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With the proposed closure of many of Iowa Workforce Development’s field offices, the question remains of where those services might be provided in the future. One option would be public libraries.
Pella Library Director Wendy Street says she’s received some preliminary information about that which includes a dedicated computer for job-searching, but she has not yet received an official proposal for how those services would be provided through the library.
She says any plan would need to first be approved by the Library Board before any changes take place.
Knoxville Library Director Roslin Thompson says that they’ve seen an increase in the amount of people using the library to file for unemployment benefits and doing resumes, but they haven’t received word on what their role would be in workforce development either. Thompson says that the State Library is still negotiating with the Department of Human Services and that everything is still up in the air.
She adds that she the library already plays a huge part in helping provide resources to unemployed citizens, such as internet access and research materials.