FOR RELEASE: August 18, 2009

2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award winners announced

(TROY, MI) – The Troy Public Library received the 2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award for its program, Information Literacy for the Job Seeker.

This annual award, donated by World Book, Inc., seeks to promote exemplary information literacy programs in both public and school libraries. The award is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries by providing start-up funding of $5,000 to a promising public library information literacy program and $5,000 to a promising school library information literacy program.

Information Literacy for the Job Seeker, the new, innovative program proposed by the Troy Public Library, will focus on individuals who have little computer literacy and are seeking jobs. Participants will be trained on how information is organized electronically, how communication is handled electronically and how information is retrieved from the Internet and stored. Participants will also be trained on how to use job sites, how to create an electronic resume and how to set up an e-mail account in order to communicate with prospective employers.

The program will be managed by Philip Kwik, head of technology services at the Troy Public Library and will include hands-on classes; a comprehensive workbook entitled “How to Job Search Electronically”; and individualized instruction. The program would be widely publicized in the area. An outcomes-based evaluation method would be used, and there would be regular follow-up on the participant’s progress toward employment, as well as opportunities for refresher sessions.

According to Cathy Russ, Troy Public Library Director, the “current economic downturn combined with its impact on the automobile industry, has led to an unprecedented number of job seekers using the library’s computer lab.” The World Book Award will enable the outstanding program proposal Information Literacy for the Job Seeker, to become a reality and be implemented at the Troy Public Library.

“The outstanding programs were selected for the World Book Award for their innovative approaches to creating model programs designed to assist individuals to become more effective users of information,” according to Jury Chair Tim Grimes, Ann Arbor District Library.

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