Over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of workers to be displaced from their jobs. Libraries across the United States have stepped up, offering creative ways to help job seekers navigate these turbulent times. Heldrich Center researchers Stephanie Holcomb and Liana Volpe recently presented at a webinar titled "Libraries and Workforce Development: Connecting the Dots between Your Patrons and Public Policy,” where they shared recent data on American workers’ digital skills gaps and discussed opportunities for libraries to use these data to educate policymakers about the roles libraries play for job seekers and libraries’ need for additional funding. The webinar was hosted by the National Skills Coalition and the American Library Association.

View Holcomb and Volpe’s presentation.

Watch a recording of the webinar.

Read Holcomb and Volpe’s recent brief, Building Communities of Care in Workforce Development Programs.

Holcomb and Volpe are both Research Project Coordinators at the Heldrich Center.