Snapshot: New Jersey

New Jersey Libraries — Anchor Institutions as Instruments of Recovery

Thomas Edison State College's New Jersey Libraries project proposes to add computers at 47 libraries, upgrade connectivity at 70 libraries and provide job search assistance, employment skills, workforce development programs and other online resources at 365 libraries across the state. Many of New Jersey's unemployed residents are seeking to adapt to a job market in which access to computers and broadband are requirements for most job searches, employment applications and workforce skills training. In many New Jersey communities, the public library is the only place that offers the public free use of computers and Internet access. Many libraries, however, are unable to keep pace with the demand for broadband access. A consortium led by New Jersey's community colleges will deliver training using its existing curriculum for library staff and job seekers.

The Anchor Institutions as Instruments of Recovery project proposes to:

• Serve up to an additional 22,500 users weekly, offering training for as many as 12,800 residents over the life of the project
• Provide up to 938 new workstations to libraries across the state
• Offer affordable pricing for high-speed Internet access services to libraries from the state's major service providers and provide online content and databases to the approximately 440,000 unemployed and 230,000 underemployed residents of New Jersey