In January 2019, the Forest Park Public Library officially began a partnership with Loyola University School of Social Work. The library was selected to be a site for an internship program for social work students.
The library was entered into the pool of internship locations in fall 2018. After receiving matches, interviews were held to find the right learning situation for students. This was a new program for both the library and the university but has gone exceedingly well. However, the student’s internship ended in mid-August.
This means the library will be without a social work intern for the foreseeable future.
The library will continue to work with the Loyola University School of Social Work, however, there is no student lined up to start in the fall. We are in the running to be matched with a student. If everything aligns, we might have a student in January 2020. But this is not definite.
The library has also joined a grant application with Amita Health to fund a full time social worker. This grant funds similar programs at several branches in the Chicago Public Library system and the Evanston Public Library.
We are very optimistic that both of these initiatives will work out, however, we cannot be certain. If either of them do work out, it would not happen until 2020.
In the meantime, the library will not be able to provide social work services. Library staff can help you connect with resources. Stop by the Reference Desk or check out our Community Resource Guide at fppl.org/communityresources.
Questions? Let us know at askus@fppl.org.