Friday, June 22, 2012
Capitol Reads
June's Capitol Read is Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich
Americans’ working lives are growing more precarious every day. Corporations slash employees by the thousands, and the benefits and pensions once guaranteed by “middle-class” jobs are a thing of the past.
In Bait and Switch, Barbara Ehrenreich goes back undercover to explore another hidden realm of the economy: the shadowy world of the white-collar unemployed. Armed with the plausible résumé of a professional “in transition,” she attempts to land a “middle-class” job. She submits to career coaching, personality testing, and EST-like boot camps, and attends job fairs, networking events, and evangelical job-search ministries. She is proselytized, scammed, lectured, and—again and again—rejected.
Bait and Switch highlights the people who have done everything right—gotten college degrees, developed marketable skills, and built up impressive résumés—yet have become repeatedly vulnerable to financial disaster. There are few social supports for these newly disposable workers, Ehrenreich discovers, and little security even for those who have jobs. Worst of all, there is no honest reckoning with the inevitable consequences of the harsh new economy; rather, the jobless are persuaded that they have only themselves to blame.
Alternately hilarious and tragic, Bait and Switch, like the classic Nickel and Dimed, is a searing exposé of the cruel new reality in which we all now live.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Library Closed June 20, 2012
The Library Commission Reference Library will be closed on West Virginia Day, June 20.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
New Library Update available to view
The newest episode of Library Update is up on YouTube. This is part one. Make sure to watch all of the parts of Episode 10, Letters About Literature.
The
West Virginia Library Commission is committed to promoting, assisting,
and supporting high quality library services and information resources
to all West Virginia residents. This includes getting relevant
information out to library directors, their staff, and patrons through
various formats. Currently the Library Commission uses its website,
Facebook, Twitter, Blog, e-bulletins and now YouTube to disseminate
information.
WVLC
plans on bringing you current programs, topics, and trends. This broad
spectrum includes partnerships, training, programming, and service. We
want this program to be a useful, entertaining resource for you. If you
ever have any questions or comments regarding topics on this show,
please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-642-9021.
This
program is not intended to act as a calendar of events, but as a
vehicle of ideology and practical tips. Specific event information can
always be found on our website www.librarycommission.wv.gov and at your local libraries.
The
video in this post is the first segment of the episode. Check it
out, then view parts 2 and 3. Make sure you subscribe to the West
Virginia Library Commission YouTube channel so you don't miss the newest
episodes!
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