Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services
Whole Person Librarianship guides librarians through the practical process of facilitating connections among libraries, social workers, and social services; explains why those connections are important; and puts them in the context of a national movement.

Collaboration between libraries and social workers is an exploding trend that will continue to be relevant to the future of public and academic libraries. Whole Person Librarianship incorporates practical examples with insights from librarians and social workers. The result is a new vision of library services.

The authors provide multiple examples of how public and academic librarians are connecting their patrons with social services. They explore skills and techniques librarians can learn from social workers, such as how to set healthy boundaries and work with patrons experiencing homelessness; they also offer ideas for how librarians can self-educate on these topics.

The book additionally provides insights for social work partners on how they can benefit from working with librarians. While librarians and social workers share social justice motivations, their methods are complementary and yet still distinct—librarians do not have to become social workers. Librarian readers will come away with many practical ideas for collaboration as well as the ability to explain why collaboration with social workers is important for the future of librarianship.
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Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services
Whole Person Librarianship guides librarians through the practical process of facilitating connections among libraries, social workers, and social services; explains why those connections are important; and puts them in the context of a national movement.

Collaboration between libraries and social workers is an exploding trend that will continue to be relevant to the future of public and academic libraries. Whole Person Librarianship incorporates practical examples with insights from librarians and social workers. The result is a new vision of library services.

The authors provide multiple examples of how public and academic librarians are connecting their patrons with social services. They explore skills and techniques librarians can learn from social workers, such as how to set healthy boundaries and work with patrons experiencing homelessness; they also offer ideas for how librarians can self-educate on these topics.

The book additionally provides insights for social work partners on how they can benefit from working with librarians. While librarians and social workers share social justice motivations, their methods are complementary and yet still distinct—librarians do not have to become social workers. Librarian readers will come away with many practical ideas for collaboration as well as the ability to explain why collaboration with social workers is important for the future of librarianship.
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Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services

Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services

Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services

Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services

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Overview

Whole Person Librarianship guides librarians through the practical process of facilitating connections among libraries, social workers, and social services; explains why those connections are important; and puts them in the context of a national movement.

Collaboration between libraries and social workers is an exploding trend that will continue to be relevant to the future of public and academic libraries. Whole Person Librarianship incorporates practical examples with insights from librarians and social workers. The result is a new vision of library services.

The authors provide multiple examples of how public and academic librarians are connecting their patrons with social services. They explore skills and techniques librarians can learn from social workers, such as how to set healthy boundaries and work with patrons experiencing homelessness; they also offer ideas for how librarians can self-educate on these topics.

The book additionally provides insights for social work partners on how they can benefit from working with librarians. While librarians and social workers share social justice motivations, their methods are complementary and yet still distinct—librarians do not have to become social workers. Librarian readers will come away with many practical ideas for collaboration as well as the ability to explain why collaboration with social workers is important for the future of librarianship.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9798216165095
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date: 08/14/2019
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 190
File size: 4 MB
Age Range: 7 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sara K. Zettervall, MLIS, MFA, is founding consultant and trainer at Whole Person Librarianship. She instructs library staff across the nation and world on applying social work concepts to improve library service.

Mary C. Nienow, PhD, is assistant professor and BSW program director at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN.

Table of Contents

Preface
Terminology
United States Perspective
Appendixes and Online Resources
Introduction Sister Professions
A Little Bit of History
Current Statistics
Shared Ethics
Service
Privacy and Confidentiality
Access to Information
Respect for Rights
Professional Skills and Integrity
Social Justice
Growth of Library-Social Work Collaboration
Online Resources
Chapter 1 Relationships Are the New Reference Collection
Overview
Sara's Story
Building the Relationship-Based Reference Collection
What Do Social Workers Do?
"I'm Not a Social Worker, but I Know Where to Find One"
The Living Relationship
Social Work Concepts for Patron Services
Person-in-Environment
PIE in Action
Online Resources
Chapter 2 Partners in the Library
Overview
Harrison's Story
Inspiration into Justification
Justification into Action
Types of Partnerships
Action into Sustainability
Space in the Library
Data Collection and Sharing
Benefits to Community Partners
Adaptations for Academic Libraries
Online Resources
Chapter 3 Social Work Students: "Living the Dream" in the Library
Overview
Jason's Story
Social Work Education: The Basics
Collaborating with the School of Social Work
Internship Purpose and Requirements
Examples of Internship Projects
Academic Librarians and Social Work Students
Online Resources
Chapter 4 Full-Time Library Social Workers
Overview
Ashley's Story
The Classic Model: San Francisco Public Library
Micro: Outreach and Crisis Management
Mezzo: Community Connections and Case Referrals
Macro: Systematic Change
Logistics of the Hire
Host Organizations and Funding
Data Collection and Documentation
Social Service Data Collection
Collaboration and Data Sharing
Onboarding
Roles and Communication
Special Considerations for Working with Youth
Boundary Setting
Supporting the Social Worker
Quick-and-Dirty Library Education
Supervision and Professional Connection
Online Resources
Chapter 5 Advocating for Change
Overview
Leslie's Story
Advocacy through a Social Work Lens
Internal and External Advocacy
Internal Advocacy
External Advocacy
Online Resources
Chapter 6 Sustainable Practice
Overview
Karen's Story
Self-Care vs. Sustainable Practice
Cultural Humility
Lifelong Learning and Critical Self-Reflection
Challenge Power Imbalances
Institutional Accountability
Reflective Practice and Reflective Supervision
Online Resources
Conclusion Future Directions
Libraries as Social Work Host Sites
Social Work Education for Library School Students
Multiple Social Workers in a Library System
Whole Person Library Management
Professional Involvement and Professional Organizations
Online Resources
Appendix A: PIE Chart Worksheet
Appendix B: Community Needs Assessment
Appendix C: Learning Contract Template
Appendix D: Sample Intake Form
Appendix E: Sample Staff Survey
Appendix F: Reflective Practice Worksheet
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

Sarah C. Johnson

"After endorsing Zettervall and Nienow’s work for years, I’m thrilled at the publication of this definitive, authoritative manuscript on the collaboration between public libraries and social work. As leading experts in such partnerships, their work is timely and much needed. I will continue to refer to their wisdom in my own work, as well as recommending Whole Person Librarianship to the pioneering social workers, interns, and librarians among us."

Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow

"Whole Person Librarianship is a critical, vital text for anyone who is concerned about library practice in the 21st century. This book provides us great information that centers our service work within our communities and teaches us how we can reinvigorate and strengthen the role of librarians and libraries in the lives and social networks of our patrons. Librarianship and social work as professions have a lot to learn from each other."

Noah Lenstra

"Sara K. Zettervall and Dr. Mary C. Nienow, MSW, provide us with the tools we need to develop empathic practices, form partnerships, and bring social workers and social work expertise into libraries of all types. Whole Person Librarianship contains the practical information we need to make our libraries even more supportive community hubs. The book will impact front-line library staff, library administrators, library educators, and social work students and social workers. Throughout the book, stories of actual librarians and social workers powerfully illustrate the concepts discussed. The book concludes with inspiring chapters on how to sustain and advocate for whole person librarianship and, therefore, how to advocate for our patrons and communities. Zettervall and Nienow have distilled their expertise on this topic into a book accessible and useful for library staff, library educators, and social workers."

Leah Esguerra

"Whole Person Librarianship highlights the strengths of social work and librarianship, demonstrating how these approaches can be used in tandem to produce effective results in addressing needs of the most vulnerable library patrons. This book shows how patron services can be improved with the collaboration of the two disciplines' distinct yet similar roles and purpose, and it shines a light on several intersectionalities within both fields, such as access to resources and the promotion of social justice. In short, this book is recommended as a well-researched guide for libraries considering implementation of social services into their systems."

Catherine Penkert

“This book is the first of its kind to document and explore the vast possibilities of library-social work collaborations. Zettervall and Nienow have written an invaluable guide to bringing library staff and social workers together for the good of communities.”

Jennifer Peterson

"Regardless of where libraries aim to settle in the continuum of social work collaborations, this important book responds to the plea from library staff for practical and applicable methods which enable whole person service with minimal burnout. These social work concepts inform sustainable solutions relevant to every library type and community size."

Tracy M. Soska

"While aiming to educate librarians about social work as a complement to public service in and through libraries, Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services is certainly important to social workers who are seeking new community partners and career pathways, as well as to social work educators who are seeking exciting internships and learning opportunities for their students. Libraries are emerging as the new community centers and settlement houses of today—centers for lifelong learning and civic engagement. Social workers who read this book will want to spend more time at their public library—and for good reasons."

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