they design programs, spaces and resources in response to the needs of the community they serve. But when the needs of the community move outside the expertise of library staff - this is when social workers can be brought in to meet these needs. User needs that were identified as beyond the permit of librarians were: "With a high number of patrons experiencing homelessness, librarians found patrons’ needs were changing as many were seeking information on broad challenges they were facing, such as accessing housing, food, employment, behavioral health services, and transportation."

The article continues by describing three examples of student social workers in library placements - The University of Maryland students in Baltimore public libraries, New York University in the NYPL, the University of Alaska in Anchorage libraries.

An observation made by the authors is that after hosting student social workers, many libraries are so impressed with what they offer their patrons, they make the move to employing a social worker as a permanent role on staff.  

The question of where to put the social worker is mentioned in this article. The debate is between making them visible and integrated into the public spaces to ensure patrons know they exist and are available, versus giving them a discreet space to work from so patrons' privacy is not compromised. The authors are in the  - make them visible- camp stating the social workers should be "out in the open, such as at a welcoming table with resources and pamphlets, may also facilitate engagement.

The authors mention social workers training library staff: "They can also educate library staff about social work concepts, empathy, and homelessness, missions also embraced by Dowd (2018) and the Whole Person Librarianship (Zetterval & Nienow, 2019).", making the assumption that library staff do not already have this knowledge and attributes.

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