April is national Financial Literacy Month, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Consumers are feeling more pinched each week with rapidly increasing gas and food prices and sluggish economic growth. According to a recent survey by Career Builder, 77 percent of American consumers are living paycheck to paycheck. Financial Literacy Month is the perfect opportunity for libraries of all types to assist individuals and families in changing their financial situation by learning about important financial matters such as creating and managing a budget, paying down debt while saving for emergencies, and creating achievable financial goals. Here at the South Carolina State Library we care about our citizens’ financial future. We are committed to bringing you financial resources and information to offer dynamic financial programming. On March 9, 2004 Senate Resolution 316 was passed designating April 2004 as “Financial Literacy Month.” The bill was created to raise public awareness about the importance of financial education in the United States and the serious consequences associated with a lack of understanding about personal finances. Each year the Senate votes on this resolution. The bill states “that the President issue a proclamation calling on the federal government, states, localities, schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities, and the people of the United States to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities.” Money Smart Week® is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, government agencies and the media. These groups come together once a year to stress the importance of financial literacy, inform consumers about where they can get help and provide free educational seminars and activities throughout the week. Programming is offered to all demographics and income levels and covers all facets of personal finance from establishing a budget to first-time home buying to estate planning. The effort was created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002. Money Smart Week partners will be hosting their events April 5 - 12, 2014. Libraries of all types can and do provide programming for all ages and all stages of life on topics such as: basic budgeting; managing student debt; retirement planning; home purchasing; saving money through couponing; and how to prevent identity theft. In 2013, 500 public, academic, school, and even prison libraries in 47 states participated in Money Smart Week. So mark your calendars to participate April 5-12, 2014! The South Carolina State Library is offering a free webinar on March 19 in honor of Financial Literacy Month. The webinars will focus on a number of programming ideas and resources to assist libraries in presentations or workshops for children, teens, adults and seniors. Webinar presenters are Pamela Hoppock, Library Development Consultant; Kristi Sligh, Continuing Education Coordinator, and Jason Broughton, Outreach Coordinator. Join us for an information-filled and engaging webinar!

• published: 17 Sep 2014
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