Library Partnership with Iowa Workforce Development

Invitation to Become a Partner / Library Affiliate

The State Library and Iowa Workforce Development invite all Iowa public libraries to sign a letter of commitment between your library ("library affiliate") and your regional IWD office.  Most of the expectations outlined in the letter are things libraries are already doing.  Since all of us want to meet the needs of our communities especially in difficult times, we are particularly pleased about this partnership.  The job seekers in your community will benefit and you will too.  Two concrete examples of how you will benefit are: 

• You and your community would have access to Microsoft Elevate America computer literacy training
• IWD will provide library affiliates with hard copies of their most used guidebook:  Resource Guide for Job Seekers.

Less tangible, but equally important, your participation will demonstrate you are an "engaged" library, "an active and responsive part of the community and an agent for change."  And as we learned from some recent research, "Library support is an attitude. It all depends on how people perceive the role the library plays in people's lives and communities." 

We enthusiastically encourage you to sign the letter of commitment.  Our hope is that hundreds of Iowa libraries will sign up.

Steps   

• Print out, complete and sign the letter of commitment below.  (The only information you need to fill in is the name of the library, your name and the date.)
  
• Return it to the State Library:  State Library of Iowa, Toni Blair, 1112 E. Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA  50319; e-mail - toni.blair@lib.state.ia.us; fax - 515 281-6191.
  

Background

The State Library and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) have developed a partnership over the last year in order to better serve unemployed Iowans.  The partnership was formally kicked off with an ICN program on October 13, 2009 for public libraries and IWD managers, followed by two online sessions in December for library staff on how to navigate the IWD Web site.  On January 15, 2010 the State Library and Iowa Workforce Development signed a letter of commitment between the two agencies.