Also called: Public Library Social Worker
Works inside a public library to help patrons facing homelessness, mental illness or crisis find housing, food and other services.
She sets up at a table near the computer lab, where a man asks for help replacing his lost ID. Later she calms a patron in crisis, trains library staff on what to do in an overdose, and connects a teen who has been sleeping in the stacks with a youth shelter.
Estimate; city library systems.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. An MSW is usually required; some libraries hire bachelor's-level social workers or interns.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Social Work, Library Science.
Growing faster than average. Since San Francisco hired the first one in 2009, many library systems have added social workers.
Low risk for 10 years. Resource databases help find services; calming crises and building trust with patrons stays human.
Classes: Psychology, Sociology, English.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.