Date: Sep 29th, 2011
By Michael Kelley
Politicians at all levels of government --- from Washington to county executives --- may finally be catching on that public libraries are the backbone of workforce development.
Minnesota has been leading the way, becoming in May the first state in the country to add a public library advisor to a state Workforce Development Council. The state has just begun accepting applications for the position.
"Libraries are in some ways as important to the infrastructure of supporting job search and work development as the workforce centers," said Kit Hadley, the director of the St. Paul Public Library, who was a leader of the legislative initiative that led to the council seat.
