Like many people, I was saddened this week by the passing of Dolly Parton.
Dolly was a bit of a hero of mine. Along with providing the soundtrack to many mother-daughter duets to Islands in the Stream and 9 to 5, I admired the idea behind her Imagination Library: foster a love of reading, widen opportunity and make sure books reach the children they are meant for.
I also appreciated how readily Dolly credited the local organizations that made that possible in their communities. There is something very familiar in that.
So, in recognition of Dolly, I thought I’d point you toward ASPECT’s own kind of Imagination Library: our Resources & Research collection.
Over the years, ASPECT has built a digital collection of research and publications produced by us and shared by members, researchers, sector partners and others working across workforce development.
Our former CEO understood how important it was to build literacy around this work - not only among people delivering employment services, but among funders, government, partners and those working alongside the sector. The better we understand the issues and one another’s work, the better the conversations we can have. Over the past years, I’ve been fortunate to contribute through our weekly Aspectives and now the CEO Report.
Many of the reports also connect employment to the broader social determinants of health, including income, housing, education, social connection and access to services. People rarely experience these as separate systems, even when our programs and policies sometimes do.
If there is a report or resource you think belongs in our library, please send it our way. Our team has added a new submission form to the Resources & Research page. We also check for broken links, but the internet has a way of keeping us humble and we love talking with our members so please tell us if you find one.
There has even been talk of adding a member-sourced essential reading list. If there is one thing you think everyone working in or around our sector should read, I’d love to hear it, you can even just reply to this email to let us know.
In the meantime, read widely. Share what we learn. Make it easier for the next person to find their way into our sector.
Jennifer Nichol
Interim CEO
