News Bits

By Christine Volker

We want to share an interesting aspect of the role and impact of libraries in the community. This plays out against a backdrop of income inequality. How do libraries aid in job searches and in access to information? Below are three points, quoted from the American Library Association website:

According to the FCC, over 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies require that a job application be completed online. Patrons turn to library computers and Internet access to find work, apply for jobs online, type resumes and cover letters and open email accounts.

Nearly 73% of libraries are their communities’ only source of free computer and Internet access.

Libraries help bridge the divide between those who have access to information and those who do not. Families making less than $15,000 annually are two to three times more likely to rely on library computers than those earning more than $75,000.

This underlines the importance of the free computer access provided by our Richmond library; 18.5% of people here live in poverty.