Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Role of Libraries in Workforce Development

Libraries play an important role in enhancing adult literacy in the workplace. The American Library Association (ALA) submitted comments to the leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Friday, urging the committee to consider library priorities for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act.

“Libraries play a critical role in providing access to workforce development activities and information related to training services and employment opportunities,” Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA Washington Office, said.

“We asked the committee to recognize the work libraries are already doing to help the public get back to work and to include libraries in this bill so that they will have the resources and support they need to continue strengthening America’s workforce and helping people look for jobs.”

The ALA’s comments outline seven priorities for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. Foremost, the ALA asks the HELP Committee to ensure the bill makes public libraries are eligible for funds for employment and training activities and encourages workforce operators to partner with public libraries. The comments also ask the committee to include public libraries as part of state and local Workforce Development Boards and to emphasize the importance of adult digital literacy skills training.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

NASW: Social Work Researchers Should Educate Public

This is a recent NASW blog piece from a scholar who believes social work researchers should take on a more active role against bigotry and change society. Doing so is part of the service to disenfranchised populations and individuals.
A recent editorial in Social Work Research urges social work researchers to more actively aid resistance to media bias and polemical attacks. Matthew O. Howard cites recent public attacks by Glen Beck on Francis Fox Piven, and the subsequent threats on her life by some of Beck’s listeners. Piven herself analyzed the social situation that gives rise to such irrational demagoguery, and maintains that it results from the difficulty the public have in understanding the complexities of legislative and governmental policies. Piven calls the gap between legislative complexity and public comprehension the “blank space in the democratic process.”

Howard urges social work researchers to help “reduce the blank space” in US democracy.