NBC Nightly News focuses on how libraries make a difference during tough economic times

Libraries are playing a critical role in helping people get back on their feet. They continue to report that many patrons are using library computers to prepare resumes and cover letters, find work, apply for jobs online and open e-mail accounts. Less than 44 percent of the top 100 U.S. retailers accept in-store paper applications.

Many libraries design and offer programs tailored to meet local community economic needs, providing residents with guidance (including sessions with career advisers), career training and workshops, job-search resources and connections with outside agencies that offer training and job placement.

Libraries are also helping people obtain government services. For example, in Virginia we heard from a library director that she spent most of a day helping a woman re-establish her disability payments. “You can’t look for a job. You can no longer go to the Virginia employment office (which had closed several satellite offices). You have to do it online.

The bad news? Libraries are being asked to do more with less. Public libraries are facing the most severe cutbacks in decades, as budget shortfalls hit cities, towns and rural areas across the country. Some libraries report they are cutting hours and services; some are even facing the threat of closure at a time when their support is needed most.

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