Superior PL: Reports to Board about Social Work Intern and Whole Person Librarianship
Example 1: Subject: ARPA Grant Award: Training and Social Work Intern
Sent by Sue Heskin, Director
I’m pleased to report that the City Library Collective was awarded ARPA grant funding. Our library will be one of the eleven medium-sized libraries in Wisconsin participating in the Wisconsin Libraries as Centers for Community Resilience project. The project includes staff training in the concept of “Whole Person Librarianship” which incorporates the techniques of social work in decreasing barriers to library use. The grant also includes funding for social work professionals or stipends for social work interns to serve in the public libraries.
For our library’s piece of the CLC project, I’ve been working with UWS Field Service on a social work internship and we now have an excellent candidate who will serve at our library from January through August 2022. The intern will be tasked with helping the library build connections with community organizations and coordinate needed staff training. This training will help our staff refer patrons to area organizations and services.
Example 2:
Sent by Sue Heskin, Director
[Social Worker’s Name], our UW-Superior Social Work intern, began Jan. 18 and will continue through Aug. 5. She will be connecting the library to local social service organizations and other groups that may help our library accomplish its goals. Her work at the library is part of our ARPA grant through the Wisconsin City Library Collective.
Example 3:
Sent by Sue Heskin, Director
[Social Worker’s Name], our UWS Social Work Intern continues her work here through Aug. 5. Next week she will be sending out a needs assessment to the library staff gathering information about the kinds of psychosocial needs they witness during their interactions with the public. The results of the assessment will be used to guide policies and develop staff skills in response to community needs. [Social Worker’s Name]’s work here is part of our ARPA grant through the Wisconsin CLC.
Example 4:
Sent by Sue Heskin, Director
[Social Worker’s Name], our UWS Social Work Intern continues her work here through Aug. 5. The staff completed a needs assessment in March. The questions related to library users’ psychosocial needs as observed by staff during their work here. [Social Worker’s Name] presented a summary of the results to the staff on Apr. 29; her summary is included in your board packets for your information. We will use these results to guide policies and develop staff skills in response to community needs. [Social Worker’s Name]’s work here is part of our ARPA grant through the Wisconsin CLC.