In this interview, we’ll hear from Darby McMonagle, Social Work Intern at the Boston Public Library. Darby will fill us in about her role at the library, highlights of the internship, and advice for public libraries interested in hosting a library social work internship.
Tell us about your role as a social work intern at the Boston Public Library.
My role at the Boston Public Library is working as an intern for the Community Support Team (CST). This role encapsulates a variety of different things, from personal care item distribution and tracking, resource navigation, and program development. As the first macro social work intern, I have spent a lot of my time learning about the community members and library staff that the CST works with to formulate a trauma-informed culture of care.
What did you enjoy the most about your library social work internship?
What I enjoyed the most about my social work internship was the people. There are days that have been challenging for patrons and interns, alike, but we were able to support one another. On Tuesday mornings our team runs a Coffee and Conversations program where we invite patrons to gather in fellowship, with the goal of developing a culture of care and community. I remember one day when I was having a rough Tuesday, assignments were piling up, I hadn’t slept well the night before, and I desperately needed a cup of coffee. One of the patrons who I had developed a rapport with looked at me and, without saying anything, put a hot cup of coffee on the table in front of me. He greeted me with “Good morning, sunshine. You’ll be just fine, I know it.” I thanked him for the coffee, and we started our regular game of checkers. This was just a small, yet important demonstration of care towards our team.
Tell us about a peak moment, highlight, or special project from your internship.
A highlight from this program has been working alongside incredible interns! Throughout this year, the CST members sat on the floor with me after long sessions with a patron, de-escalated high energy situations, and even laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. Not to mention how extremely intelligent these women are!
What challenges did you encounter during your internship and how did you navigate them?
Our team had a patron reach out about looking for support to pay medical bills. From there, the case became so complex that I was supporting the patron in contacting immigration lawyers, insurance agencies, health care providers, and other social services. A lot of the barriers that I ran into for this case surrounded my limited time, knowledge of the court system, and basic understanding of the immigration systems during the initial I.C.E. deployments and rapid changes in policy. These challenges made working with the patron difficult, but not impossible. If not for the patron reaching out to our team, he would not have gotten the initial support he needed to move forward with his complex needs.
What insights would you offer to libraries interested in hosting a social work internship?
Visit your community support team! There have been plenty of moments during our internship when a library staff person is confused about our position or didn’t even know we existed until an event occurred. This is why it is so important for future CST’s and interns to be well acquainted with the library staff as much as possible. Eventually, this will develop a greater understanding of responsibilities and create opportunities for collaboration
Anything else you would like to share?
This internship has taught me so much, and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you, Taylor, for taking a chance on your first macro social work intern. I will take all I have learned here into the workforce!
Interview with Darby McMonagle, Boston Public Library Social Work Intern
Interviewed by Michelle Eberle, Consultant, Massachusetts Library System
