Celebrating social work/library partnerships
This past week was an incredible culmination of the research, writing, and teaching I’ve been doing over the last seven years examining public library field placements of social work students. Beginning last year, I collaborated with Dr. Beth Wahler, David Perez, Dr. Charles Senteio, and Nancy Schley as part of the Social Work Informed Library Services in NJ (SWILIBS-NJ) championed by the New Jersey State Library. A capstone event held at the Rutgers University’s main library allowed us to meet social work students and their library task supervisors in person; learning about their work in Central NJ libraries and hearing about the impact they are having in various communities.
As part of this project, Dr. Wahler and I created separate handbooks for library task supervisors and for library-based social work students. We also provided training last summer to both groups before they embarked on their partnerships.
The next day, I met up with Mitzy Gonzalez (pictured above, bottom row, middle) at the New Brunswick Free Public Library (NBFPL). She is nearing graduation with an aim to begin her master’s degree this summer.
Mitzy gave me a tour of the Carnegie library and introduced me to several of her colleagues; including two outreach librarians who have been a source of support for her throughout the internship. She highlighted the bilingual resource board created with her fellow intern Agny Valle which advertises library and community services in Spanish and English. A few in particular that stood out to me were the monthly Eye Clinic offered to patrons and their partnership with New Brunswick’s Dignity Center which provides hygienic services.
Mitzy talked about her positive experience at NBFPL and how it’s shaped her desire to continue working directly with community needs. She discussed the solid support received in this venture from several corners: her library supervisor, Linda Crittenden; Agny; library staff; her social work supervisors and fellow social work student at Rutgers who are a part of this pilot program. I appreciate that she has access to a private and safe space in the library to meet with patrons individually. The library also has a dedicated event space for hosting community partners such as the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The New Brunswick library seems to have come full circle for Mitzy. She took me downstairs to the dedicated children’s space; a room she frequented as a child. She pointed out the exact table she recalls reading at with her father. Mitzy is putting her bilingual and social work skills to wonderful use at NBFPL; the patrons and its wider community are fortunate to have her.