County of Fairfax, Virginia

Fairfax County Public Library and its partner, Liberty's Promise, will collaborate to develop "An American Future: Library Service Opportunities for Immigrant Youth." This three-year project will recruit 90 low-income, immigrant youth for paid internships in the library. The internships will provide support for these youth while introducing them to the vital role of the public library in American civic life. In turn, the interns will provide the library with a bridge to their communities, needed language skills, and fresh perspectives on how the library might serve the entire community. It is anticipated that following their time with the library, some of the interns will wish to pursue careers as librarians, while all will hopefully become advocates for public libraries.