Attention Public Libraries:

I am sharing forward from contacts at COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies) the optional online survey invitation below on behalf of Dr. Melissa Gross and Dr. Don Latham of Florida State University, who are conducting an IMLS-funded research project on social services in public libraries.

Recruitment for a Survey on Social Services in Public Libraries

Are you a public librarian with responsibilities in administration, adult services, or youth
services? You are invited to participate in an online survey aimed at U.S. public librarians.
The purpose of the survey is to examine the disposition of public librarians on changes to
their professional scope of practice in the face of the expanding trend of placing social
workers in public libraries to support community social services information needs,
perform outreach, and engage in other activities that have previously fallen to public
librarians as part of their job.

 

The research is being conducted by Dr. Melissa Gross and Dr. Don Latham from Florida
State University. The survey will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete and can be accessed
using this link: https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5onsSsZahhI3zcG.

 

The survey is voluntary. You have the right to not participate in this study. By beginning the
survey, you are consenting to participation. You may stop participating at any point simply
by not completing the survey. The survey does not collect identifying information, so survey
respondents are anonymous. The survey data will be handled in compliance with standard
ethical principles.

 

The study is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and has been
approved by the Florida State University Institutional Review Board. The data will be used to
write research papers and make conference presentations. Survey data will be stored in
the FSU DigiNole Research Repository after the project ends.

 

The survey will close in February 2025. If you have any questions about this study, now or in
the future, please contact:
Dr. Melissa Gross
School of Information
Florida State University
850-644-5775
mgross@fsu.edu

 

You can also contact the Florida State University Human Subjects Office at 850-644-7900
or at humansubjects@fsu.ed

Thank you for your consideration.