View in EDS

Helping or Overstepping? Adult Services Librarians Talk About Social Services in Public Libraries.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Helping or Overstepping? Adult Services Librarians Talk About Social Services in Public Libraries.
Authors: Latham, Don1 dlatham@fsu.edu, Gross, Melissa1 mgross@fsu.edu, Baum, Brittany bbaum@fsu.edu
Source: RUSQ: A Journal of Reference & User Experience. 2025, Vol. 61 Issue 1, p42-56. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Public libraries, *Public librarians, *Information needs, *Library education, *Focus groups, Social services, Community coordination, Professional standards
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Public libraries are increasingly seeing patrons with a variety of social services needs. Often, the adult services librarian is the first, and sometimes only, point of contact for these patrons. It is important, therefore, to explore adult services librarians’ perspectives on and experiences with addressing patrons’ social services needs. Two online focus groups were held with a total of 13 adult services librarians from across the United States. Findings indicate that these librarians are seeing patrons with myriad social services needs, and they are collaborating with community partners and, in some cases, social workers to address them. They generally do not feel that their LIS education prepared them to adequately provide these services. Moreover, feelings are mixed about the extent to which librarians should be expected to perform this kind of work. Overall, they desire clearer guidelines about the librarian’s role and what the professional boundaries are in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Database: Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
Description
Abstract:Public libraries are increasingly seeing patrons with a variety of social services needs. Often, the adult services librarian is the first, and sometimes only, point of contact for these patrons. It is important, therefore, to explore adult services librarians’ perspectives on and experiences with addressing patrons’ social services needs. Two online focus groups were held with a total of 13 adult services librarians from across the United States. Findings indicate that these librarians are seeing patrons with myriad social services needs, and they are collaborating with community partners and, in some cases, social workers to address them. They generally do not feel that their LIS education prepared them to adequately provide these services. Moreover, feelings are mixed about the extent to which librarians should be expected to perform this kind of work. Overall, they desire clearer guidelines about the librarian’s role and what the professional boundaries are in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]