Olivia Scott starts work at the Bangor Public Library each day walking around the library in the hopes of connecting with patrons who may need help.
For nearly six months, Scott has been getting to know the people who spend their days in the Harlow Street library, many of whom are members of Bangor’s homeless population. The library has long served as a de facto day shelter where the city’s most vulnerable residents can stay safe, escape the elements, and use computers and the bathroom without having to buy anything.
Scott, originally from Kingfield, is the library’s first Community Resource Navigator — a position funded by pandemic recovery money the city and county gave the library late last year.
“The thing I love about the library is that it’s such a low barrier place where people can just be,” Scott said.
It became apparent the library needed additional workers and security measures after staff encountered some patrons misbehaving, prompting calls to police to address disruptive behavior and a handful of suspected drug overdoses.
Scott joined the library in June after earning her masters of social work degree from the University of Maine and said she has been “met with a lot of kindness and been accepted into the library community.”
In her time in the position, Scott estimated she has worked with about 25 to 30 people and helped them connect to some service they may need. Some days, she may talk to as many as 20 people in the library, but not everyone is willing to engage with her.
“Everybody has different needs and everybody is in a different situation,” Scott said. “I just work with people where they’re at and try to get their needs met in any way I can help.”
The most common need Scott has heard from patrons is housing. Many others have said they need insurance, a referral to another provider or service, and some need legal representation but can’t afford a lawyer.
But just as every patron Scott connects with has their own needs, they also encounter unique barriers to accessing help. Sometimes, a barrier can be as simple as a person forgetting their password to an account they need to gain assistance of some kind, she said.
“A barrier can really be anything, but I’ve found people are really resilient, especially when we have this large team of agencies that can help work through those issues,” she said.
Despite these challenges, she has been pleasantly surprised by the network of local agencies and organizations she has connected with that help her navigate those barriers.
Upon taking on her new role, Scott said she was most surprised by the wave of people from nearby agencies and organizations looking to work with her. In her first week on the job, Scott was able to make connections with 35 local organizations and agencies where she can now refer people to, depending on their needs.
“I had assumed when I started this position that I was just going to be at the library,” Scott said. “But, then I had so many organizations in the community reaching out to me, and I realized I was part of a much larger team that’s working together.”
That web of connections, she said, is what has been most helpful in navigating barriers to assistance, the most common of which is lengthy waitlists. Scott said her connections allow her to check which professionals have short or no wait times, but people often need to join a waitlist that can range from a few days to six months.
Aside from helping those in need, Scott is working to create programs and events to engage all community members. For example, Scott has launched “Coffee and Conversation” events with free coffee, snacks, and an activity patrons can participate in. She’s also hoping to bring therapy dogs into the library soon.
Despite barriers and challenges each person faces, Scott said she has found success in unexpected places, such as helping a library patron access their pension. Scott also knows how to celebrate small wins, like directing someone to where they can get a free meal.
“As a whole, I think we’re seeing success,” she said. “I know some people have been housed, accessed services, and I’ve made several referrals and gotten people case management.”
The Bangor City Council gave the library $241,000 of the city’s more than $20 million in federal pandemic relief funding nearly a year ago to pay for Scott’s new position, as well as other security improvement measures.
Penobscot County awarded the library another $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funding to add another employee to check on patrons in areas of the library that largely go unmonitored and upgrade its security system.
The funding from the city and county covers Scott’s position for two years, and she isn’t certain what will happen after those two years are over, but she’s hopeful for the future.
“Library social work is very new and I think we’re all trying to figure out what it’s going to look like in the future,” Scott said. “I feel honored to have this experience and get to do this work that’s so different. I’m looking forward to seeing what this position morphs into, because I think it could do some really cool things.”
