The term, "workforce," has become a pervasive descriptor of workers during the Bush administration. Public libraries--once the people's university--have been dropped from policy discussions of lifelong learning. This may well be because librarians have not been part of the move to characterize human beings as members of the "workforce," as a substitute for their being individuals with capabilities of creativity and humanity.
The long history of public librarians providing adult education and literacy support has been outlined in the essay, “Public policy as a factor influencing adult lifelong learning, adult literacy and public libraries,” [Reference and User Services Quarterly 42, pp. 66-75 by McCook and Barber]. In that essay, the lack of connection between library practice and adult educators is explored. The growing strength of the capitalist class has had a negative effect on adult education. The distribution of life chances decreases as the power of the organized working class decreases (Rubenson, 2005). Literacy has been appropriated by politician’s wives as a lady bountiful sort of activity with small grants going to feel-good projects through programs such as the Barbara Bush Foundation.
There is simply no literature in librarianship to address the theory and the context of adult education, and we have been bought off by literacy programs funded by corporations. Librarians have become part of the “learn to earn” movement rather than holding a richer “learn to live” motivation[see Rubenson, K. (2005) “Social class and adult education policy,” New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 106, pp. 15-25].
As an example of this move to a workforce mentality see:
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From the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) we have this report we have this report --"Community Colleges and One-Stop Centers Collaborate to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs."
This recently issued U.S. Government Accountability Office report examined (1) how community colleges meet the workforce training needs of their communities; (2) what community colleges do to integrate with the nation's one-stop system; (3) the conditions or practices that enhance or impede these efforts; and (4) the actions the Departments of Labor and Education have taken to encourage linkages between community colleges and the workforce investment system, including one-stops.
For "Community Colleges and One-Stop Centers Collaborate to Meet 21st
Century Workforce Needs" in pdf. click here.
The Department of Labor website Workforce3 One highlights information and promising practices on workforce issues, including the role that community colleges play. Workforce3 One offers workforce professionals, employers, economic development, and education professionals a dynamic knowledge network featuring workforce solutions. Online learning events, resource information, and tools help organizations with strategies that enable individuals to be successful in the 21st century economy by understanding the skills and competencies needed by business and industry.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Naming as Significant. No. 525.
Lloyd, A. "Guarding Against Collective Amnesia? Making Significance Problematic: An Exploration of Issues." Library Trends v. 56 no. 1 (Summer 2007) p. 53-65
ABSTRACT
A nation's collective consciousness relies on the traces of memory collected by institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums. Such institutions have a responsibility to preserve documents and objects that reflect individual and collective endeavors and that have had an impact on culture and society at national, regional, and local levels. Institutions need to assess documents and objects against criteria that, in effect, "name" these items as significant. Most institutions claim that this process is objective, failing to acknowledge that it is underpinned by ideological, political, economic, cultural, and social influences. The position adopted in this paper is that the process of naming a document or object as significant will always reflect the directions and consciousness of a society's dominant groups, and that this will shape interpretations and narratives of the past. Thus the voices of a community's minority or special interest groups will be silenced. This paper suggests that neither the concept of significance nor the process of assessing significance is benign; both should be seen as areas of tension and contestation.
ABSTRACT
A nation's collective consciousness relies on the traces of memory collected by institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums. Such institutions have a responsibility to preserve documents and objects that reflect individual and collective endeavors and that have had an impact on culture and society at national, regional, and local levels. Institutions need to assess documents and objects against criteria that, in effect, "name" these items as significant. Most institutions claim that this process is objective, failing to acknowledge that it is underpinned by ideological, political, economic, cultural, and social influences. The position adopted in this paper is that the process of naming a document or object as significant will always reflect the directions and consciousness of a society's dominant groups, and that this will shape interpretations and narratives of the past. Thus the voices of a community's minority or special interest groups will be silenced. This paper suggests that neither the concept of significance nor the process of assessing significance is benign; both should be seen as areas of tension and contestation.
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