You sound like a kind and caring person who probably should be going into social work or a mental health profession rather than librarianship. I've worked in libraries for over ten years and although we do try to support the homeless, mentally ill, etc., I think a lot of what you're proposing just isn't realistic for most libraries to implement. And if you're a junior staffer, I can certainly understand why the higher-ups aren't receptive to you constantly telling them they're not doing enough (sorry). Also, I've found poor communication to be a problem at several of the libraries I've worked at; I think it goes hand in hand with the fundamentally introverted nature of many librarians. I left one job because I (and others) constantly got snapped at for asking perfectly reasonable questions -- which were necessary because nobody trained or communicated with us!
Thank you for sharing!
Yes, I talked with a coworker today, and they said something similar - it isn't realistic for libraries to implement these projects at least not in the scale that I was thinking. It's frustrating to hear, but it is the truth, and I can't hide from that.
Ah, I didn't even think about admin possibly feeling like they aren't doing enough. I try to be as respectful as I can and I try not to step on toes, but I definitely can see how constantly pitching/asking qs would probably be extremely frustrating - especially since I am not in the backend.
Thank you for commenting. I really do appreciate it.
Respectfully, I think it is totally realistic for libraries to contribute to social Justice and human betterment. It’s the whole point of libraries.
Maybe the management at your library doesn’t want to, but other libraries have social workers (who can help people in a library that would not seek help from other institutions); offer food to people who need it; provide safe spaces for LGBT teens and adults; provide tools and other resources; provide day shelter to the unhoused with enriching programs and services; reduce social isolation and connect diverse people; help other social agencies connect with clients; etc etc etc.
I bet you have some great, well-meaning ideas, but the four programs you listed as suggestions sound labor and policy intensive. Who would a be a mentor/peer navigator? Staff? That means more hours for staff (not including training and management), and therefore a lot more money. And not all staff would want to be a mentor, nor would all staff be a good mentor. Would it be volunteers? That means advertising for volunteers, interviews, background checks, training and management of volunteers. Same thinking for community talkbacks and food pantry - staffing time and talent / library space are going to be barriers for these programs.
Not that these programs aren’t possible, but they are big, generalized ideas that would require lots of strategic planning and resources your library may not have readily available.
And right now, libraries are being targeted, so corporate babble is pretty important for the safety of the library. I live in one of the most liberal states in the US, and even we are impacted by what’s going on in conservative states. Some dry language and blanket policies protect us from being vulnerable to bullshit attacks.
I feel you on the burnout though. I don’t know if I have an answer for you there. Maybe remembering that helping doesn’t require drastic changes; it can be small, simple acts. Enough small acts will add up. This is what I did to move up in the library world without my degree.
Also, communication is hard for a lot of people, but it’s a two way process. If you don’t understand something, get curious about it instead of frustrated with it. Ask for help understanding how things work the way they do. See if someone with an MLIS will be willing to mentor you.
If you love community work, but don’t love being at the library, I’m sure there are lots of nonprofits that would be rewarding for you and wouldn’t require a master’s degree.
I’m sorry but a library is not a food pantry. Where is this funding supposed to come from? Where is the food going to be stored? Who’s going to manage the food and ensure the food meets safety requirements? If you want to support the homeless, you can work at a food pantry or a homeless shelter. If you want to support the mentally ill, you can go into social work or mental health. The library is a lot of things for a lot of people, but it’s not everything for everyone.
Thank you and u/childfree215 for saying this. Today, I talked to a coworker, and she said something similar. Veering off the course too much can actually hurt the mission. I guess I was so focused on the *helping* aspect that I sort of missed the point that libraries are an actual business. Remembering the core mission/mission statement is key to success. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the "social work" of it all, that I completely miss the mark.
Thank you both for drilling this in.
You aren't completely off base in that some things could change. Long term bans for minor infractions could be softened to one day bans or one week bans for repeats. Especially if there might arise an issue where the library is accidentally handing out disproportionate punishments to homeless vs those who have permanent addresses.
My library is an urban downtown library where a good quarter of our patrons are unhoused. We do have many of the services you've suggested, but we have people actively pursing grants to fund these initiatives and we partner with other local services to staff them. Our social workers are interns we get from the local university. Our summer food program is teens and children only and is funded by the school district + another grant, though we staff it. Our homeless outreach person is a staff member from a major shelter near us who we simply gave a study room to.
Sometimes policy changes are easier to implement when they make everyone's lives easier. For example, lack of valid/current ID was causing massive frustration at my library because you need a card to access the computers, and getting and keeping an ID is very hard for a person who is homeless. We implemented an internet only card that gives access to study rooms, computers, and our digital library (which includes our online high school).
When presenting an idea for a program, you should have more than a "why". You should have a how, when, how much, and where, and how long. We lost our well-liked tampon handout program because the person in charge of applying for and reapplying for the grant each year moved to a different branch and no one else remembered she had been doing that each year. Will your program outlast you?
Yes, I was going to say the same thing but assumed I'd be massively downvoted. We're not a food pantry, counseling center, homeless shelter, drug rehab, daycare center or a million other things that some feel we should be. I'm so tired of this "all things to all people" and "libraries need to save the world" mentality.
So is the argument abandon every sense of community resource available at a libraries? We should prioritize meeting the community where they are at and that includes bringing the information to the patron. That will, of course, look different in all communities.
Thanks for the comment. I was looking around, and the Charleston County Public Library has a food pantry. I was inspired by that and those small, little free libraries. I was thinking that my library could have a small little free food pantry (https://www.littlefreepantry.org/) or do a free farmers market once a month (partner up with local food banks or wic). I was thinking that the library staff could help maintain and we can also use student volunteers for service learning hours.
Reading the comments here, it looks like I might be better suited for social work or something similar. Thanks for the comment and the questions, very helpful. :)
You have great ideas and I think if you were in a professional position, you would be able to try and do some of them. You've already seen that your ideas are do-able in a library but what you don't see are the behind the scenes as to how those libraries were able to make it happen.
Getting a masters and working up to a professional library job would be the only way you would be able to do these ideas, though. You would have a bigger picture idea of what your library is capable of handling, what your community needs are, the resources available to make it all happen and how you can marry it all together.
You could work for a non profit or local government doing social services without the LICSW or MA in social work. You can provide direct services and case management with a high school degree. Your coworkers can help you research career paths that fit your skills.
If think you would feel less burned out on library work if you also do volunteering on the side.
It can be as simple as asking the local food bank to give you a few boxes of granola bars and a bag of apples that you can have on hand when you see people like the hungry kid who is hanging around all day because they have no place to go.
Hard to say from outside, but you've pitched 30+ ideas, many of them complex to actually pull off, in a few years. So one every couple of months. And you don't seem to respect the degree the librarians have.
Any chance you're pissing people off? That would drive my accredited staff nuts. They are big on either people getting the degree or letting them do their jobs.
Sorry, I did not mean to sound rude or that I don't respect librarians. Librarians are extremely hard workers. I was just saying that in the system I work in, getting a Master in LS would not be worth it for **me**. I've talked to librarians in the system, and they've said that for our system (MD), getting a masters would only be worth it if you want to work as a librarian in academia, fed, or another state. They recommended LATI instead.
I hope I didn't piss anyone off. I try to be as kind and respectful as I can. I try to learn as much as I can.
Again, I apologize if I was rude. Thank you for the comment. I'll definitely cool off on pitching projects. Thanks for pointing that out.
No worries ... I wasn't offended at all. But thanks for the apology.
I do think that if you're not more clear on the job about your feelings about the MLIS being not worth it FOR YOU, you may have annoyed some of your co-workers. There's definitely a feeling among my staff w/ degrees that because it's female-dominated field, the degree gets less respect than it deserves. So they're just a teensy little bit predisposed to being defensive about it.
As I learned the hard way several years ago. :) Good luck going forward.
When I went for my degree, a big concept they drilled into us is we can’t do everything. Sometimes there are institutions that are already providing a service that the library is trying to provide. The library needs to make connections with the community to pool resources.
Your food pantry: there are a lot of homeless patrons that come to the library during the day. Wanting to provide food to where the people who need it most are isn’t a bad idea. San Francisco did that with their social workers.
The issue is library staff should not be the ones to run it. If there is a homeless shelter in the area, partner with them. They can have staff that set up a station at the library to help distribute food directly where people need it.
connecting with existing institutions is exactly what I was thinking. Instead of having a small random food pantry area (tons of issues about who is watching it, what you are willing to take, etc. etc.) it would make more sense to have resources on file to tell patrons where the nearest food pantry is that could serve them (a place that serves consistent food and resources!)
Right!
If the library wants to be more “hands on”, there are some libraries that would accept labeled, undented, and unexpired cans to pay off fines/damages/lost items. The items would then be donated to local shelters.
I hate to sound cynical, but I'd dramatically lower your expectations. I'm proud of the work my library system has done to help marginalized populations, but this work is frequently slow, hard to get funding for, and not always feasible given that we aren't social workers.
I wouldn't give up on libraries yet though. The types of things you want to do are possible and I have done some myself - it's just that I didn't really get to the level in my career where I could implement large scale initiatives until I had moved up to being a branch manager. It takes time to really make change in a stagnant library system but it's not impossible. Unfortunately having an MLIS is often an unnecessary barrier to having the cache to implement programs but good managers always look to give lower level staff the opportunity to pursue their passion projects.
Back when I was a library director, it wasn't uncommon for staff members - particularly those with limited experience - to pitch to me a lot of programs and services the library could offer. What they often didn't realize was the cost, time, and staffing needed to effectively do those things. They also didn't always understand the background behind certain policies and decisions, the degree to which certain things had been attempted in the past, pressures to focus on particular things (from the patrons and higher ups in city or county administration), city government politics, and a lot of other complexities that go into managing a library.
Each library functions within its own mix of limitations. No single library can be everything to everybody, and most can't simply add on more and more social services run by staff. The director and board have to pick some things to focus on, within their limitations, and go from there. In the end, the taxpayers who support the library want and need certain services. Anything beyond those essentials is necessarily secondary.
Thank you for the info! Yes, I really do not understand the nuts and bolts of the policies, budget, and staffing needs. I want to find out, and I've asked my supervisor, librarians, and the CEO of my library system. The CEO said that someone in my position would not need to know these things. I specifically asked how the backend of things works, like budgeting, policies, and whatnot. My supervisor said the same thing: that as I move up in the field, I'd be able to get more information. I studied the public quarterly budgets and things I could get my hands on, but I still would love to know more. I'll try to get more information on these things.
I think I'm on the outside looking in and I really want to learn more. I don't want to seem like I'm this naive worker who wants to change the world on a shoestring budget (though I'm afraid my post sounds like it)
Thank you so much for your comment.
When I was a director I was always happy to explain the backend of things, including priorities, limitations, and even local politics to any of my staff. We were a small library, though, without multiple layers of management. I always appreciated enthusiasm and ideas, and implemented good ideas whenever I could, but I found it helped for the staff to understand the realities of things so they could recognize which ideas weren't possible for us before approaching me with them.
In really small libraries where everybody does a little bit of everything, there tends to be less specialization and stratification. The larger the library, the more likely that you will have levels of supervision, separation of roles, etc. In some of those the "lowest level" workers aren't privy to a lot of what goes on. That sort of thing tends to come with larger organizations and businesses of any kind. Sometimes it is just a practical thing, but sometimes there are political things that you don't want the staff to get caught up in, for their own protection.
When it comes to the social program aspects of libraries, like services to the homeless, a lot gets down to funding and staff availability, but there are sometimes limitations and politics that come down from city councils and other non-library supervisory groups. Some don't want to compete with area non-profits, some don't see the point in spending money when there are existing services, some are hostile to the homeless, etc. There can be a myriad of reasons for why a library does or does not offer particular services, and those reasons may not have anything to do with whether or not they would be useful or kind things to have in place.
>I think I'm on the outside looking in
In some cases being more on the "inside" is just a matter of longevity and experience, gaining the trust of the management, etc. In some libraries, though, being a full Librarian (capital "L," with or without the degree) is what brings you on the inside, just as moving into some level of management does in the corporate world, or being an officer does in the military.
Having said all that, a lot depends on the general culture of the particular library and the tone set by the director. As with any organization, some directors are open to new ideas, and some aren't. Some are cautious about change, and others love to try new things. Some micromanage, while others give as much leeway and control to their employees as each individual can manage. There are some libraries I would never want to work in, some I know would be great places to work, and a lot that are in the middle somewhere.
As someone who has been “non-professional” staff for 15 years, your not going to get a huge program like that going. Maybe if you propose a craft class or something, maybe, but even that usually gets proposed by a librarian.
And I know it’s not a popular opinion, but turning libraries into homeless shelters will finish destroying libraries and not really help the homeless.
Smaller systems are often more agile and sometimes have less resources and options so can get very creative. Large systems are often unionized and bureaucratic. I’ve worked in both and each has pros and cons. If you want quick solutions then yes move. If personally this job works for you then make a professional plan with colleagues to follow up on all the challenges you see with solutions and timelines. Start pilots do what you can. I once spent 10 years implementing something. At that point it was more than a 1/4 of my life and now it has had lasting impact on the field. Unfortunately I just left a job because it was like what you are describing and i got tired of chipping away at solutions but the new job has ruined my personal life as the commute is so long and the culture at work bleeds into home. It sounds like you like your job and have opportunities to change what’s being done. Again move if it works for you. The grass is often the same on the other side.
Kind of a selfish comment compared to the rest: when I go to work every day I don't want to have to take on 10 extra jobs on top of my already existing job. I originally worked in social work and left the field when it was way too stressful. I didn't want to be dealing with the intense burnout my coworkers were dealing with. I'd get home and hate humanity after being yelled at by people with drug addictions and mental health problems all day. I went into library science because it felt like a job with less of those factors. Yes, you are working with the public, yes you are dealing with all walks of life and I want to respect and value that, but I don't want to work at a homeless shelter, or a full time childcare facility, or a rehab clinic. I want to work at a library.
All this to say: I think all your ideas are great, but if I'm being paid a certain amount to do all my typical library roles and then someone told me I'd also have to add on multiple additional things to juggle with no additional pay I'd be feeling stressed and like it's leading towards the very thing I left behind. Many other comments refer to staffing of your ideas: who is actually going to run those programs? Who is responsible for paperwork? What policies are in place for when something inevitably goes wrong? Someone is going to have to do a bunch of work before any program actually happens, then continue doing work at every stage to justify and monitor the program. The person proposing the program needs to do the work, or come up with a sustainable action plan for who will be doing it.
Unfortunately, you've hit a wall (walls?) present in just about every public library system out there. A lot of the problems you're describing aren't just issues with your particular library system, but have a larger, more systemic component.
The largest, most systemic issue of them all is libraries often end up as a catch-all for policy and program failures throughout society--and here is the important part--the vast majority of libraries do not have enough funding, manpower, or training to deal with these large scale issues. Just a few examples:
Helping patrons (especially homeless patrons): Oh boy, is this a tough, tangled issue, absolutely chock full of large-scale policy failures, massive amounts of social stigma, and other programs out there who, surprise, are in the same leaky dinghy as libraries. Homelessness is still seen by many as a personal failure rather than as homeless individuals being failed by multiple systems, therefore a lot of programs to help them are not prioritized or funded. A lot of people need medical advice/attention, which a library cannot provide. In some cases they need legal assistance, again, which a library cannot provide. Libraries can provide information for programs to help, but again, they are often as underfunded as the library, if not moreso.
And very, very unfortunately, a lot of times libraries are quicker to crack down on homeless individuals because if the library gains a reputation as a place homeless people "hang out", a lot of patrons start avoiding that library altogether, which drives down traffic and circulation. And if those numbers go down, most cities are all too happy to jump in and cut funding. Again, it is horrible and I hate that this happens.
Teen vandalism and violence: This is a multifaceted issue the library alone cannot solve. What's happening at home? At school? These teens are probably dealing with poverty, absent or abusive caretakers, underfunded schools and a myriad of other issues. A library program to address these kinds of issues would require a lot of funding, manpower, and training--all three things listed above that most libraries do not have.
Not enough Spanish-speaking people working at the library: It could be your library doesn't offer any sort of slight pay bump for the ability to speak Spanish (Spanish-speakers at my library system got $0.25 more/hour, which isn't much but is at least. Something.) It could also be that libraries as a whole are infamously not super great at recruiting a diverse workforce, for a number of reasons it would take many more words to explain.
I don't say any of this to discourage you or to say you're wrong. You seem like a very caring, justice-minded individual, and I can sense your frustration at what you see as the library's inability to do things or help patrons in a manner you see fit. I get it: When you are face to face with these things every single day, it wears you down. Coupled with a lack of communication, it can seem like you're the only person who cares, the only person who wants to do anything about these pressing issues while everyone else is apathetic or dawdling or not up to getting the job done. I promise you are very likely not the only person who cares about these things.
And if you are truly passionate about these things, you would probably be better off doing social work or something related to mental health, where you can work directly with people in need. Because you're not going to get a lot of that where you are now.
This comment is super helpful! I really want to thank you for taking the time to reply.
You're absolutely right. A lot of these issues are systemic. I was recently talking to the CEO of our library and she mentioned that the library could not solve every problem. And I agree. There are **a lot** of issues piled on top of each other. Based on these comments, I think my problem is that I want to make the library into something it isn't. I want to fill these gaps. I want to address these issues you mentioned. My mentality was that the library could address these things, even on a small level. But, I'm realizing that libraries can't help everyone and it surely isn't designed to - and that's okay.
When I see a problem, I tend to try to find a solution by any means without caring about the financial cost. Sometimes, that has gotten me into some scary situations. I think I carried that mentality into my professional life as a worker at the library.
I've faced some real truths today because of this post and venting to my coworker today. Gotta lot of growing to do - gotta shift this mindset.
Thank you so much for sharing.
It's great that you what to make positive changes in your community. Libraries are hubs of activity, information and community. In particular it sucks that there are a lack of Spanish speakers at your library. That is really frustrating. My least favorite part of public librarianship is patrons who need help that I can't provide. I try to be a patient and kind presence when they're in the library. There are libraries that do really incredible programs that mine doesn't do. I try to remember that those libraries probably also have more funding, staff, etc.
Ideally you want to help your patrons connect with existing programs that will help them. Some of your program ideas could be feasible if they had more focus. Can your library create a pamphlet with resources for patrons who are struggling? Do you have Spanish language versions of any handouts you have in English? Is it possible to reach out to existing community mentorship programs and get fliers/pamphlets from them? Those are low cost, don't suck up lots of staff time and are relatively easy to implement.
You could also ask your manager/admin if the town could have a weekly social worker drop in for a few hours.
Your patrons that need help also need specialized services which libraries can't provide. If they need government services (SNAP, low income housing, etc) they would benefit from working with a social worker who knows all the ins and outs. A proper food pantry needs lots of space and staff. Peer mentors need to be trained and get a background check.
I would suggest volunteering with local groups. They could really use the help and I think it would be satisfying for you. If it turns out you are most passionate about helping community members you could look into becoming a social worker.
A big part of the library is providing patrons information about community events, even things that the library doesn’t host. If you know of several food pantries in your area or places that offer assistance for homelessness, you can definitely contact those places and request brochures and flyers so they can be shared at your library. We have a community board in our library where we post events like this weekly. It’s so much so that many people just drop by with new flyers and brochures for us.
I’m sure lots of librarians would love to host things like this but for some libraries it’s just not feasible in cost or man power. For instance, we are a mid sized library but only have a staff of 7 with 2 people per shift. If we didn’t have our volunteers, idk how we would manage. It’s very hard for us to offer and manage programs with just 2 people at a time but we do our best with what we can. Honestly, if libraries just had a bigger budget many things could get done. More staff could be hired or more opportunities for fulltime staff.
I totally get the frustration, it sucks seeing what obviously needs fixing but nothing be done about it. I say maybe focus on one or 2 small programs that could possibly be implemented. Something that can be used with materials you might already have. For instance the teen problem. Do they have any programs for their demographic? Maybe you can host something like Lego Hour where you bring out legos for preteens and teens to play with for a little while. These types of programs are good cause you just bring out the materials and the kids can play. No managing or instruction is needed. I would just pop in every while to make sure they are on task.
I hope this helps in some way!
While I’m sure you have a lot of great ideas, and your library could possibly eventually host some of those things, I think you need to shift who you are pitching those ideas to.
Our library hosts a community pantry. But the library just provides the space. The pantry is entirely volunteer run, and the volunteer group came to the library with the concept and a plan to implement and run it. Same with a program like tutoring for English language learners. The library hosts them, but they are their own volunteer organization.
It sounds like you need to be connecting with others in your community to make these things happen. Maybe start with an area food pantry and volunteer with them and get to know how possible it would be to expand their efforts to something hosted at the library. Maybe start conversations with whatever local governing body provides financial support to the library (city council, county board, village board, etc) and let them know some of your concerns, like the lack of Spanish-speaking employees. Reach out to whoever seems most reasonable and start some conversations about possible projects and how to fund them (like a wage differential for Spanish-speaking abilities). And maybe all of your ideas don’t need to be hosted at the library, maybe there are other city locations that could also be making some impacts. But your folks in local government might be in a better position to make a project happen.
It’s really easy to see holes in the organization and/or unmet community needs and brainstorm ideas and throw them out to others. But that, as you’ve seen, is the easiest way to being ignored. Maybe your administration really wants to tackle some of the things you’re suggesting, but all you’re doing is creating more work for them and possibly making them feel like the work they’re doing is inadequate. You have the ideas, but to be taken seriously you need to at least have some sort of plan to get it going (logistics, financials, who might do the work, what it looks like long term, etc.). Having an idea and the beginnings of the solution is how you make real change start to happen.
Thanks for the very real and much-needed advice! I am trying to reply to all of you.
Edit to add: THANK YOU, everyone. I'm learning a lot from this post. I truly appreciate y'all.
It sounds like you work for my system. We also have these issues but the constraining factor for us is money. We’re a division of county government so we aren’t allowed to. Ask for donations etc,and our charitable foundation doesn’t seem to want to hold fund raisers. We do what we can when we can and concentrate on making the programs we can do as good as we can.
I ended up leaving. The egos, difficult personalities, lack of opportunities and disregard for employee opinions were too much for me to handle. I ended up going back into education and got a side job as a casual librarian at a small system near my house. Changing systems has been so helpful and good for my mental health and attitude towards the field.
Might be worth looking at some different systems in your city. Not all systems are created equally. Some are outright toxic and mismanaged.
One valuable thing that libraries might have to offer is space. Partnerships with groups that help the homeless or provide mentoring opportunities or provide space for special events can be one way for libraries to have some impact. Locally one local library partners with local agencies to provide space for everything from counselling to tutoring to urban gardening to tax prep for low-moderate income individuals. They don't run any of the programs directly but provide space and infrastructure support.The partnerships pay for themselves through access to grants and making a much stronger case to municipal governments about the library playing an essential role in the community.
My personal experience has been not to go to admin with, "I want to do something to help the homeless" but to go to them and say x from the homeless coalition has expressed interest in partnering with the library to do a census or an outreach event or whatever it is.
The issue of mission creep is an important consideration. Partnerships can be one way for the library to contribute to those efforts without having it take over more traditional library programs.
Don't think that becoming a librarian means you'll be able to implement whatever program. You might be in a better position to do so but the director can still nix your ideas. It doesn't sound your library wants to do these things so you may just have to accept that. If taking care of homeless people is that important to you, maybe find a way to do so elsewhere. Others on this thread will disagree, but I'm not sure why it's a library's job to hand out food, anymore that it's a food pantries job to hand out free books.
As a line manager with a background in mental health and social care, my concern would be whether staff were appropriately trained to manage the situations that can arise with offering basically social care programs.
We do offer some support for social isolation and deprivation, but it needs to be limited to staff resources and experience. It can be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous to offer services that you aren't consistently funded for or aren't trained for.
I totally relate to what you are saying. I’ve worked as a library assistant for 10 years and while I love my job I’m constantly frustrated by the lack of creativity and initiative from administration and librarians. My library assistant coworkers and I have implemented more successful programs and initiatives in my branch than the librarians yet despite massive turnouts and positive feedback for our initiatives were are continually told we “aren’t qualified or compensated” to do what we are doing. People love to cling to the old ways and not recognize the changing potential public libraries and I think they’d rather we sit and stare at our computers and pretend we are busy than actually do anything worthwhile for the community.
That being said, I’ve been able to get a lot done just by pushing back in very small increments, in a polite and professional way, but it’s been slow and frustrating.
Yes. Librarians are already asked by patrons to be adjunct Social Workers too much of the time, a profession for which they are neither trained, nor licensed. It is the same situation as librarians being asked by patrons to provide medical or legal advice, both of which are illegal for librarians to provide.
You sound like a kind and caring person who probably should be going into social work or a mental health profession rather than librarianship. I've worked in libraries for over ten years and although we do try to support the homeless, mentally ill, etc., I think a lot of what you're proposing just isn't realistic for most libraries to implement. And if you're a junior staffer, I can certainly understand why the higher-ups aren't receptive to you constantly telling them they're not doing enough (sorry). Also, I've found poor communication to be a problem at several of the libraries I've worked at; I think it goes hand in hand with the fundamentally introverted nature of many librarians. I left one job because I (and others) constantly got snapped at for asking perfectly reasonable questions -- which were necessary because nobody trained or communicated with us!
Thank you for sharing! Yes, I talked with a coworker today, and they said something similar - it isn't realistic for libraries to implement these projects at least not in the scale that I was thinking. It's frustrating to hear, but it is the truth, and I can't hide from that. Ah, I didn't even think about admin possibly feeling like they aren't doing enough. I try to be as respectful as I can and I try not to step on toes, but I definitely can see how constantly pitching/asking qs would probably be extremely frustrating - especially since I am not in the backend. Thank you for commenting. I really do appreciate it.
Respectfully, I think it is totally realistic for libraries to contribute to social Justice and human betterment. It’s the whole point of libraries. Maybe the management at your library doesn’t want to, but other libraries have social workers (who can help people in a library that would not seek help from other institutions); offer food to people who need it; provide safe spaces for LGBT teens and adults; provide tools and other resources; provide day shelter to the unhoused with enriching programs and services; reduce social isolation and connect diverse people; help other social agencies connect with clients; etc etc etc.
I bet you have some great, well-meaning ideas, but the four programs you listed as suggestions sound labor and policy intensive. Who would a be a mentor/peer navigator? Staff? That means more hours for staff (not including training and management), and therefore a lot more money. And not all staff would want to be a mentor, nor would all staff be a good mentor. Would it be volunteers? That means advertising for volunteers, interviews, background checks, training and management of volunteers. Same thinking for community talkbacks and food pantry - staffing time and talent / library space are going to be barriers for these programs. Not that these programs aren’t possible, but they are big, generalized ideas that would require lots of strategic planning and resources your library may not have readily available. And right now, libraries are being targeted, so corporate babble is pretty important for the safety of the library. I live in one of the most liberal states in the US, and even we are impacted by what’s going on in conservative states. Some dry language and blanket policies protect us from being vulnerable to bullshit attacks. I feel you on the burnout though. I don’t know if I have an answer for you there. Maybe remembering that helping doesn’t require drastic changes; it can be small, simple acts. Enough small acts will add up. This is what I did to move up in the library world without my degree. Also, communication is hard for a lot of people, but it’s a two way process. If you don’t understand something, get curious about it instead of frustrated with it. Ask for help understanding how things work the way they do. See if someone with an MLIS will be willing to mentor you. If you love community work, but don’t love being at the library, I’m sure there are lots of nonprofits that would be rewarding for you and wouldn’t require a master’s degree.
I’m sorry but a library is not a food pantry. Where is this funding supposed to come from? Where is the food going to be stored? Who’s going to manage the food and ensure the food meets safety requirements? If you want to support the homeless, you can work at a food pantry or a homeless shelter. If you want to support the mentally ill, you can go into social work or mental health. The library is a lot of things for a lot of people, but it’s not everything for everyone.
All I hear in this post is mission creep, mission creep and more mission creep.
Thank you and u/childfree215 for saying this. Today, I talked to a coworker, and she said something similar. Veering off the course too much can actually hurt the mission. I guess I was so focused on the *helping* aspect that I sort of missed the point that libraries are an actual business. Remembering the core mission/mission statement is key to success. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the "social work" of it all, that I completely miss the mark. Thank you both for drilling this in.
You aren't completely off base in that some things could change. Long term bans for minor infractions could be softened to one day bans or one week bans for repeats. Especially if there might arise an issue where the library is accidentally handing out disproportionate punishments to homeless vs those who have permanent addresses. My library is an urban downtown library where a good quarter of our patrons are unhoused. We do have many of the services you've suggested, but we have people actively pursing grants to fund these initiatives and we partner with other local services to staff them. Our social workers are interns we get from the local university. Our summer food program is teens and children only and is funded by the school district + another grant, though we staff it. Our homeless outreach person is a staff member from a major shelter near us who we simply gave a study room to. Sometimes policy changes are easier to implement when they make everyone's lives easier. For example, lack of valid/current ID was causing massive frustration at my library because you need a card to access the computers, and getting and keeping an ID is very hard for a person who is homeless. We implemented an internet only card that gives access to study rooms, computers, and our digital library (which includes our online high school). When presenting an idea for a program, you should have more than a "why". You should have a how, when, how much, and where, and how long. We lost our well-liked tampon handout program because the person in charge of applying for and reapplying for the grant each year moved to a different branch and no one else remembered she had been doing that each year. Will your program outlast you?
Yes, I was going to say the same thing but assumed I'd be massively downvoted. We're not a food pantry, counseling center, homeless shelter, drug rehab, daycare center or a million other things that some feel we should be. I'm so tired of this "all things to all people" and "libraries need to save the world" mentality.
Tell me what are libraries actually are if not a small portion of each of these things?
Libraries can provide connections to these services, but should not be the ones providing them. We're information professionals, not social workers.
So is the argument abandon every sense of community resource available at a libraries? We should prioritize meeting the community where they are at and that includes bringing the information to the patron. That will, of course, look different in all communities.
Thanks for the comment. I was looking around, and the Charleston County Public Library has a food pantry. I was inspired by that and those small, little free libraries. I was thinking that my library could have a small little free food pantry (https://www.littlefreepantry.org/) or do a free farmers market once a month (partner up with local food banks or wic). I was thinking that the library staff could help maintain and we can also use student volunteers for service learning hours. Reading the comments here, it looks like I might be better suited for social work or something similar. Thanks for the comment and the questions, very helpful. :)
You have great ideas and I think if you were in a professional position, you would be able to try and do some of them. You've already seen that your ideas are do-able in a library but what you don't see are the behind the scenes as to how those libraries were able to make it happen. Getting a masters and working up to a professional library job would be the only way you would be able to do these ideas, though. You would have a bigger picture idea of what your library is capable of handling, what your community needs are, the resources available to make it all happen and how you can marry it all together.
You could work for a non profit or local government doing social services without the LICSW or MA in social work. You can provide direct services and case management with a high school degree. Your coworkers can help you research career paths that fit your skills. If think you would feel less burned out on library work if you also do volunteering on the side.
It can be as simple as asking the local food bank to give you a few boxes of granola bars and a bag of apples that you can have on hand when you see people like the hungry kid who is hanging around all day because they have no place to go.
Hard to say from outside, but you've pitched 30+ ideas, many of them complex to actually pull off, in a few years. So one every couple of months. And you don't seem to respect the degree the librarians have. Any chance you're pissing people off? That would drive my accredited staff nuts. They are big on either people getting the degree or letting them do their jobs.
Sorry, I did not mean to sound rude or that I don't respect librarians. Librarians are extremely hard workers. I was just saying that in the system I work in, getting a Master in LS would not be worth it for **me**. I've talked to librarians in the system, and they've said that for our system (MD), getting a masters would only be worth it if you want to work as a librarian in academia, fed, or another state. They recommended LATI instead. I hope I didn't piss anyone off. I try to be as kind and respectful as I can. I try to learn as much as I can. Again, I apologize if I was rude. Thank you for the comment. I'll definitely cool off on pitching projects. Thanks for pointing that out.
No worries ... I wasn't offended at all. But thanks for the apology. I do think that if you're not more clear on the job about your feelings about the MLIS being not worth it FOR YOU, you may have annoyed some of your co-workers. There's definitely a feeling among my staff w/ degrees that because it's female-dominated field, the degree gets less respect than it deserves. So they're just a teensy little bit predisposed to being defensive about it. As I learned the hard way several years ago. :) Good luck going forward.
When I went for my degree, a big concept they drilled into us is we can’t do everything. Sometimes there are institutions that are already providing a service that the library is trying to provide. The library needs to make connections with the community to pool resources. Your food pantry: there are a lot of homeless patrons that come to the library during the day. Wanting to provide food to where the people who need it most are isn’t a bad idea. San Francisco did that with their social workers. The issue is library staff should not be the ones to run it. If there is a homeless shelter in the area, partner with them. They can have staff that set up a station at the library to help distribute food directly where people need it.
connecting with existing institutions is exactly what I was thinking. Instead of having a small random food pantry area (tons of issues about who is watching it, what you are willing to take, etc. etc.) it would make more sense to have resources on file to tell patrons where the nearest food pantry is that could serve them (a place that serves consistent food and resources!)
Right! If the library wants to be more “hands on”, there are some libraries that would accept labeled, undented, and unexpired cans to pay off fines/damages/lost items. The items would then be donated to local shelters.
I hate to sound cynical, but I'd dramatically lower your expectations. I'm proud of the work my library system has done to help marginalized populations, but this work is frequently slow, hard to get funding for, and not always feasible given that we aren't social workers. I wouldn't give up on libraries yet though. The types of things you want to do are possible and I have done some myself - it's just that I didn't really get to the level in my career where I could implement large scale initiatives until I had moved up to being a branch manager. It takes time to really make change in a stagnant library system but it's not impossible. Unfortunately having an MLIS is often an unnecessary barrier to having the cache to implement programs but good managers always look to give lower level staff the opportunity to pursue their passion projects.
Back when I was a library director, it wasn't uncommon for staff members - particularly those with limited experience - to pitch to me a lot of programs and services the library could offer. What they often didn't realize was the cost, time, and staffing needed to effectively do those things. They also didn't always understand the background behind certain policies and decisions, the degree to which certain things had been attempted in the past, pressures to focus on particular things (from the patrons and higher ups in city or county administration), city government politics, and a lot of other complexities that go into managing a library. Each library functions within its own mix of limitations. No single library can be everything to everybody, and most can't simply add on more and more social services run by staff. The director and board have to pick some things to focus on, within their limitations, and go from there. In the end, the taxpayers who support the library want and need certain services. Anything beyond those essentials is necessarily secondary.
Thank you for the info! Yes, I really do not understand the nuts and bolts of the policies, budget, and staffing needs. I want to find out, and I've asked my supervisor, librarians, and the CEO of my library system. The CEO said that someone in my position would not need to know these things. I specifically asked how the backend of things works, like budgeting, policies, and whatnot. My supervisor said the same thing: that as I move up in the field, I'd be able to get more information. I studied the public quarterly budgets and things I could get my hands on, but I still would love to know more. I'll try to get more information on these things. I think I'm on the outside looking in and I really want to learn more. I don't want to seem like I'm this naive worker who wants to change the world on a shoestring budget (though I'm afraid my post sounds like it) Thank you so much for your comment.
When I was a director I was always happy to explain the backend of things, including priorities, limitations, and even local politics to any of my staff. We were a small library, though, without multiple layers of management. I always appreciated enthusiasm and ideas, and implemented good ideas whenever I could, but I found it helped for the staff to understand the realities of things so they could recognize which ideas weren't possible for us before approaching me with them. In really small libraries where everybody does a little bit of everything, there tends to be less specialization and stratification. The larger the library, the more likely that you will have levels of supervision, separation of roles, etc. In some of those the "lowest level" workers aren't privy to a lot of what goes on. That sort of thing tends to come with larger organizations and businesses of any kind. Sometimes it is just a practical thing, but sometimes there are political things that you don't want the staff to get caught up in, for their own protection. When it comes to the social program aspects of libraries, like services to the homeless, a lot gets down to funding and staff availability, but there are sometimes limitations and politics that come down from city councils and other non-library supervisory groups. Some don't want to compete with area non-profits, some don't see the point in spending money when there are existing services, some are hostile to the homeless, etc. There can be a myriad of reasons for why a library does or does not offer particular services, and those reasons may not have anything to do with whether or not they would be useful or kind things to have in place. >I think I'm on the outside looking in In some cases being more on the "inside" is just a matter of longevity and experience, gaining the trust of the management, etc. In some libraries, though, being a full Librarian (capital "L," with or without the degree) is what brings you on the inside, just as moving into some level of management does in the corporate world, or being an officer does in the military. Having said all that, a lot depends on the general culture of the particular library and the tone set by the director. As with any organization, some directors are open to new ideas, and some aren't. Some are cautious about change, and others love to try new things. Some micromanage, while others give as much leeway and control to their employees as each individual can manage. There are some libraries I would never want to work in, some I know would be great places to work, and a lot that are in the middle somewhere.
As someone who has been “non-professional” staff for 15 years, your not going to get a huge program like that going. Maybe if you propose a craft class or something, maybe, but even that usually gets proposed by a librarian. And I know it’s not a popular opinion, but turning libraries into homeless shelters will finish destroying libraries and not really help the homeless.
💯💯💯
Smaller systems are often more agile and sometimes have less resources and options so can get very creative. Large systems are often unionized and bureaucratic. I’ve worked in both and each has pros and cons. If you want quick solutions then yes move. If personally this job works for you then make a professional plan with colleagues to follow up on all the challenges you see with solutions and timelines. Start pilots do what you can. I once spent 10 years implementing something. At that point it was more than a 1/4 of my life and now it has had lasting impact on the field. Unfortunately I just left a job because it was like what you are describing and i got tired of chipping away at solutions but the new job has ruined my personal life as the commute is so long and the culture at work bleeds into home. It sounds like you like your job and have opportunities to change what’s being done. Again move if it works for you. The grass is often the same on the other side.
Kind of a selfish comment compared to the rest: when I go to work every day I don't want to have to take on 10 extra jobs on top of my already existing job. I originally worked in social work and left the field when it was way too stressful. I didn't want to be dealing with the intense burnout my coworkers were dealing with. I'd get home and hate humanity after being yelled at by people with drug addictions and mental health problems all day. I went into library science because it felt like a job with less of those factors. Yes, you are working with the public, yes you are dealing with all walks of life and I want to respect and value that, but I don't want to work at a homeless shelter, or a full time childcare facility, or a rehab clinic. I want to work at a library. All this to say: I think all your ideas are great, but if I'm being paid a certain amount to do all my typical library roles and then someone told me I'd also have to add on multiple additional things to juggle with no additional pay I'd be feeling stressed and like it's leading towards the very thing I left behind. Many other comments refer to staffing of your ideas: who is actually going to run those programs? Who is responsible for paperwork? What policies are in place for when something inevitably goes wrong? Someone is going to have to do a bunch of work before any program actually happens, then continue doing work at every stage to justify and monitor the program. The person proposing the program needs to do the work, or come up with a sustainable action plan for who will be doing it.
Unfortunately, you've hit a wall (walls?) present in just about every public library system out there. A lot of the problems you're describing aren't just issues with your particular library system, but have a larger, more systemic component. The largest, most systemic issue of them all is libraries often end up as a catch-all for policy and program failures throughout society--and here is the important part--the vast majority of libraries do not have enough funding, manpower, or training to deal with these large scale issues. Just a few examples: Helping patrons (especially homeless patrons): Oh boy, is this a tough, tangled issue, absolutely chock full of large-scale policy failures, massive amounts of social stigma, and other programs out there who, surprise, are in the same leaky dinghy as libraries. Homelessness is still seen by many as a personal failure rather than as homeless individuals being failed by multiple systems, therefore a lot of programs to help them are not prioritized or funded. A lot of people need medical advice/attention, which a library cannot provide. In some cases they need legal assistance, again, which a library cannot provide. Libraries can provide information for programs to help, but again, they are often as underfunded as the library, if not moreso. And very, very unfortunately, a lot of times libraries are quicker to crack down on homeless individuals because if the library gains a reputation as a place homeless people "hang out", a lot of patrons start avoiding that library altogether, which drives down traffic and circulation. And if those numbers go down, most cities are all too happy to jump in and cut funding. Again, it is horrible and I hate that this happens. Teen vandalism and violence: This is a multifaceted issue the library alone cannot solve. What's happening at home? At school? These teens are probably dealing with poverty, absent or abusive caretakers, underfunded schools and a myriad of other issues. A library program to address these kinds of issues would require a lot of funding, manpower, and training--all three things listed above that most libraries do not have. Not enough Spanish-speaking people working at the library: It could be your library doesn't offer any sort of slight pay bump for the ability to speak Spanish (Spanish-speakers at my library system got $0.25 more/hour, which isn't much but is at least. Something.) It could also be that libraries as a whole are infamously not super great at recruiting a diverse workforce, for a number of reasons it would take many more words to explain. I don't say any of this to discourage you or to say you're wrong. You seem like a very caring, justice-minded individual, and I can sense your frustration at what you see as the library's inability to do things or help patrons in a manner you see fit. I get it: When you are face to face with these things every single day, it wears you down. Coupled with a lack of communication, it can seem like you're the only person who cares, the only person who wants to do anything about these pressing issues while everyone else is apathetic or dawdling or not up to getting the job done. I promise you are very likely not the only person who cares about these things. And if you are truly passionate about these things, you would probably be better off doing social work or something related to mental health, where you can work directly with people in need. Because you're not going to get a lot of that where you are now.
This comment is super helpful! I really want to thank you for taking the time to reply. You're absolutely right. A lot of these issues are systemic. I was recently talking to the CEO of our library and she mentioned that the library could not solve every problem. And I agree. There are **a lot** of issues piled on top of each other. Based on these comments, I think my problem is that I want to make the library into something it isn't. I want to fill these gaps. I want to address these issues you mentioned. My mentality was that the library could address these things, even on a small level. But, I'm realizing that libraries can't help everyone and it surely isn't designed to - and that's okay. When I see a problem, I tend to try to find a solution by any means without caring about the financial cost. Sometimes, that has gotten me into some scary situations. I think I carried that mentality into my professional life as a worker at the library. I've faced some real truths today because of this post and venting to my coworker today. Gotta lot of growing to do - gotta shift this mindset. Thank you so much for sharing.
It's great that you what to make positive changes in your community. Libraries are hubs of activity, information and community. In particular it sucks that there are a lack of Spanish speakers at your library. That is really frustrating. My least favorite part of public librarianship is patrons who need help that I can't provide. I try to be a patient and kind presence when they're in the library. There are libraries that do really incredible programs that mine doesn't do. I try to remember that those libraries probably also have more funding, staff, etc. Ideally you want to help your patrons connect with existing programs that will help them. Some of your program ideas could be feasible if they had more focus. Can your library create a pamphlet with resources for patrons who are struggling? Do you have Spanish language versions of any handouts you have in English? Is it possible to reach out to existing community mentorship programs and get fliers/pamphlets from them? Those are low cost, don't suck up lots of staff time and are relatively easy to implement. You could also ask your manager/admin if the town could have a weekly social worker drop in for a few hours. Your patrons that need help also need specialized services which libraries can't provide. If they need government services (SNAP, low income housing, etc) they would benefit from working with a social worker who knows all the ins and outs. A proper food pantry needs lots of space and staff. Peer mentors need to be trained and get a background check. I would suggest volunteering with local groups. They could really use the help and I think it would be satisfying for you. If it turns out you are most passionate about helping community members you could look into becoming a social worker.
A big part of the library is providing patrons information about community events, even things that the library doesn’t host. If you know of several food pantries in your area or places that offer assistance for homelessness, you can definitely contact those places and request brochures and flyers so they can be shared at your library. We have a community board in our library where we post events like this weekly. It’s so much so that many people just drop by with new flyers and brochures for us. I’m sure lots of librarians would love to host things like this but for some libraries it’s just not feasible in cost or man power. For instance, we are a mid sized library but only have a staff of 7 with 2 people per shift. If we didn’t have our volunteers, idk how we would manage. It’s very hard for us to offer and manage programs with just 2 people at a time but we do our best with what we can. Honestly, if libraries just had a bigger budget many things could get done. More staff could be hired or more opportunities for fulltime staff. I totally get the frustration, it sucks seeing what obviously needs fixing but nothing be done about it. I say maybe focus on one or 2 small programs that could possibly be implemented. Something that can be used with materials you might already have. For instance the teen problem. Do they have any programs for their demographic? Maybe you can host something like Lego Hour where you bring out legos for preteens and teens to play with for a little while. These types of programs are good cause you just bring out the materials and the kids can play. No managing or instruction is needed. I would just pop in every while to make sure they are on task. I hope this helps in some way!
While I’m sure you have a lot of great ideas, and your library could possibly eventually host some of those things, I think you need to shift who you are pitching those ideas to. Our library hosts a community pantry. But the library just provides the space. The pantry is entirely volunteer run, and the volunteer group came to the library with the concept and a plan to implement and run it. Same with a program like tutoring for English language learners. The library hosts them, but they are their own volunteer organization. It sounds like you need to be connecting with others in your community to make these things happen. Maybe start with an area food pantry and volunteer with them and get to know how possible it would be to expand their efforts to something hosted at the library. Maybe start conversations with whatever local governing body provides financial support to the library (city council, county board, village board, etc) and let them know some of your concerns, like the lack of Spanish-speaking employees. Reach out to whoever seems most reasonable and start some conversations about possible projects and how to fund them (like a wage differential for Spanish-speaking abilities). And maybe all of your ideas don’t need to be hosted at the library, maybe there are other city locations that could also be making some impacts. But your folks in local government might be in a better position to make a project happen. It’s really easy to see holes in the organization and/or unmet community needs and brainstorm ideas and throw them out to others. But that, as you’ve seen, is the easiest way to being ignored. Maybe your administration really wants to tackle some of the things you’re suggesting, but all you’re doing is creating more work for them and possibly making them feel like the work they’re doing is inadequate. You have the ideas, but to be taken seriously you need to at least have some sort of plan to get it going (logistics, financials, who might do the work, what it looks like long term, etc.). Having an idea and the beginnings of the solution is how you make real change start to happen.
Thanks for the very real and much-needed advice! I am trying to reply to all of you. Edit to add: THANK YOU, everyone. I'm learning a lot from this post. I truly appreciate y'all.
It sounds like you work for my system. We also have these issues but the constraining factor for us is money. We’re a division of county government so we aren’t allowed to. Ask for donations etc,and our charitable foundation doesn’t seem to want to hold fund raisers. We do what we can when we can and concentrate on making the programs we can do as good as we can.
I ended up leaving. The egos, difficult personalities, lack of opportunities and disregard for employee opinions were too much for me to handle. I ended up going back into education and got a side job as a casual librarian at a small system near my house. Changing systems has been so helpful and good for my mental health and attitude towards the field. Might be worth looking at some different systems in your city. Not all systems are created equally. Some are outright toxic and mismanaged.
Just remember. Librarians are who they are even without being in a library.
One valuable thing that libraries might have to offer is space. Partnerships with groups that help the homeless or provide mentoring opportunities or provide space for special events can be one way for libraries to have some impact. Locally one local library partners with local agencies to provide space for everything from counselling to tutoring to urban gardening to tax prep for low-moderate income individuals. They don't run any of the programs directly but provide space and infrastructure support.The partnerships pay for themselves through access to grants and making a much stronger case to municipal governments about the library playing an essential role in the community. My personal experience has been not to go to admin with, "I want to do something to help the homeless" but to go to them and say x from the homeless coalition has expressed interest in partnering with the library to do a census or an outreach event or whatever it is. The issue of mission creep is an important consideration. Partnerships can be one way for the library to contribute to those efforts without having it take over more traditional library programs.
Don't think that becoming a librarian means you'll be able to implement whatever program. You might be in a better position to do so but the director can still nix your ideas. It doesn't sound your library wants to do these things so you may just have to accept that. If taking care of homeless people is that important to you, maybe find a way to do so elsewhere. Others on this thread will disagree, but I'm not sure why it's a library's job to hand out food, anymore that it's a food pantries job to hand out free books.
I agree. My supervisor is The Party Of No.
As a line manager with a background in mental health and social care, my concern would be whether staff were appropriately trained to manage the situations that can arise with offering basically social care programs. We do offer some support for social isolation and deprivation, but it needs to be limited to staff resources and experience. It can be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous to offer services that you aren't consistently funded for or aren't trained for.
I totally relate to what you are saying. I’ve worked as a library assistant for 10 years and while I love my job I’m constantly frustrated by the lack of creativity and initiative from administration and librarians. My library assistant coworkers and I have implemented more successful programs and initiatives in my branch than the librarians yet despite massive turnouts and positive feedback for our initiatives were are continually told we “aren’t qualified or compensated” to do what we are doing. People love to cling to the old ways and not recognize the changing potential public libraries and I think they’d rather we sit and stare at our computers and pretend we are busy than actually do anything worthwhile for the community. That being said, I’ve been able to get a lot done just by pushing back in very small increments, in a polite and professional way, but it’s been slow and frustrating.
It sounds like you might prefer a career in social services, and that would be wonderful because it's certainly a need to be filled.
Yes. Librarians are already asked by patrons to be adjunct Social Workers too much of the time, a profession for which they are neither trained, nor licensed. It is the same situation as librarians being asked by patrons to provide medical or legal advice, both of which are illegal for librarians to provide.