Social Services at Salt Lake City Public Library
Salt Lake City Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Salt Lake City Public Library is uniquely positioned as a connector throughout the city. It wanted to find better ways to extend this connection role to meet the growing social services needs of the city’s most vulnerable community members. Based on a staff workgroup recommendation, we hired a full-time Social Worker, Nicole Campolucci, as the Social Services Coordinator. Nicole began developing partnerships with a variety of social service agencies, observing how the library was engaging with patrons with social services needs, and recommending changes to the library’s approach around these issues. She has rebranded a space in the library as Resource Corner, bringing in a wide variety of local partner agencies to provide services to patrons with high psychosocial needs. Nicole also works closely with the Safety team to intervene when patrons have behavioral problems in an effort to de-escalate them and prevent them from being suspended from the library.
Challenge/Opportunity
Library staff saw the opportunity to develop a Social Services department due to the significant increase in observed psychosocial needs of our library patrons. More people in our community are experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, substance misuse, and mental illness. Additionally, more community members are struggling to make ends meet and are in search of services to help themselves. Librarians are not experts in social services and do not have the training that is necessary to assist patrons with high psychosocial needs and/or those experiencing mental health crises. Staff were becoming burnt out by attempting to meet these needs on their own. Some even questioned why these were services the Library was expected to provide.
Key Elements of Innovation
Leaning into our library’s mission, which includes “connecting people to information, resources, experiences, & each other,” Nicole focused on enhancing the Library’s ability to help patrons in need navigate and engage with a complex system through the use of cultivated partnerships & dedicated staff. While SLCPL had a longstanding partnership with an agency that provides services to those experiencing homelessness, there were no partnerships with other agencies, which created a large gap for other patrons in need. Nicole began partnering with a wider variety of agencies to meet the needs of more patrons. Services now also include help signing up for State benefits; harm reduction & immediate access to detox and treatment for people with Substance Use Disorders; housing services for veterans; medical treatment for unhoused patrons; rapid rehousing, & more. Moving forward the department has a plan to include additional Social Workers & peer navigators.
Achieved Outcomes
Since January 2023, The Social Services Team has had 1,254 interactions with 315 individual patrons. Partner agencies have had a total of 8,251 interactions with patrons in Resource Corner. 26 total individuals have entered detoxification services for substance use; 13 have entered substance use treatment. Eight total unhoused individuals became housed through two separate partnerships with Resource Corner.
