The Elmhurst Public Library has begun offering social services to community members by employing a professional social worker, officials said.
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The full-time library employee spends about 14 hours a week helping community members with needs outside the normal scope of library services.
Social services specialist Tracey Orick splits her time between regular library reference work and helping community members with challenges they are facing, including food insecurity, substance abuse, housing needs, and assistance for seniors looking for work.
Library Director Mary Beth Harper said services are generally referrals to outside agencies, but Orick also offers some direct assistance.
“She does meet with people and help them fill out forms to get assistance they need, or refer them to another agency or help them with job-finding services,” Harper said.
The program was created in response to a growing need for social services in the community, she said.
“We have always faced situations in the library that are beyond the scope of what we’re trained to do as librarians,” Harper said.
The library has also brought in social work interns from Aurora University.
“We had a couple of social workers here as interns and started to see the benefits that it was offering the community,” Harper said. “After trying it out that way, we decided we would bring someone on staff.”
Orick, 49, and a certified substance abuse counselor, was one of those interns.
“I’m here to help with just about anything,” Orick said.
People looking for help range from teens to senior citizens applying for Social Security or Medicaid benefits, Orick said.
She also helps seniors looking for work, in most cases, part-time, who may need assistance filling out online forms.
Diane Foote, executive director of the Illinois Library Association in Chicago, said libraries are trusted community members, so offering social services is in line with their mission to be accessible to everyone.
Foote said there is no central data collection for the number of libraries offering social services. But those offering services generally follow one of two models: Either hiring staff directly or partnering with a service provider, she said.
Public libraries in Evanston and Oak Park have added licensed social workers to their staffs, Foote said, while two Chicago Public Library branches have partnered with Amita Health to offer help to their clients.
In Elmhurst, Orick offers social services during regular office hours in Room 4.5, one of the private study rooms on the library’s second floor.
Office hours are Monday 2 to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday 6 to 8 p.m.; Thursday 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.
Orick can be reached through the main library number, 630-279-8696 or by email at [email protected]
Appointments are recommended, but not required.
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Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter.