Three Models of Practice: Impacts on the De-escalation Role of Library Social Workers During Crises with Patrons Experiencing Homelessness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Heretofore, models of library social work have primarily been described in terms of the employment status of the social worker (full or part time, employed by library or agency, etc.) rather than the programmatic structure of the services. This research study identifies and describes three different models of public library social work practice: The Signup and Summon Model; The Outreach and Summon Model, and the Social Work Center Model. Next, it explains how each model impacts the de-escalation role of the social worker during crises with patrons experiencing homelessness. The perceived impact of the social worker’s de-escalation role included patrons experiencing homelessness being less likely to interact with security and police and less likely to be excluded, arrested, or jailed. Using an embedded multiple-case study approach, the larger study from which this study is drawn spanned across three United States’ urban libraries with 107 distinct participants, 91 surveys and 46 in-depth interviews. Taking a comprehensive look at the role of social workers during the crisis, the views of six different roles are included: patrons experiencing homelessness, front-facing library staff, library police/security, chief executive officers, branch managers, and social workers.