Business Practices in Libraryland: Where Library and Social Services Combine

There is a growing trend of combining social services and library science to meet the ever increasing demand of patrons.

In a recent Reddit discussion board for Librarians, I caught a thread that has lived rent-free in my head for weeks. They stated that their library was a "run-off ramp for an overtaxed social service system." As a library worker in a city that is nearly three times the Virginia poverty rate and twice the national average, I have seen first hand the same growing need for social service related support in our patrons.

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The Library is the run-off ramp for an overtaxed

social service system.

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I was not surprised to find that in 2018, the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) developed a task force to study ways that public libraries and social services could be better combined to create a more robust system of support for patrons, and they found at that time that there were over 30 public libraries who hired at least a part-time social worker to assist the needs of their population. (ALA, 2018 and Lambert, 2020) Additionally, studies are occurring across the country to help understand how great the needs are.

In Texas, at one of these libraries, Patrick Lloyd (LMSW), was profiled at Social Work Today. (Lambert, 2020) Mr. Lloyd is a member of the PLA task force, and he discussed how it's important in library social work to make yourself available to the patrons without assuming they need help, maintaining enough distance to keep the library as a safe haven for people who might only be seeking shelter, but having resources on the ready should needs arise.

Patrons who are dealing with food insufficiency, homelessness, mental illness, decreased access to medical care and addiction issues often come to the library "because they are seeking compassion, and they know the library is the place to get it. They are hoping for answers that cut through bureaucratic hurdles, where they don’t feel like a number." (Schofield, ND) These individuals seek out a library because "they can access resources such as the internet and a bathroom with no requirement to buy a coffee or join a club/membership." (Lambert, 2020) This make a team of librarian and social worker a very powerful combination.

Barth, A. (2008) Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

It's clear this type of combined public services is just in its infancy, but the interest is growing, as evidenced by an increase of social worker positions listed in libraries, or MLIS programs that are considering a combination of LIS work and Social Services. As these program develop, they will be at the forefront of the new brand of librarian, one equipped to handle the changing tide of library services. In the meantime, looking for easily implemented changes, like stocking NARCAN (an opioid overdose rescue drug) and Resume/Application services are easy ways to start making a difference.

References:

ALA.org. (2018). Social Worker Task Force. ALA.org. https://www.ala.org/pla/about/people/committees/pla-tfsocwork

Barth, A (2008, January) Martin Luther King Library [Online Image]. Flicker.com. https://www.flickr.com/photos/a-barth/2411806398/

Lambert, C.P. (2020, March/April). Libraries and Social Workers — Perfect Partners. Social Work Today 20(2), p. 20. https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/MA20p20.shtml

Schofield, A. (N.D.) Social Workers and Librarians— A Case for Why We are BFFs. ALA.org. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/diversity/odlos-blog/social-workers

Business Practices in Libraryland: Customer Service

A straightforward discussion on how to treat our customers.

So far, we've learned about project management, process management, and creative content, so now, we're going to focus on one of the most important aspects of your library life... the customer.

In this day and age, Public Libraries and Librarians are pushed to their extremes, being pulled on to deliver more and more it seems with less and less. Short staff or staff illnesses, the increase of frequent flyer or high-need clients, and the general fatigue of life coming out of the last several years have put people and teams on edge, particularly where customer-facing staff is concerned.

Nevertheless, we are in this field by choice.

I'm sorry if that feels candid but bear with me. At some point, if you work in a public library, you applied, were hired, and perhaps even sought out education to advance your career to full fledge librarianship. No one is working in the library without deciding to be there, so we need to approach our careers and positions with the professionalism and courtesy that we would extend if we were sitting in the corner office of a Fortune 500 company. I'm fond of saying, "We aren't exactly in the coal mines" and I hold to it. Even on the worst of days, when everything goes wrong, the library is still a relatively calm and lovely place to be.

Each customer, regardless of their situation or station, deserves to be treated and greeted as treasured and honored guests. Of course, there will be some that push the envelope, come in hot or aggravated, or generally decide to act badly, but for the most part, your clients are making a choice in their day to come to the library for some sort of help.

And there you are...

(Borrowed from awesome Archie McPhee...

I think I might have found my Christmas gifts for my co-workers!)

I want you to grasp your power here.

YES! You know where to find the material they need, and how to get it into their hands.

YES! You can help them get on a computer.

YES! You can help them print their passion project.

YES! You know how to work the Microfilm Machine.

YES! YES! YES!

Feels good huh? There are going to be times when you need to say no. There are going to be times when the customer is rude, inappropriate, or unkind. Most of the time, a rude customer or their inappropriate attitude has nothing at all to do with you, and you can use it as an opportunity to win them over and create Raving Fans (a great book about this very subject by Ken Blanchard).

In his book, Blanchard advocates for a customer-centric approach. When you focus on what it will take to make the customer's experience superb, anticipating their needs, and reading between the lines to understand what they're really saying with what they're asking, you'll go beyond Happy Customers and have Raving Fans.

Some of the key takeaways from this book are:

• Know what YOU want

• Figure out what your customers want

• Deliver your baseline goods + 1% more every time. This enables steady improvement and leaves your customers feeling cared for more and more each time they come back.

When you approach your work with curiosity, kindness, and a spirit of exploration, your day can turn into a chance to build real connections, community, and sense of purpose in your daily work.

Next Up: Social Service and Public Libraries

Business Practices in Libraryland: Creative Content

Get your creative juices flowing and build beautiful displays and engaging social media content to help your patrons feel welcomed and find what they need.

Now you're experts at Project Management and Process Management, it's time for something fun!

Let's talk about how you engage your patrons within the library and online with colorful displays and web images.

Most of you might already be familiar with the prevalent tools of graphic design, but in case you've new to design and art, here are the key players and where they excel:

Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign for Graphic and Web Design) adobe.com

This is the old guard Gold Standard for graphic design, layout and video editing. Before the webification (tm) of everything most companies had to invest in this software. Back 100,000,000 years ago, when I was first in college, I spent an earthshaking $1,000 to purchase this software, and it served me well, until the devices that I was using no longer had disc drivers and they stopped supporting it. Now, like everything else, you can purchase access this amazing and versatile suite of software online for a monthly or yearly fee. If you have the money, you can find no better tool for getting all the creative business done.

....However....

Canva (Graphic and Web Design) canva.com

Adobe Premiere / After Effects, Canva, iMovie and 1000+ video editing apps for smartphones (Video Editing) adobe.com / canva.com / imovie

Once you've determined what software to use to create, it's time to get started designing. What are you hoping to make? Is it a large scale image to use for a display? Or a bookmark to publicize a program or initiative?

For Spring, we began with a quote from Cicero,

designed in Canva and printed to scale using tiles.

Our tiny celeb bookmarks, highlight books

recommended by that celebrity, designed in Canva.

Having dynamic displays are a matter of staying in season, and exploring specific focuses for each month or period of time (like Black History Month in February and Banned Book Month in September.) You can find special days and what is celebrated each month HERE.

Don't be afraid of color. Using bright colors provided a cheerful and welcoming display for our patrons to explore. Also, explore size and scale. Adobe isn't constrained to size, but Canva has a 50" x 50" cap for size, which I've found to be largely sufficient.

Once you've designed your header image, it's time to pull your books and create your display. Think about displays you have seen in bookstores. Try to emulate this as much as possible with risers or other books. There's a great article about "How to Market Your Library Like a Bookstore" here.

Most of all, have fun, keep it fresh and track your checkouts. It's really motivating to see books on display circulate, and having these stats helps your management to understand the value of this type of promotion.

Next Up: Customer Service

Citations:

https://www.adobe.com/

https://canva.com/

https://nationaltoday.com/what-is-today/

https://librarycommission.wv.gov/Librarian/Documents/Market%20Your%20Library%20Like%20a%20Bookstore.pdf