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NEWS WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
NATIONAL
Libraries focus on convenience with locations in malls
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — People streamed into a storefront on a recent summer day at an upscale Dallas mall, but they weren't drawn to a heavy discount on designer clothes. It was story sing-a-long time for babies at one of the city library's newest outposts.
The library for kids 12 and under has been wildly successful in offering unconventional access to families who might not make a trip to a traditional public library, and it's one of a growing number of strategies used by librarians nationwide to reintroduce communities to their local library.
"I think what's happening now is really that focus on convenience," said Sari Feldman, president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association. "How do we make the public library as convenient as
Amazon, Netflix? Part of that is putting library branches in the path of customer"
"We are very aware of the fact that our biggest advantage is that we're free, but if time is actually a commodity for people, will people be willing to spend money rather than go to a library?"
She said putting libraries in malls is one of many efforts by public libraries to become more convenient. Even at more traditional branches, libraries have built cafes, provided downloadable books or installed drive-through windows.
With about 5,000 items, including books and DVDs, the Bookmarks branch in Dallas' NorthPark Center checks out as many items as branches eight times its size, said Jo Giudice, youth services manager. She said in the two years since it opened, it's had to increase story times to 12 a week compared to the two or three at most branches.
EDUCATION
Diplomas aren't the only path to success
BY SHANNA LARSON slarson@kansan.com
Despite the forecasted shortage, some believe that earning a fouryear degree is no longer a necessary step in the path to success.
If you want a good job, you go to college. That's the conventional wisdom that keeps you going while you pull all-nighters, show up to an 8 a.m. class and sit through "Earthquakes and Natural Disasters." But it's an idea fewer people are buying — and it could be a problem in the future.
A New York Times article called "Plan B: Skip College," suggests that finding a career does not always
According to a study by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, there will be 22 million new jobs for workers with college degrees by 2018 and a shortage of three million people with degrees to fill those positions.
require a college degree. The article states that 80 percent of students in the bottom 40 percent of their class would not earn an associates or bachelor's degree. For many college-aged students, like Amanda Barrett. a former KU student from Junction City, the road to a career could be vocational school or a community college.
Barrett left the University after her first year to pursue a career in health care.
"I volunteered
Of the 10 fastest growing jobs, only two require a college degree: accounting and postsecondary teaching.
at a hospital when I was in high school and I loved it, so I took classes to be a nurse's aide," Barrett said.
After one year of college she knew she didn't need a degree to pursue the career that she wanted.
professional schools - such as the schools of business or engineering receive training in their career of choice before they graduate. Jennifer Jordan, director of the Business Career Services Center, said that
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Gayle Wilson, a recent graduate from the School of Social Welfare, said she was glad she had training
graduating from a professional school made the transition from college to a career easier.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 30 jobs projected to grow at the fastest rate in the next decade in the United States, only seven typically require a bachelor's degree. Of the 10 fastest growing jobs, only two require a college degree: accounting and postsecondary teaching. Some jobs in the top 10 that don't require a bachelor's degree are registered nurses, home health aides, customer service representatives and store clerks.
before looking for a job.
In the Georgetown study, Anthony P. Carnevale, director of the Georgetown Center, said colleges needed to make their programs more career-oriented to better prepare for students for careers after graduation and maintain retention rates. Students graduating from
"I found a job right after graduation because I knew what I wanted to do and I got to do it in college," Wilson, from Mankato, said.
Jordan said there were endless forums through the college experience that could nurture students' professional development.
"Students need to take advantage of and reflect upon those experiences in a way that ties into their professional aspirations," Jordan said.
Although not all degrees guarantee a career, students can still prepare while they're in college by taking advantage of campus resources.
Ashley Wilson, a KU graduate from Manhattan, said she decided to major in history because she thought it was interesting.
"But I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with it after I graduated," she said. "I eventually found a job that I love doing."