Social Services in Your Library!
Libraries are among the few public spaces that feel safe and welcoming to everyone in our communities. To meet this challenge we have much to learn from social workers, who are trained to approach their clients with empathy while keeping professional boundaries.
Public Libraries in the United States are visited daily by vast numbers of people
experiencing unmet psychosocial needs including poverty, homelessness, immigration concerns,
mental health, substance abuse, and health problems.
The Journal of Social Services 2020, Vol 101(1) 34-43
Videos
Dowd, R. (2013, May 20). A Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness
Sanderbeck, A. (2018, February 7). Dealing with Angry Customer Behaviors
Smith, P. S. (2013, December 16). What to Expect From Libraries in the 21st Century
Bowden, M. (2013, October 27). YouTube. The Importance of Being Inauthentic
Top Think. (2020, January 1).YouTube. 8 Ways to Read Someone’s Body Language
OETA. (2017, May 5). Homeless in Oklahoma [Video]. YouTube.
Cotner, C. (2017, May 19). Tulsa Homelessness Documentary [Video]. YouTube.
Invisible People. (2017, June 9). Kelly Is Homeless, Yet You’d Never Know It Unless She Told You [Video]. YouTube.
DW Documentary. (2019, November 27). How Poor People Survive in the USA [Video]. YouTube.
Webinars
WebJunction. (2020, March 31). Call to Action: Public Libraries and the Opioid Crisis
WebJunction. (2019, December 17). Community Health Challenges: Training, Language and Programming for Libraries
WebJunction. (2020, April 29). Social Work Students and Public Library Partnerships
Schools of Social Work
University of Oklahoma - Tulsa, MSW and BSW
University of Oklahoma - Norman, MSW and BSW
Northeastern State University - Tahlequah, BSW and very new MSW program
Northeastern State University - Broken Arrow
Northwestern State University - Alva, BSW
East Central State University - Ada, BSW
Oral Roberts University - Tulsa, BSW
Articles
Baer, D. (2014, November 14). 17 Tactics for Reading People's Body Language. Business Insider.
Cherry, K. (2017). Understanding Body Language and Facial Expressions. VeryWellMind.com.
Giving Compass. (2019, May 1). How Do People Become Homeless?
Housing and Urban Development. 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report [AHRA] to Congress.
Invisible People. (2019, October 28). How Homeless People Become Homeless.
McGovern, M. (2018, January 11). 23 of the Best Things to Say to an Angry Customer. Forbes.
Mehrmann, J. (2019, June 4). 10 Powerful Steps to Defuse Angry Customers. Business Know-How.
Mental Health America. Quick Facts and Statistics About Mental Health.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental Health By The Numbers.
National Coalition for the Homeless. Homelessness in America.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Data and Dissemination.
