Profiles in Collaboration:
Gloucester Libraries Offer Career Program Series
By Mary Saunders, Library Media Specialist, Gloucester High School

Joe Lamacchia, the creator of "Blue Collar and Proud of It," spoke to a small crowd of parents, students, educators, and community members at the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library on Tuesday evening, Oct. 23. Lamacchia's message was two-fold. For our society to remain healthy, we need skilled, well-trained electricians, plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, machinists, etc. And college is not for everyone. Training at the high school level and beyond, in trade schools and in apprenticeships will serve certain students very well. Lamacchia is not a public speaker, but rather owner of a landscaping and contracting business in Newton. He has received some local and national attention since he started a Web site http://bluecollarandproudofit.com.

Lamacchia's presentation was the first in a series of programs to be held at the Sawyer Free Library this winter. The young adult program committee, headed by Cindi Williams, plan to bring in practitioners and employers of the various trades to speak with parents and meet with students considering their field. The committee plans to give the students a chance to meet potential employers and hear about what training, skills, and work ethics those employers expect from their new workers.

Presentations will also be brought into the vocational technical classrooms at Gloucester High School as the library media specialist, Mary Saunders, and Cindi Willams work together to extend this career program into the school. This program springs from a school incentive grant awarded to the Gloucester High School Library Media Center from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Most of the funds in the grant will be used to purchase materials and trial subscriptions for the high school library that will connect to the vocational technical programs at the high school. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.