Link to December 8 Newark Star-Ledger article, Recession gives N.J. libraries a new mission".
Excerpt: As the jobless rate has climbed since the onset of the financial crisis three years ago, the role of the public library has changed dramatically. In New Jersey, where nearly one in every 10 people is unemployed, officials say the local library has become Job Search Central for many residents. The upshot for librarians like Baker: Instead of spending her workdays organizing and purchasing books, she has watched her job morph into one that is equal parts job counselor, computer trainer and life coach.
"I could talk about books 24 hours a day," Baker said, "but we have so many other things we need to do now."
Just last week, the New Jersey State Library launched a free job search program on computers at 450 public libraries across the state. Librarians will undergo training on how to use the program, which is part of a larger $7.5 million initiative to help job seekers, said Nancy Dowd, marketing director for the state library.
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