View the entire newsletter for more articles: 2022 – NJAC County Biz – April
by Tiffany McClary, Director of Communications, Marketing & Outreach, New Jersey State Library
The New Jersey library community strives to fulfill the information needs of a vast and varied customer group — from pre-Kindergartners on the brink of emergent literacy, to students on the path to graduation and early careers, to disconnected individuals of all ages on the far side of the digital divide. To support our efforts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the New Jersey State Library $3.9 million in funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. A portion of these funds has been used to provide expanded literacy services and support to NJ residents in communities of need across the state.
In early 2022, the State Library launched its NJSL + Partners Literacy Project, with the overarching goal to showcase libraries as literacy destinations in communities across the state. The project pilots two models for providing literacy services in public libraries: the Hub & Spoke Libraries initiative which provides uniform digital literacy training and credentialing for adult residents at literacy labs across the state; and the Access Navigators project, an initiative that places a cohort of skilled trainers (Navigators) into select libraries across the state, in order to provide individualized assistance to persons seeking employment, job training, or digital competence.
Hub & Spoke Libraries
Currently, digital literacy training and certification for adults looking to enter or advance in the workforce is a non-standardized, decentralized patchwork of disparate service providers. Due to this lack of a cohesive system, the training and credentialing which is desperately needed for New Jersey’s workforce has become non-standard, of disparate quality, and difficult to access. To address this need, the State Library has selected three “hub” libraries that will serve as regionally-based training labs, and 11 “spoke” libraries that will provide additional digital literacy support. The goal of the Hub & Spoke Libraries project is to create a standardized and replicable library-based digital literacy certification program to assist New Jersey’s workforce.
Hub and spoke libraries connect with their local Workforce Development Boards and American Job Centers, as well as other libraries in the area, to create a referral system that accounts for client intake, record keeping, and data sharing. Participants have access to free, high quality training materials, videos, classroom aides, and mini lessons. The program is facilitated by the Plainfield Public Library (PPL), and models PPL’s proven system for providing literacy programming. “Millions of people depend on libraries for access to the internet, devices, tech support and digital skill-building opportunities,” said Mimi Lee, Director of Learning and Literacy at the New Jersey State Library. “This project will confirm the important role of community libraries in serving those individuals whose needs cannot be met by the current workforce and adult education systems alone.”
Access Navigators
The State Library has partnered with the New Jersey Library Association to launched a mobile navigator approach to digital literacy that is currently being used across the country. In order to provide individualized support to community residents to guide them from where they are, to anywhere they want to go, 12 libraries covering nine NJ counties were selected to host a cohort of skilled trainers (Navigators). The Navigators provide individualized assistance to persons seeking employment, job training, or digital competence. The program provides: training in computer-based applications; assistance with resumes and job searching; access to electronic information databases, textbooks and learning aids; and resources to teach and enhance digital literacy skills. Entrepreneurs seeking to launch their new businesses can also receive help from the Access Navigators, among other needs.
The Navigators conduct individual assessments, and assist program participants in creating a roadmap for achieving their goals. Once an individual plan is created, the Navigators guide the participant to the resources that they need to accomplish the goals defined in their plan. “Libraries across the state have always assisted library users with basic literacy and life skills, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought more people to libraries seeking assistance with computer skills,” added Mimi Lee. “New Jersey libraries are leading the way to increase awareness of the digital divide’s impact across our communities and spearhead collective action to make progress on achieving digital equity. Thanks to these federal funds, we are now able to enhance these services and widen our reach.”
For more information about the NJSL + Partners Literacy Project, contact Mimi Lee, mlee@njstatelib.org, or visit: https://www.njstatelib.org/literacyproject.