Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction

1. Understanding Your Library’s Unique Needs
2. Transforming Library Culture
3. Person-Centered Programming and Services for Patrons’ Needs
4. Addressing the Needs of Specific Patron Populations
5. Library Collaborations for Addressing Patrons’ Needs
6. Organizational Approaches for Best Supporting Staff
7. Anticipating Challenges to Change

Afterword
Suggested Reading
Appendix A. Sample Needs Assessment: Patrons
Appendix B. Sample Needs Assessment: Staff
Appendix C. Sample Needs Assessment: Community
Appendix D. Referral Sheet Template
Appendix E. Sample Behavior Response Guide
Index

Promotional Information

A comprehensive overview of various services, programs, and collaborations to help libraries serve high-need patrons as well as strategies for supporting staff working with these individuals.

About the Author

Elizabeth A. Wahler is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.

Sarah C. Johnson is adjunct lecturer at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Reviews

What would it take for libraries to truly become places that support everyone who steps into them, including library workers themselves? Creating a Person-Centered Library answers this question in a clear, timely, and usable way. Drawing upon social work principles and practices, Wahler and Johnson guide us through the process of transforming relationships among library staff, with our patrons, and with our potential partners, including social workers themselves. Along the way, they deploy their extensive experience to guide us through challenges that may stand in the way of change, preparing us to clear those hurdles. I recommend this treasure trove of useful information to anyone striving to transform how libraries support both communities and themselves in the trying times in which we find ourselves.
*Noah Lenstra, Associate Professor of Library & Information Science at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, USA*

A practical and compassionate resource for libraries to support their work with high-needs patrons and the staff who serve them. The right book at the right time for libraries around the world.
*Jane Garner, PhD, School of Information and Communication Studies, Charles Sturt University, Australia*

A helpful collection that will inform high-needs patron services, targeted toward public libraries but useful everywhere.
*Library Journal*

In the ever-changing library landscape, Creating a Person-Centered Library, by Wahler and Johnson, shines as an essential compass guiding us through diverse challenges—embracing mental health, housing, and inclusivity. With its clear definitions and proven models, this empowering playbook extends a helping hand to high-needs patrons, transcending urban or rural boundaries. For librarians and advocates seeking to forge inclusive and empathetic havens within their libraries, this book is an absolute must-have guide.
*Chris M. Brown, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library, USA*

This timely and relevant volume provides invaluable guidance to librarians seeking to meet the social needs of their communities and the individuals who make up those communities. It brings together the perspectives of social workers and librarians and benefits from the complementary and reinforcing expertise of those human-centered professions.
*Maria Bonn, Associate Professor and Director, MS Library and Information Science, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA*

I highly recommend that someone from each library read this book.
*Library Life*