Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Libraries Respond to Need for Job Information

Event sponsored by libraries
in the Columbus Ohio area

Link to October 20 Dallas Morning News article, "Many job seekers in Dallas County head to the library first".

Excerpt: Across the Dallas area, librarians are doubling as job counselors and libraries are finding new customers. The trend echoes around the nation, says the American Library Association.

Bustle near the bookshelves isn't likely to quiet soon. Economists predict the United States is in for a jobless recovery, in which there's growth in domestic product but little new stretch in payrolls.

In August, the Texas unemployment rate hit 8 percent for the first time in 22 years. In September, the state jobless rate jumped to 8.2 percent, according to figures released last week.

So it's not surprising that skills and job-search classes have expanded at Carrollton's two libraries. There's even a Monday morning career focus group for kick-starting the job search.

"Our classes are full almost immediately," said Cheri Gross, the city's library director.

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