Deborah Hunter watched over the years as her youngest daughter struggled with schizophrenia. In and out of group homes and psychiatric facilities, Hunter was one of her biggest advocates, even when her daughter’s delusion had her believing her mother wasn’t really her mother.
Hunter works at the Tulsa City-County Library in Oklahoma. But she doesn’t spend her days putting away books according to the Dewey Decimal system; she helps library customers who are homeless, on the brink of homelessness, or suffering from mental illness. As a case manager, she helps them connect with resources and find the information they need.
Across the country, a growing number of libraries are employing social workers or partnering with local agencies to help support their most vulnerable customers.
In a sense, libraries act as free community centers with knowledgeable and non-judgmental staff.
American Library Association president Julie Todaro said people have long turned to the library for more than books. “They want information,” she said. “They may want guidance in how to apply for food stamps, so definitely public libraries have always been seen as community centers for that kind of thing.”
During the 1960s, there was an increase in the number of social service providers libraries hired, she said. In more recent years, a “perfect storm” of a downturned economy and high unemployment has caused libraries to expand their services. Some libraries partner with social services or health care groups to meet with patrons, while others, like in Tulsa, have hired social workers.
Hunter believes her work is valuable. “In the back of my mind, I always felt that the things that happened to my daughter — her becoming homeless, addicted to drugs, in and out of psychiatric care, residential homes, group homes…,” she said, trailing off. “If she could go through all of that when she had someone like me to advocate for her, what about people who don’t have anyone?”
Sometimes Hunter deescalates a situation when someone has a behavioral issue, helps people fill out applications for housing and health care, and intervenes when someone needs an emergency mental health exam.
“Sometimes people with behavioral issues just need someone to talk to that knows what’s going on,” she said.
As the only case manager within the library system, Hunter makes rounds throughout the Central Library to be visible. She consults with security and library staff, who can often point out people who may be in need of services. “Sometimes people will come right up to security and say, ‘I just got out of the hospital or I just got out of jail or I just got into town and I don’t know where anything is,’” she said.
A man recently came up to Hunter after seeing her photograph and story in the local newspaper. The two got to talking and Hunter made some recommendations for him. She since learned that he followed her directions and started receiving disability income and is currently looking for housing.
In Oak Park, Illinois, Robert Simmons started as a community resources manager in 2016 to help make the library a safer and more welcoming place. He now has a team that includes a community resources specialist and four part-time safety and security personnel. They offer referral-based services for homelessness, mental illness, affordable housing, senior services, immigration and financial assistance, among other issues.
“Around the nation, public libraries have become a de facto community health center for people who don’t have other resources,” Simmons said.
Libraries in urban areas are increasingly helping the most vulnerable populations. In Philadelphia and Denver, for example, the libraries now store Narcan, an FDA-approved spray that acts as an antidote to an opioid overdose.
“Librarians in general, we’re not trained in health areas. It’s not a common thing to happen, but I think what that speaks to is literally the epidemic that we’re looking at here, the drug epidemic,” Todaro said.
Public libraries, she added, are unique in the U.S. because they are one of the few public spaces where no one is charged and there are resources to help.
“I think we have a unique responsibility to really look at our clients and say, ‘This is an epidemic and we need to weigh it a little more heavily to see how we can help.’”
