A Social Work Approach to Patron Services

摘要

Drawing on the connections between what they term the “sister professions” of social work and librarianship, Sara K. Zettervall and Mary C. Nienow’s book, Whole Person Librarianship: A Social Work Approach to Patron Services, provides a comprehensive guide to implementing social work tools and methods for librarianship. Zettervall is a professional librarian, holds both MLIS and MFA degrees, and provides consulting and training on implementing social work concepts in librarianship. Dr. Nienow is an assistant professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with expertise in policy and program development and advocacy support for non-profit organizations. Whole Person Librarianship begins with a brief history of both librarianship and social work and introduces core values and the history of collaboration between librarians and social workers. Each chapter of the text focuses on a specific topic related to social work approaches to librarianship, with a series of online resources provided at the end of each chapter. The online resources provide additional information, as well as tools and worksheets that can be directly implemented. The chapters also rely on a series of powerful case studies that illustrate how implementing social work approaches in librarianship can be successful.