Episode 4: Emily Dalton, LMSW

Community outreach programs & supports library social workers

Emily Dalton is a library social worker at the Hoboken Public Library (HPL). Coming full circle as a lifelong Hoboken resident and HPL patron since childhood, Emily was hired as one of the branch’s first social work interns while studying for her master’s degree at Rutgers University. Now as HPL’s social worker, Emily discusses the library programming and community outreach she’s involved in, including the supervision of social work practicum students. We explore the importance of support networks for library social workers, what makes HPL library social work services a success, and important considerations for libraries prior to hiring a social worker.

Topics

• ​​0:00 Intro & announcements

• 2:41 Introducing Emily

• 05:23 Rutgers’ social work student internship program

• 6:44 Library social work at HPL

• 09:48 Why HPL hired a social worker

• 11:26 Community Care Kits

• 15:45 Project ID

• 16:52 Identifying and assessing community needs

• 19:30 Library-based social work students

• 31:34 Considerations for hiring a library social worker

  • 34:05 Similarities and distinctions between librarians and social workers

  • 34:55 Library social worker safety

  • 38:24 Why Emily opts not have an office

• 40:00 What makes Hoboken’s library social work a success

• 42:32 Supports for library social workers

• 44:00 To learn more about HPL’s social work program or to contact Emily:

  • HPL Instagram

  • Emily on LinkedIn

• 44:48 Emily’s interests outside of work

• 46:22 Outro

Links

• Recent article featuring Emily: Jung, T. (2024, August 9). Social worker adds to services at Hoboken Public Library. NJ Spotlight News. https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/08/hoboken-public-library-social-worker-more-services/

• Whole Person Librarianship Group and Map

• HPL Social Work Services and drop in hours

• HPL’s Director Jennie Pu

• HPL Programs:

  • Community Care Kits with the help of the NJ Dept of Health and the NJ Harm Reduction coalition

  • Project ID

    • Urban Libraries Council. (2023). Project ID: A roadmap for changing lives. https://www.urbanlibraries.org/innovations/project-id-a-roadmap-for-changing-lives

• Library Social Work subreddit

• Johnson, S.C., Giesler, M., & Paauw, M.A. (2023). “Spending a Year in the Library Will Prepare You for Anything": Experiences of Social Work Interns at Public Library Field Placements. Advances in Social Work, 23(1), 166–184. https://doi.org/10.18060/26176

• Giesler, M., Johnson, S., & Paauw, M. A. (2023). The Perceptions of Supervisors of Library Social Work Interns: Challenges and Recommendations. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2023.2255941

• Wahler, B. (2022). Toolkit: Guidance for Hosting A Social Work Practicum Student.

• To contact Emily, email her at socialwork@hoboken.bccls.org 

• For a list of additional resources, check out the Bibliography page