North Carolina State Library's Job Search Program Grows
Pioneering program adds new resources, shares successes
Candice Herman, Children's Services Librarian, Oceanside Library, NY -- Library Journal, 04/29/2010
- NC Live adds new search tools
- New web site in the works
- Partnerships key to outreach
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C Live, the statewide digital library, now offers new job search tools and easier access to employment resources. Library patrons in the state now have free access to the online tool, Learning Express Job and Career Accelerator, funded by the State Library. The tool offers online classes in computer software programs, test preparation, resume and cover letter builders, and access to over 5 million jobs.
NC Live also introduced two new resources developed by librarians, NC Live Jobs Portal and NC Live Business Portal, which provide pertinent information for job seekers, students, business owners, and investors.
Reaching users
NC Live’s Outreach and Promotions Librarian, Jill Robinson Morris, says the project has been a huge success, with ever-growing use. “In the beginning we learned that patrons didn’t have enough tools for job searching and navigating was not that user friendly,” she said.
With feedback from librarians around the state, those behind NC Live area redesigning a more user-friendly web site, expected to launch in early July. NC Live also recently added 750 ebooks, includeing foreign language learning, as well as access to an online librarian.
The role of partnerships
SLNC has also partnered with the state Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Development, allowing patron access to Job Link Career Centers across the state. Additionally, SLNC partnered with the Employment Security Commission, so visitors to the latter’s offices can be alerted to library resources.
State Librarian Mary Boone attributes these partnerships as the "secret" to the huge success of the initial program.They created a wiki to describe specific local efforts.
In Davidson County, the local workforce development office, DavidsonWorks, set up office hours in each of the five branches of the public library. This situation, the DavidsonWorks director told Boone, is "an outreach dream come true." In Polk County, the Employment Security Commission now meets with clients regularly in a special corner in the public library.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library opened a Job Center in January; the special section of the main library contains computers and resources reserved for job seekers, offering classes in basic computer use.
Sharing information
After a partnership between the SLNC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and WebJunction, the online learning community for library staff, to share SLNC’s experiences, State Library staffers have fielded inquiries from libraries across the nation for information about the job search workshops.
WebJunction plans to report by the end of this summer on successful state library efforts in job training help. Also available from IMLS is Libraries to the Rescue, a set of five podcasts (one with Boone) that focuses on library staff helping citizens access a myriad of employment assistance.
Hopes for expansion
SLNC has applied for federal stimulus funding in the Public Computer Center category to expand broadband access, acquire additional public computers, and to provide workforce development resources and training to library staffers in areas with the highest unemployment rates.
If the grant is awarded, Boone hopes to expand the program to all of North Carolina’s 100 counties within the next two to three years.
