Library Social Work

Sarah Johnson, LMSW, MLIS

Welcome to the Library Social Work podcast. I’m Sarah Johnson, a librarian and social worker, here to explore the fascinating intersection of public libraries and social services. While this combination might seem unusual to some, a growing network of individuals and libraries are discovering the significance of these partnerships.  In each episode, I’ll be joined by a diverse group of experts—social workers, librarians, social work students, educators, researchers, and administrators—who are actively involved in these cross-disciplinary collaborations. But don’t let the title of this podcast fool you: I’ll explore connections beyond social work that include public health experts, mental health advocates, and peer navigators.  With years of experience researching and teaching about Library Social Work, my goal is to illuminate the factors that contribute to the success of these partnerships and identify areas for improvement. With over 300 collaborations emerging across North America and the South Pacific in the past 15 years, there's a wealth of insights and lessons to share.  Join me as we explore these groundbreaking collaborations and their far-reaching impact.

  1. Dr. Kaitlin Montague

    06/24/2025

    Dr. Kaitlin Montague

    While this episode isn’t solely focused on library social work, there’s definitely some overlap. The vehicle residents Dr. Montague studies face many of the same access challenges that library workers encounter with patrons. And although living in a vehicle isn’t identical to being unhoused, the two experiences are connected—especially as more people turn to their cars for shelter in the face of rising housing costs and stagnant wages. In addition to discussing what Kaitlin has learned from doing fieldwork at information-sharing events for mobile communities, we discuss what libraries can do to support vehicle residents, how we might better prepare MLIS students for public-facing roles, and the day-to-day stressors many public library workers are navigating. When we recorded this conversation last December, Kaitlin was in the thick of writing her dissertation. Since then, she’s earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University (2025), where she also completed her Master of Information back in 2016. Now, Kaitlin is a postdoc and lecturer at the Institute of Library and Information Science at Humboldt University in Berlin. Her research focuses on how people living in their vehicles find and use information—especially how mobility and constant movement shape what kind of access they have. Before diving into her doctoral work, Kaitlin worked as a public librarian from 2017 to 2020. Heads up: the audio gets a little murky in places, but stick with it—it’s worth it. Substack @librarysocialwork

    40 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
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4 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Library Social Work podcast. I’m Sarah Johnson, a librarian and social worker, here to explore the fascinating intersection of public libraries and social services. While this combination might seem unusual to some, a growing network of individuals and libraries are discovering the significance of these partnerships.  In each episode, I’ll be joined by a diverse group of experts—social workers, librarians, social work students, educators, researchers, and administrators—who are actively involved in these cross-disciplinary collaborations. But don’t let the title of this podcast fool you: I’ll explore connections beyond social work that include public health experts, mental health advocates, and peer navigators.  With years of experience researching and teaching about Library Social Work, my goal is to illuminate the factors that contribute to the success of these partnerships and identify areas for improvement. With over 300 collaborations emerging across North America and the South Pacific in the past 15 years, there's a wealth of insights and lessons to share.  Join me as we explore these groundbreaking collaborations and their far-reaching impact.