Supporting Patrons in Crisis through a Social Work-Public Library Collaboration

Abstract

Individuals experiencing psychosocial crises have sought support and refuge in libraries for decades, and at increasing rates. Library staff interacts with individuals in crisis using professional knowledge and attitudes, of which crisis intervention and related work is rarely a part. We hypothesized that librarian-social work collaboration could deliver crucial knowledge and skill development for library staff, positively affecting attitudes and improving public libraries’ service provision. We facilitated a series of workshops co-designed by social workers and librarians which address topics identified in prior research. Pre- and post-workshop assessments provided data about participants’ knowledge and attitude changes. Findings indicate the workshops increased knowledge and altered attitudes around each topic. These results are discussed in the context of current literature on social work-library interprofessional collaborations, with a focus on trauma-informed librarianship, and implications for the next steps will be explored.

Keywords:

• Public libraries
• social work
• interprofessional collaboration
• well-being
• patrons in crisis
• trauma-informed librarianship

Notes

1 Scale adapted from Cohen and Struening (1962).

2 Assessments adapted from tools implemented by the Georgia Department of Public Health https://gahomevisiting.org/.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the National Networks of Libraries of Medicine New England Region Community Engagement Award (2018–2019).