From left, Kalani Adolpho, Jesus Espinoza, and Twanna Hodge discuss academic library residency programs during the National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Reality of Residency Programs

September 30, 2018

At “Under the Hood: Exploring Academic Library Resident Programs in Practice,” a September 28 panel at the third National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in Albuquerque, New Mexico, three librarians of color talked about the benefits, challenges, and outcomes of their current and recent residencies. Moderated by Madison Sullivan, business research and instruction library … Continue reading The Reality of Residency Programs


The “Libraries Educate Today's Workforce for Tomorrow's Careers” panel held on August 9 in Cleveland. From left: Ryan Burgess, director of the Governor's Office of Workforce Transformation; Shontel Brown, Cuyahoga County Council representative for district 9; Mick Munoz, a former Marine and Ohio library patron; Denise Reading, CEO of GetWorkerFIT; and Jeff Patterson, CEO of Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority; and moderator Russ Mitchell, WKYC-TV anchor and managing editor.

How Libraries Bridge the Employment Gap

August 14, 2018

The discussion—which focused on libraries as an essential component in creating, sustaining, and retaining a viable workforce—brought together leaders from all levels of government and community nonprofits. The program took place at Rakuten OverDrive headquarters in Cleveland and was cosponsored by Cleveland Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio Library Council, and ALA. It is the … Continue reading How Libraries Bridge the Employment Gap



Lisa Shaw (left) and Elizabeth Iaukea present “Libraries Strengthening the Talent Pipeline,” a March 23 session at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia.

Careers over Jobs

March 26, 2018

“The skills for filling out a résumé and application become obsolete once someone gets a job,” said Levandowski, paraphrasing a quote she had read from Elisabeth Sanders-Park, author and president of WorkNet Solutions, a career consulting firm. “Helping a job seeker isn’t the end,” she said. “Workforce development can get people on a career path … Continue reading Careers over Jobs


Instructor Christina Koch

Get Cracking on Code

March 30, 2015

In a matter of months, Ferguson took a series of free coding classes through the library. It opened up an array of career possibilities, and he was quickly hired as a front-end web developer with an advertising agency. “When I was working as a paralegal, I had reached the ceiling,” says Ferguson. “Whereas with web … Continue reading Get Cracking on Code


So You’re Looking for a Job: Now What?

January 25, 2014

The one-hour session, titled “HR Confidential: Insider Tips from Library HR Directors,” was presented by Kathryn Kjaer of the University of California, Irvine, and Leo Agnew of the University of Iowa. The search The two HR directors began by explaining what search committees look for. For starters, speak to the job duties, especially the requirements … Continue reading So You’re Looking for a Job: Now What?