“Forced Out of Our Box:” Public Youth Services Librarians’ Perceptions and Experiences Responding to Social Services Needs

Focus groups with 16 U.S. public youth services librarians explored their perceptions of and experiences with providing social services to better understand how they see the professional scope of librarianship, and their visions for how best to respond to the social services needs of their communities. Analysis revealed that youth librarians actively respond to both youth and adult social services needs through both library services and collaborations with partners. But perceptions were mixed toward what extent librarians should be providing these services, with youth librarians ultimately calling for greater education and training in response to changing community needs.