With the economy still floundering, people are relying on public libraries for help in finding a job or starting their own company.
“Historically, every time there’s been a recession, there’s a huge increase in library use,” said Jamie LaRue, director of Douglas County Libraries. “They want to update their resumes. And most of the job listings are online, and increasingly the job applications are online.”
About one-third of the library patrons nationally are women with preschoolers in tow. And the people polishing resumes and searching for work tend to be predominantly female, according to the American Library Association, which released a study in time for National Library Week, now through Saturday.
The survey, by Harris Interactive, found that the heaviest library users are working women, working mothers and women between ages 18 and 54.
But LaRue also has noticed a surge in male patrons who want to take advantage of the technology and employment databases that libraries have built.
“If you come into the library here and tell us you want to start a roofing business in concrete tile for midsized retail operations, we have databases that can tell you in an hour who else is in that business, the volume of sales, the names of suppliers and other very detailed stuff,” LaRue said.
Today, librarians are trained in writing business plans and grant proposals. They work with local economic developers and chamber of commerce members in what LaRue calls “economic gardening” projects — appealing to local business owners already invested in the community rather than attempting to court out-of-state companies.
“And I think libraries are emerging as a place where content is created, as well as consumed,” LaRue said. “People ask us if we have high-end recording equipment so they can make a video for YouTube. We’re not there yet, but there are libraries elsewhere, including Chicago, that have areas set aside for that stuff.”
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com
