Cornerstone is proud to introduce HR Labs, a brand new podcast that tells the stories of leaders who have seen the importance of employee development firsthand. Hosted by our very own Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Heidi Spirgi, HR Labs will be a four-part series featuring executives who have mastered the art and science of development, despite challenging odds. Find it on Apple Podcasts and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
With over 2.6 million residents, Brooklyn is America’s fourth largest city, yet it has one of the nation’s most stark economic disparities. One in five Brooklyn households has a median income of over $100,000 per year while one in five households receives food stamp benefits. For Brooklynites living at or below the poverty line, a library can become a gateway to computer and internet access, learning opportunities and even child development programs, but in the case of Brooklyn Public Library, it has become so much more.
Established in 1896, Brooklyn Public Library is one of the oldest library systems in our country. Home to more than 2.86 million physical resources and 250,000 digital materials, it’s been recognized as a leader in cultural offerings, out-of-school-time services, workforce development programs, and digital literacy programs.
Most of Brooklyn’s residents live within a half-mile of a BPL branch—and last year alone, they visited the library a total of 79 million times, participating in its 72,000 free programs, logging 1.6 million computer sessions on 2,600 devices and checking out materials 12.9 million times.
So who is behind this array of incredible resources? The library system’s 1400 employees, of course.
On this week’s bonus episode of HR Labs, we’ll introduce you to Sophie McGrath, the learning and development partner at Brooklyn Public Library, who oversees a workforce initiative centered around training and preparing BPL employees to cater to their communities’ needs.
Image via Creative Commons
