Alabama Public Library Service
WORKFORCE ISSUES FROM OUR
PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Annie L. Brown
Alisa K. McLeod
Project Compass
February 8, 2011
Alabama
Location
• Southeastern US
Population
• 4.8 Million 2010
Alabama
• 67 counties
Unemployment in Alabama Compared to US
State of Alabama
Unemployment December 2009 – December 2010
Alabama Counties
Unemployment
Alabama has 67 counties
15 counties 11.5 -14.9%
11.4% and below
Wilcox County 25%
5 counties =/> 15.0%
Black Belt Counties
The Black Belt
Alabama Public Library Service
 Black Belt, physical region in Alabama and Mississippi,
U.S., so named for its soil. The Black Belt is a fertile plain,
generally 25–30 miles (40–50 km) wide and stretching
approximately 300 miles (480 km) across central Alabama
and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous
soils, it was one of the South’s most important agricultural
areas before the American Civil War. Though corn (maize)
was also grown, cotton was the most important crop until the
destructive effects of the boll weevil encouraged agricultural
diversification in the early years of the 20th century. Beef
cattle and soybeans are now also raised in the area.
 Though strictly the name of a physical region, the term Black
Belt has been borrowed by social scientists to denote those
areas of the South where the plantation system, with its large
number of black slaves, predominated before the Civil War.
Black Belt. (2011). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/67652/Black-Belt
Alabama Public Library Service
Libraries
Increased
Needs
Unemployment
Alabama Public Library Service
Employment
Needs
How this effects Alabama’s Libraries
Location
Population
• Dallas County
• Selma, Alabama
• Central Alabama
• Black Belt
• County 42,585
• City 18,700
Unemployment
• 15.9% Dec 2010
• 16.8% Nov 2010
• 17.2% Oct 2010
Library
Selma-Dallas
County Public
Library
Selma-Dallas County Public Library
 Dallas County
 Selma, Alabama
UNEMPLOYMENT
2009 12 19.4%
2010 01 21.0%
2010 02 20.3%
2010 03 18.9%
2010 04 18.7%
2010 05 17.9%
2010 06 18.7%
2010 07 18.2%
2010 08 17.7%
2010 09 17.3%
2010 10 17.2%
2010 11 16.8%
2010 12 15.9%
Selma-Dallas County Public Library
 Selma-Dallas County Public Library
 Partner with Dallas County Extension Agency
 The Chamber Of Commerce
 Library provides a Career Center
 Computer access
 Filing Unemployment
 Resumes
 Job searches
 Building Relationships with local businesses
 GED Tutorials and classes (Dropout %)
How this effects Alabama’s Libraries
Location
•
•
•
•
Macon County
Tuskegee, Alabama
Central Alabama
Black Belt
Location
Greene County
Eutaw, Alabama
Central Alabama
Black Belt
Library
Tuskegee Public
Library
Library
James C. Poole
Jr.
County Public
Library
Macon County Alabama
Macon County – Tuskegee Public Library
 Largest employer closed
 Classes once a month on Saturdays
 How to post and attach resumes online
 How to navigate the web to job sites
 Computer usage increased due to the
unemployed filing for unemployment
benefits
Greene County –
James C. Poole Memorial Library
Greene County –
James C. Poole Memorial Library
 Kelly-Temp Employment Service recruits @ the
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library once a month
Allows patrons to use computer for online classes
Computer usage increased due to filing of
unemployment
Assist patrons with –Job searches, completing
applications, cover letters & resumes
Usage of library resources in the collection
White Hall Public Library
 Lowndes County
 Hayneville, Alabama
 Unemployment 17.50%
White Hall Public Library
 No industry in community at all
 Increased computer usage for filing
unemployment benefits
 Library robbed all computers taken
 Computer illiterate patrons
How this effects Alabama’s Libraries
Location
Population
• Wilcox County
• Camden, Alabama
• Central Alabama
• Black Belt
• 12,799 county
• 2,083 Camden
Unemployment
• 15.9% Dec 2010
• 16.8% Nov 2010
• 17.2% Oct 2010
Library
Selma-Dallas
County Public
Library
Wilcox County Public Library
 Wilcox County
 Camden, Alabama
Wilcox County
Alabama
•Unemployment
Highest in state
•Future Job
expectation
•Counties around
are looking for an
increase in job
growth
Wilcox County Public Library
 Wilcox County Public Library
 The Chamber Of Commerce
 Development Council
 Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission
 Local Governing Agencies
 Computer access
 Filing Unemployment
 Resumes
 Job searches
 On-line College Course
 GED Tutorials and classes (High Dropout Rate)
 Proctor test (700% more than 2 years ago)
Wilcox County Public Library
County Overview
 As of 2010, Wilcox County's population is 12,799 people. Since
2000, it has had a population growth of -2.86 percent.
 The median home cost in Wilcox County is $42,470. Home
appreciation the last year has been -1.65 percent.
 Compared to the rest of the country, Wilcox County's cost of
living is 29.70% Lower than the U.S. average.
 Wilcox County public schools spend $4,352 per student. The
average school expenditure in the U.S. is $5,678. There are
about 16.5 students per teacher in Wilcox County.
 The unemployment rate in Wilcox County is 25.10
percent(U.S. avg. is 10.20%). Recent job growth is Negative.
Wilcox County jobs have Decreased by 10.70 percent.
Alabama Public Library Services
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Increased Unemployment
Increased Job Searches
Increased Resume help
Increased patron usage


Check-outs
Computer uses/WiFi
 Increased Computer skill classes
 How to post resumes on-line
 How to navigate the web
 How to file for unemployment benefit
 How to complete an application on-line
 How to use and benefit from library resources- collection and AVL
 How to use word processing
 How to keyboard
 How to download audio and E-books
Alabama Public Library Service
 Services Provided
 Alabama
Virtual Library
 Homework Help- Tutor.com
 Learning Express Library
 Support and training
Resources
 http://www2.dir.alabama.gov/
 http://2010.census.gov/2010census/
 http://www.alabama.gov/portal/secondary.jsp?page=Working_Unemploy
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mentInformation
http://www.bestplaces.net/city/alabama/selma
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/67652/Black-Belt
http://www.census.gov
https://dir.alabama.gov/docs/
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01000.html
http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/alabama%27s_population_in_2010
http://www.wilcoxareachamber.org/
Alabama Public Library Service
Rebecca Mitchell – State Librarian