Collaboration with Public Libraries: The Impact of Social Work Practicum Placements on Staff Empowerment and Efficacy

Background and Purpose. Interdisciplinary collaborations between public libraries and social workers are growing exponentially. Increased patron psychosocial needs, decreased funding, and heightened political pressures have broadened the role of public library staff. Whole-person-librarianship describes how library staff increasingly serve patrons holistically by considering their social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs, not just their informational needs (Zettervall & Nienow 2019). Unfortunately, many librarians feel unprepared for such expansive roles. Social workers can support library staff in developing broader skills and healthy coping, thus improving their well-being at work. However, we know little about the impact of social work in public libraries, especially on library staff. Our research question asked whether generalist social work practicum students intervening with staff and patrons in public libraries reduce staff burnout and improve empowerment, resilience, and efficacy. Knowledge of the effects of library practicum is essential for informing future social work collaborations with public libraries.

We examined the effect of placing generalist practicum students at five Midwestern libraries in Spring 2023. The practicum students served patrons, trained staff (e.g., trauma-informed models, creating anti-racist libraries), and connected libraries with community resources. Community assessments informed the specific activities in each library.

Methods. We conducted a pretest/posttest design online survey to understand whether social work practicum students’ interventions improved library staff well-being. We surveyed the five libraries’ public service staff before and after the intervention (about six months apart). The surveys included psychological empowerment (confidence and ability to derive meaning at work), career resilience, burnout, and efficacy in whole-person librarianship (intervening with patrons and collaborating with community agencies).

We invited 84 staff to participate in the study; 45 (54%) completed the pretest, and 23 (51% of the pretest sample) completed the posttest. Those who only completed a pretest had poorer empowerment and efficacy in whole-person librarianship than those who completed both surveys, suggesting those who participated in both waves may be more amenable to interventions. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests.

Results. Paired t-tests comparing scale scores at pre- and posttest showed significant increases in psychological empowerment (Pre: M=6.33, SD=.48; Post: M=6.51, SD=.41), t(20) = -2.25, p=.04, and efficacy in whole-person librarianship (Pre: M=3.83, SD=.65; Post: M=4.12, SD=.58), t(20) = -2.10, p = .05. Effect sizes were moderate for both (Hedge’s g =.38 and .44, respectively). Career resilience was high, and burnout was moderate, with no significant change in either score.

Conclusions and Implications. Public libraries are complex and stressful workplaces. We found that social work practicum students in five Midwestern public libraries may have improved staff psychological empowerment and efficacy in whole-person librarianship. Social work interventions can positively impact staff’s ability to work with patrons with more needs and to collaborate in their communities. However, the limitations of this study imply that social workers should assess factors relating to the acceptance of social work collaborations. Future experimental research should ask how social work collaborations improve public libraries, their staff, and communities.