FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2009
IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
OCLC Press Contact
614-761-5136
Bob Murphy, murphyb@oclc.org
IMLS Grant Will Help Libraries Help the Unemployed
Click on image for larger view.
Public Library Use, 1997-2007- Per Capita Visits
Source: Public Libraries Survey, FY1997-FY2007, IMLS/NCES |
Washington, DC—Job seekers have packed
libraries around the country during recent months, searching online job sites,
building resumes, taking interview classes, and making use of a wide range of
other employment services and resources. More help is on the way. Through a grant
from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), WebJunction, the online
learning community for library staff created by OCLC, a nonprofit library service
and research organization; and the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) have launched
a one-year initiative to gather and share best practices for providing library-based
employment services and programs to the unemployed.
“We know that libraries are making important contributions
to the nation’s economic recovery, and IMLS is committed to helping those libraries
help their communities get back to work,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, IMLS
Director. “We admire this grant because of the educational opportunities it
will provide and the relationships between libraries and economic and workforce
development agencies that it will foster.”
“In North Carolina, we have established real collaborations
in communities across the state between public libraries and local workforce
development organizations, which together support job seekers in everything from
basic computer skills to applying for jobs online,” said Mary L. Boone,
State Librarian of North Carolina. “We are delighted to partner with IMLS
and WebJunction to share what we have learned with our colleagues around the
country.” The State Library of North Carolina was one of the state library
agencies that stepped forward earlier this year to coordinate a highly successful
statewide library education program in response to the economic downturn. Members
of SLNC’s staff who were instrumental in that state’s success will contribute
significantly to the national project.
The partners will develop and host an online training module –
available to everyone -- that adapts the workshop curriculum and experience. A
core feature of the program will be online conversations at webjunction.org for
state library administrators to explore new ideas for supporting local public
library staff to deliver workforce services. All regional workshops and the online
training module will be supported by follow-on programming. This will provide
participants with the resources and support they need to assist local public libraries
as they respond to urgent patron demands.
“Severe unemployment strikes at the core of any community,
and libraries work hard to respond to these community needs,” said Cathy
De Rosa, Vice President, Marketing, OCLC. “We are pleased to work with
IMLS and the State Library of North Carolina to help respond to those needs.
This program allows us to support communities and individuals working to cope
with unemployment and to support libraries as they work to provide essential
infrastructure and services for national economic recovery.”
Project goals include dissemination of services, programs,
and partnerships to support the unemployed; greater capacity in state library
agencies to support their local public libraries; and broader understanding
and support outside the library field for the workforce development role that
libraries have in responding to the crisis.
Additional IMLS resource:
Libraries
to the Rescue is a set of five podcasts, including one by Mary L. Boone, State Librarian
of North Carolina, that focuses on how libraries are helping citizens access
all types of employment assistance. Click here for a list of
Online
Resources for Libraries and Jobseekers.
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