The Seattle Public Library’s mission is to bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We view Seattle as a city where imagination and opportunity continue to thrive. Since 1891, we have grown from a single reading room in Pioneer Square to a world-class library system with 27 locations. The Library works every day to foster and support a healthy city and a healthy democracy. We do this work guided by the principles of intellectual freedom, literacy and the love of learning, racial equity, privacy and confidentiality, respect for the community, strong partnerships and innovation. We are an active and committed partner in the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative.

For many library users, The Seattle Public Library plays a key role in meeting their basic needs. Patrons use the Library for computer and internet access, to access information resources, to connect to social and health services, or as a comfortable place to spend time. To help our library system better support patrons who are houseless or otherwise in crisis the library’s Community Resource Specialists work with staff, partners and patrons to develop and implement responsive programs and services that connect people to social service resources, and help with navigating systems or confronting crises. These services support adults, teens, and families that are houseless or low income, including immigrants and refugees, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities.

- The student(s) will be trained to work directly with patrons to provide information and referrals to resources, focusing on meeting basic needs including shelter, healthcare, transportation, employment, and food insecurity. Direct service takes place in 1:1 meetings, electronically, and during our weekly Coffee & Conversations and Crafternoon programs.
- The student(s) may eventually hold "drop-in" hours at high-need branches throughout the city. These are an opportunity for patrons in neighborhoods outside of downtown/Central Seattle to connect with SPL's social services team and receive information and referrals.

- The student(s) will work with the team and with community partners to build partnerships that address patron needs.
- The student(s) can design and execute programs designed to provide services or information to specific populations (for example, harm reduction pop-ups which provide naloxone and training to the community). These programs can be responsive to the community's need as well as the students' interests and expertise.

- Should the student(s) be interested, there will also be opportunities to participate in tracking local, state and federal legislation related to social service funding, homelessness, crisis intervention, and other topics relevant to our impacted populations and service provision.
- The student(s) may also engage with developing and amending institutional policies related to social services within the Library setting (for example, policy related to reciprocal information sharing with other agencies).

In addition to the micro/mezzo/macro examples listed above, each student will work with the supervisor to develop and implement an individual project in an area of their own interest that also serves the Library and our patrons. Examples of past projects include: planning and hosting a resource fair; planning the implementation of a system-wide naloxone distribution project; designing and then translating key resources into additional languages. This provides the student a chance to explore their own interests and gain practical experiences in operationalizing social work values in a complex work environment.

Additional benefits include:
- Supportive, professional environment
- Exposure to and opportunity to develop relationships with other social service agencies in the area
- Schedule flexibility

We are looking for students who:
- Have a commitment to continuous learning. This is a practicum position, not a job or volunteer position, and as such, is intended to support an emerging social worker in both strengthening existing skills and identifying areas for growth.
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to providing equitable services to marginalized or underserved populations.
- Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. The student must be able to communicate clearly, diplomatically, and in a friendly and positive manner with staff and library patrons from diverse language, ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, as well as with neighborhood-based or special interest groups.
- Have experience with (or interest in learning to provide) direct service, especially with those experiencing crisis.
- Are comfortable in a dynamic environment: no two days here are the same, so flexibility and adaptability are good skills to either come with or be willing to develop.

Fluency in a second language (particularly Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali or Amharic) is helpful but not required.

Email a resume and a cover letter explaining your interest in the placement to Laura Harrington (laura.harrington@spl.org).