Library-based social work: IPL and IUSSW’s partnership leading the way in new field

Even as they fulfill a vital role for knowledge seekers, public libraries are finding they too have more to learn about their role in serving diverse community needs. Considered a safe place for a growing number of patrons experiencing poverty and homelessness, libraries across the United States are examining their capabilities to meet needs beyond the scope of traditional library services.

Sparked by an innovative partnership with the Indianapolis Public Library (IPL), the IU School of Social Work is helping libraries in Indiana and several other states not only assess how to assist patrons in need of social services but also recommend viable solutions in the emerging field of library-based social work.

“While the Indianapolis Public Library had some basic services and resources in place to serve at-risk patrons, their staff felt under-prepared to adequately manage certain situations, some of which have posed a risk to safety,” said Beth Wahler, MSW, Ph.D., associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor. “They reached out to us about a potential partnership, and we saw it as a way we could help meet a community need and get involved in a new and innovative area of social work.”

The school conducted a needs assessment for IPL, which included both a patron survey and a separate survey to gather feedback from library staff about their experiences and the library’s role and responsibilities with social services. More than three-quarters of IPL staff requested an on-site social worker to help provide staff training and crisis intervention and to assist patrons with poverty-related and psychosocial needs.

IUSSW adjunct faculty member and Ph.D. candidate Mary Provence, MSW, LCSW, whose doctoral research focuses on the role of the public library social worker and homelessness, said libraries are poised to make a significant difference in their communities by connecting patrons with services.

“The library is a welcoming place where people can go without experiencing stigma,” explained Provence, who worked with Dr. Wahler to facilitate IPL’s needs assessment. “Not everybody experiencing homelessness, for example, chooses to go to a shelter because they don’t feel welcome or want to be labeled as homeless. The library’s setting as non-threatening and non-stigmatizing is pivotal.”

Following the assessment, IUSSW agreed to pilot a field practicum for MSW students at IPL’s Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. A grant from the Center for Social Health and Well-Being funded a part-time supervisor to work with the MSW students, who provided direct support to library patrons in need. The students collected additional data to help address patron and staff training needs, as well as to generate support for hiring an on-site social worker.

Danielle Hoover and Diadra Flemister were the two MSW students who participated in the semester-long practicum in January 2019. Like many others, they were unaware of the Central Library’s long history of supporting vulnerable populations prior to their work with them.

“From handing out basic supplies and letting patrons use the phone to crisis intervention, librarians are being tasked with the job of being direct support professionals, but that’s not what their expertise and training have been dedicated to,” said Hoover. “We quickly learned that having MSW students or a social worker on-site benefited both the patrons and the library’s goals to serve the community.”

In the past 18 months, Wahler and Provence have published two articles about the IPL collaboration and have a third under review. They also have presented on the topic of social workers in libraries at four conferences, including the Indiana Library Federation annual meeting. Dr. Wahler is currently working on needs assessments with four other Indiana library systems that are either considering adding social work practicums or hiring social workers. She is also collaborating on similar projects with libraries in Wisconsin, West Virginia, Florida, and Ohio.

“Libraries across the country are hungry for information about how to do this well, which has resulted in a lot of interest in the cutting-edge research and work we’ve been doing here in Indianapolis and with other libraries,” Dr. Wahler said. “As a school, we’re pleased to be at the forefront nationally in providing a solid base of information about library-based social work.”