BILLINGS — The Billings Public Library is launching a new program this September that goes beyond books, partnering with the University of Montana to bring a social work presence into the library.
Starting this week, a practicum student from the University of Montana's School of Social Work will be on site at the library 15 to 20 hours weekly through April 2027. The student will help connect library patrons with community resources around the city and help staff build skills in de-escalation and trauma-informed care.
The initiative follows similar efforts across major U.S. cities and mirrors a program that has been underway for a couple of years at the Missoula Public Library.
The student's stipend is being funded by the Billings Library Foundation. Library leaders say the partnership with the university is the first step toward their long-term goal of implementing a full-time, in-house social worker.
Megan Thomas, assistant director of the Billings Public Library, said the program is a natural extension of what the library already does for the community.
"A goal always for the library is to be a resource to our community...people think about us as books and music and things like that, but we do a lot more than that. We're really focused on early literacy, team programming, adult services, things like that...we would just like to be a help and be another access point for our community members."
