Episode 1: David Perez, MSW

David is a bilingual Library Social Worker at the Long Branch Free Public Library and the first social worker hired by a public library in New Jersey.

First episode!

The first episode of the Library Social Work podcast is here! See below for the list of topics David and I discussed including relevant links and attachments to learn more. I look forward to reading your feedback.

Topics

• Introduction to podcast and this first episode

• David’s path to library social work at Long Branch

• “Typical” day and tasks

  • His role and responsibilities

• Growth of library social work in New Jersey

• 2024 American Library Association presentation about the Social Work Informed Library Services in New Jersey (SWILIBS-NJ) pilot program

• Library-based social work student internships

• Community Outreach Programs:

  • Fade to Books: Barbershop Literacy Initiative

  • Fresh Start re-entry

• Ingredients for successful library social work partnerships

• Librarians’ reception of David’s role

• What librarians need to understand about hosting social work students

  • Preferred track and characteristics of social work students

  • Student tasks

  • Work space, confidentiality, and safety

  • On and off-site social work supervision

• What social work students need to know about interning at a library

• Scope of library social work

• What isn’t working about these partnerships

• Quality orientation and planning

• Tailoring social work programs at the branch level

• The importance of self-care for social workers and what this looks like for David.

Links

Whole Person Librarianship Map: Please comment if you know of partnerships not represented on the WPL map or any outdated pins.

Orientation tools: Two handbooks developed by Beth Wahler and I for the Social Work Informed Library Services in NJ program

• For librarian task supervisors of library-based social work student interns

  

  Library Supervisors Handbook

  9.65MB ∙ PDF file

  Download

  Download

• For social work students

SW Students Handbook

9.51MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

David’s presentation with Beth Wahler at ALA ‘24

DP BW ALA

52.9MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Social work students involvement with Long Branch’s Fresh Start program:

• Johnson, S.C., & Paauw, M.A. (2022). Partners in libraries: Social work students and the justice-involved. Public Libraries, 61(3), 28–36.

  

  Partners

  301KB ∙ PDF file

  Download

  Download

Wahler, E. A., Ressler, J. D., Johnson, S. C., Rortvedt, C., Saecker, T., Helling, J., Williams, M. A., & Hoover, D. (2022). Public library-based social work field placements: Guidance for public libraries planning to become a social work practicum site. Public Library Quarterly, 42(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2022.2044264