Historically, library services have undergone significant changes during periods of economic downturn or industrial and technological changes. This was especially true during the Depression of the 1930s when homelessness, hunger, and health issues caused people to seek help from libraries (Williams et al, 2019). In today's digital society, the information needed is online and requires internet access and searching skills which drives even more people into libraries for help. Very often these patrons may also experience unmet needs that go beyond the scope of librarianship. Seeing an increase in patrons with complex often cooccuring needs, libraries have concluded that collaboration with social workers is the best way to meet their goals of serving the needs of the Whole person.
A literature review indicates that librarians have serious concerns about the complex needs of some of their patrons and their ability to serve these needs (Geisler, 2017; Pressley, 2016; Westbrook 2015).
A library system request for social work collaboration was the impetus for Wahler's (2019) Indianapolis needs assessment. The assessment included a library staff survey on their perceptions of patron unmet needs. A summary of the most identified needs from Wahler is shown below:
| Financial | 54% |
| Mental Health | 50% |
| Housing | 44% |
| Substance Abuse | 31% |
|
Medical/Health-Related |
24% |
It has long been known that libraries and social workers have aligned purposes. They both trace their roots back to the 1800s, connecting the poor with information and serving their social services needs (Aykanian, 2020). As noted below the goals of the professional organizations of both libraries and social workers outline the need to connect people with social services:
ALA Core Values (ALA Policy Manual, 2013):
National Association of Social Workers Core Values(Code of Ethics, n.d):
The vulnerable populations that sometimes use libraries as safe havens and places to seek information (Wong, 2009) often have complex problems that require more than basic reference services from librarians. These populations may experience co-occurring disorders (Sun, 2012) that require targeted, specialized treatment. Librarians have no expertise in providing such resources but often find themselves on the front line answering questions regarding the following topics:
This list although not exhaustive, indicates the complexity of the issues at hand. While havens of information and goodwill, libraries are not equipped with staff trained in these areas and do not have the time to guide people to the resources they need.