Week 2 - Lesley

It's difficult for me to say what area I'm interested in researching, because I don't have much interest in research in general - or at least not conducting research of my own.  However, I may indeed stumble upon a question during this exercise, so let's give it a go!

I've been working for TPL for over ten years and I enjoy working in the system.  I did my undergraduate degree in social work and aside from having difficulty finding a full time job in the field, I realized that I am too prone to burnout to make a career as a social worker.
Luckily for me, librarians and social workers have many overlapping skills and interests.  I read an article about a library (possibly on the west coast?) hiring a resident social worker.  Having social workers in the public library system makes a lot of sense to me.  Public libraries are used by a hugely diverse population and many people who come in to their local branch need assistance that goes beyond what librarians can offer.  I've noticed that the role of a librarian is shifting to include more elements of community engagement and outreach.  There are also many staff training programs at TPL to address things like: disability service, safe space, mental health, LGTB service and so on.
While I think that librarians (as well as pretty much every human being) should absolutely be well equipped to provide quality service to all individuals, I wonder if maybe our role as information professionals is becoming diluted?  There might be a research question in there somewhere.

I also have some interest in how well equipped we are, at TPL and elsewhere, to meet the rising demand of home library services.  As the child of baby boomers, I am well aware of this massive chunk of our population getting older every year (as people do with the passage of time).  There will be more people unable to physically come into their local libraries and we have a responsibility to ensure our materials and services are available to them.  Are home library services prepared for a considerable increase in use?  Do we have the funding and the staff?

Do I have a research question?  Not yet, but I feel like I'm getting closer!