If you've been to a public library in most larger (or urban) places, you've likely seen that these libraries do more than house books. Public libraries are often places where people come to connect to the Internet, check their email, or fill out job applications. Libraries are also places where people cast their election ballots or pick up IRS forms. These services are provided by libraries because they benefit the patrons or the community.
Libraries are more than places to find books. Libraries are community-driven social services and civic centers. And I'm concerned that some information/library science graduates aren't being prepared adequately to meet this need.
Some libraries have made news in recent years for providing even more progressive social services. Take the San Francisco Public Library -- they hired the first-ever full-time library social worker in 2009. Other libraries have followed suit: Denver, San Jose, Dallas, and more. Libraries, especially urban ones, have a segment of homeless or home-insecure patrons who visit the library for shelter and to access resources they need (job applications, email, Internet access to social services, etc). Library staff educated through traditional information/library science programs learn how to catalog, develop collections, and organize information. They're not explicitly taught, however, how to provide social support for those who especially need it.
People go to public libraries for a wide range of reasons, including taking advantage of the programming offered by libraries. The American Library Association (ALA) released a report in April 2014 on the state of public libraries. The report basically said that people visit public libraries to use the Internet, apply for jobs, and locate social services. Librarians at public libraries today likely deal more with social services than reference requests. To me, it's just the nature of the paradigm shift. But we need to make sure our future librarians are prepared to offer these social services.
So here's a disclaimer: My undergraduate background is in Sociology (B.A., 2005) and Urban Policy Studies (B.S., 2007; dual degree). I am probably predisposed to analyze the social aspects of urban public libraries than those without this type of background. I'll admit that. However, my background has also likely given me more insight into the issues surrounding public libraries as social services centers. All that said, if I were a graduate student in an information science program with the intent to go onto to public librarianship (heck, even academic or school librarianship!), I would really, really want to have some coverage of delivering social services.
A course (or possibly two!) would be exponentially beneficial for all information science students (disclaimer: I am a loud proponent of mandating everyone having at least 3 sociology courses in their school career: 1) sexuality and society; 2) families and society; and 3) something related to social norms/mores and social construction. I learned the most about how to be a compassionate, empathetic individual from these three courses and I still apply that education in my daily life!). Back to info science grad school, though. Courses should be provided on how society functions as well as explaining the why behind issues such as homelessness. Info science programs with this insight would produce more well-rounded, prepared librarians. When people are more understanding and sympathetic to another's circumstances, they can provide better customer service. And that's really what it all boils down to: improving our communities by providing better information and social services.
Anyway, this post turned more into a bit of a rant at the end than I intended :)
