Caregiver's Toolkit ready for use

For Immediate Release
Tue, 06/05/2012

Contact:

Lorelle R. Swader

Director

Office for Human Resource Development & Recruitment (HRDR)

1-800-545-2433 ext.4278

lswader@ala.org

CHICAGO —The American Library Association's Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL) has created an online Caregiver's Toolkit that provides resources and links for both caregivers and those who supervise or work with someone who is a caregiver.

The toolkit was developed in response to a  2008 survey conducted by the ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL), which found  that 69.5 percent of the respondents were unpaid caregivers to another adult age 18 or over in addition to full or part-time employment in a library.  That same year, ALA Council also adopted a resolution in support of Women as Caregivers in the Workforce.

COSWL was established by the ALA Council on July 23, 1976, to officially represent the diversity of women's interests within ALA and to ensure that the Association considers the rights of the majority (women) in the library field.

Over the years COSWL has helped develop evaluative tools, guidelines and programs in cooperation with other ALA units to enhance opportunities and the image of women in the library profession.   The COSWL Cause Blog  highlights news related to women's issues.  COSWL also has communities on ALA Connect, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Other groups within ALA represent women's issues, including SRRT Feminist Task Force (FTF) and the ACRL Women and Gender Studies Section (WGSS).

The online Caregiver's Toolkit is maintained by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) on behalf of the ALA Committee on the Status of Women in Librarianship (COSWL).