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Whole person librarianship : a social work approach to patron services
2019
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Library Journal Review
While working on her practicum in 2012, Zettervall asked her friend Nienow, a social worker, to help her lead a book club with a group of Somali girls who had endured hardship because of civil war; the collaboration resulted in this book. The authors describe librarianship and social work as sister professions. Both professions began in the United States in the late 1800s during the progressive era and were staffed primarily by women (excluding leadership positions, which were typically held by men). This holds true in modern times; women still make up a majority of workers in these professions. The professions both prioritize service and respect for privacy and human rights. Zettervall and Nienow demonstrate how collaboration between librarians and social workers benefits communities. They offer relevant examples and, in the appendixes, information on doing a community needs assessment, along with other suggestions. VERDICT This is a well-researched and practical guide recommended for those in the library and social worker professions.--Dave Pugl, Ela Area P.L., Lake Zurich, IL
CHOICE Review
Zettervall and Nienow offer a practical, hands-on guide to building collaborations between social workers and librarians. The authors have had experience building partnerships of their own, and Zettervall is the founder of Whole Person Librarianship, an organization that trains librarians in concepts important to this goal. This book is a great introduction for librarians hoping to develop or further social services support in their libraries. Each of the six chapters is practical and direct, providing best practices, case studies, and links to further resources. Including six appendixes, one of which provides worksheets and checklists, the book is best suited to practicing professionals at public libraries, but academic librarians--particularly those at community colleges--may also find the book valuable. Summing Up: Recommended. Professional and practicing librarians. --Kristy M Borda, William & Mary Libraries
Booklist Review
The concept of ""whole person librarianship"" (WPL) grew out of the serve the whole person model of social work, giving extra attention to vulnerable groups, those often oppressed because of their race, religion, gender, or economic status. Six information-packed chapters, with titles such as ""Partners in the Library,"" ""Full-Time Library Social Workers,"" and ""Advocating for Change,"" guide readers ""from a basic understanding of the intersection of librarianship and social work through various stages of collaboration and into more complex social work concepts as they can apply to library service. Following an introductory case study, each chapter offers a tremendous amount of practical explanation, advice, and suggestions. Appendixes provide worksheets for community-needs assessments, contracts, intake forms, and staff surveys, with a link to additional resources. Authors Zettervall, a library-science student working on a practicum for a book club with Somali girls, and Nienow, an academic, field worker, and policy developer with decades of social-work experience, have done a wonderful job of artfully blending librarianship and social work into a very solid and promising new enterprise. Whole Person Librarianship is a relevant, skillfully crafted, refreshingly optimistic, and highly recommended read.--Art Lichtenstein Copyright 2020 Booklist
Summary

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.

Table of Contents
Prefacep. ix
Terminologyp. x
United States Perspectivep. xi
Appendixes and Online Resourcesp. xi
Introduction Sister Professionsp. 1
A Little Bit of Historyp. 1
Current Statisticsp. 3
Shared Ethicsp. 4
Servicep. 5
Privacy and Confidentialityp. 5
Access to Informationp. 6
Respect for Rightsp. 6
Professional Skills and Integrityp. 7
Social Justicep. 7
Growth of Library-Social Work Collaborationp. 8
Online Resourcesp. 10
Chapter 1Relationships Are the New Reference Collectionp. 11
Overviewp. 11
Sara's Storyp. 12
Building the Relationship-Based Reference Collectionp. 16
What Do Social Workers Do?p. 17
"I'm Not a Social Worker, but I Know Where to Find One"p. 19
The Living Relationshipp. 22
Social Work Concepts for Patron Servicesp. 24
Person-in-Environmentp. 24
PIE in Actionp. 27
Online Resourcesp. 29
Chapter 2Partners in the Libraryp. 31
Overviewp. 31
Harrison's Storyp. 32
Inspiration into Justificationp. 35
Justification into Actionp. 38
Types of Partnershipsp. 39
Action into Sustainabilityp. 41
Space in the Libraryp. 41
Data Collection and Sharingp. 42
Benefits to Community Partnersp. 42
Adaptations for Academic Librariesp. 44
Online Resourcesp. 47
Chapter 3Social Work Students: "Living the Dream" in the Libraryp. 49
Overviewp. 49
Jason's Storyp. 50
Social Work Education: The Basicsp. 54
Collaborating with the School of Social Workp. 56
Internship Purpose and Requirementsp. 57
Examples of Internship Projectsp. 58
Academic Librarians and Social Work Studentsp. 61
Online Resourcesp. 63
Chapter 4Full-Time Library Social Workersp. 65
Overviewp. 65
Ashley's Storyp. 66
The Classic Model: San Francisco Public Libraryp. 71
Micro: Outreach and Crisis Managementp. 72
Mezzo: Community Connections and Case Referralsp. 75
Macro: Systematic Changep. 76
Logistics of the Hirep. 77
Host Organizations and Fundingp. 79
Data Collection and Documentationp. 84
Social Service Data Collectionp. 85
Collaboration and Data Sharingp. 86
Onboardingp. 88
Roles and Communicationp. 88
Special Considerations for Working with Youthp. 90
Boundary Settingp. 91
Supporting the Social Workerp. 92
Quick-and-Dirty Library Educationp. 92
Supervision and Professional Connectionp. 93
Online Resourcesp. 95
Chapter 5Advocating for Changep. 97
Overviewp. 97
Leslie's Storyp. 97
Advocacy through a Social Work Lensp. 103
Internal and External Advocacyp. 105
Internal Advocacyp. 106
External Advocacyp. 109
Online Resourcesp. 113
Chapter 6Sustainable Practicep. 115
Overviewp. 115
Karen's Storyp. 116
Self-Care vs. Sustainable Practicep. 118
Cultural Humilityp. 121
Lifelong Learning and Critical Self-Reflectionp. 122
Challenge Power Imbalancesp. 123
Institutional Accountabilityp. 124
Reflective Practice and Reflective Supervisionp. 125
Online Resourcesp. 128
Conclusion Future Directionsp. 129
Libraries as Social Work Host Sitesp. 129
Social Work Education for Library School Studentsp. 130
Multiple Social Workers in a Library Systemp. 131
Whole Person Library Managementp. 132
Professional Involvement and Professional Organizationsp. 133
Online Resourcesp. 134
Appendix APIE Chart Worksheetp. 135
Appendix BCommunity Needs Assessmentp. 137
Appendix CLearning Contract Templatep. 143
Appendix DSample Intake Formp. 151
Appendix ESample Staff Surveyp. 153
Appendix FReflective Practice Worksheetp. 157
Referencesp. 159
Indexp. 163
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