"I Didn't Know It Would Be Like This": Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Hauptverfasser: Melissa Gross, Don Latham, Brittany Baum, Lauren Crabtree, Karen Randolph
Format: Recurso educativo Open Access
Sprache:en
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Melissa Gross
Don Latham
Brittany Baum
Lauren Crabtree
Karen Randolph
author_facet Melissa Gross
Don Latham
Brittany Baum
Lauren Crabtree
Karen Randolph
Melissa Gross
Don Latham
Brittany Baum
Lauren Crabtree
Karen Randolph
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents "I Didn't Know It Would Be Like This": Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries Melissa Gross Don Latham Brittany Baum Lauren Crabtree Karen Randolph Librarians Library Administration Public Libraries Social Services Social Work Library Education Career Readiness Library Services Information Dissemination User Needs (Information) Recent semi-structured interviews with 28 librarians and branch managers on the placement of social workers in public libraries revealed a need for library and information science (LIS) programs to better prepare students for their role as social service information providers and to provide models for working with and supervising social workers in the library. It is clear that libraries are experiencing increasing demands to respond to the social-service information needs that users bring to the library, and the importance of libraries to communities in times of uncertainty and crisis is clear. In response, some libraries are including social workers on staff, but this trend does not completely relieve librarians of the need to serve the public's social-service information needs. LIS students need to understand the professional boundaries of librarianship and social work and to develop the ability to feel confident in their interactions with users who have been traumatized, are in crisis, or are struggling with challenges such as the need for credible health information; home and food insecurity information; legal aid; access to the Internet for individuals and families from low-income situations; accessible adult education programs; and more. Interview participants offered a number of suggestions for how to incorporate social work concepts into LIS education and asked for several specific skills such as training in mental-health first aid, de-escalation techniques, and greater knowledge of social-service resources.
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ1409541
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2024
record_format eric
spellingShingle "I Didn't Know It Would Be Like This": Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries
Melissa Gross
Don Latham
Brittany Baum
Lauren Crabtree
Karen Randolph
Librarians
Library Administration
Public Libraries
Social Services
Social Work
Library Education
Career Readiness
Library Services
Information Dissemination
User Needs (Information)
"I Didn't Know It Would Be Like This": Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries Melissa Gross Don Latham Brittany Baum Lauren Crabtree Karen Randolph Librarians Library Administration Public Libraries Social Services Social Work Library Education Career Readiness Library Services Information Dissemination User Needs (Information) Recent semi-structured interviews with 28 librarians and branch managers on the placement of social workers in public libraries revealed a need for library and information science (LIS) programs to better prepare students for their role as social service information providers and to provide models for working with and supervising social workers in the library. It is clear that libraries are experiencing increasing demands to respond to the social-service information needs that users bring to the library, and the importance of libraries to communities in times of uncertainty and crisis is clear. In response, some libraries are including social workers on staff, but this trend does not completely relieve librarians of the need to serve the public's social-service information needs. LIS students need to understand the professional boundaries of librarianship and social work and to develop the ability to feel confident in their interactions with users who have been traumatized, are in crisis, or are struggling with challenges such as the need for credible health information; home and food insecurity information; legal aid; access to the Internet for individuals and families from low-income situations; accessible adult education programs; and more. Interview participants offered a number of suggestions for how to incorporate social work concepts into LIS education and asked for several specific skills such as training in mental-health first aid, de-escalation techniques, and greater knowledge of social-service resources.
title "I Didn't Know It Would Be Like This": Professional Preparation for Social-Service Information Work in Public Libraries
topic Librarians
Library Administration
Public Libraries
Social Services
Social Work
Library Education
Career Readiness
Library Services
Information Dissemination
User Needs (Information)
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1409541