It’s no surprise that in an economic downturn, individuals in communities turn to the convenient and free resources that their local public libraries offer. It’s also no secret that astute librarians will work hard to find relevant solutions for the people they serve. So, as more and more people started coming through our doors in need of local job and career information as well as assistance in developing the necessary computer skills to apply for those positions, local librarians rose to the occasion to address those needs.

What we typically saw was a great mixture of people with diverse needs. Some of the people were searching for a job that would start paying them ASAP. Other job seekers were more interested in continuing down the same career path, but with a new company. Still others questioned whether they wanted to go back to school to learn new job skills, or start a small business, or begin a second career; each person possessed different computer literacy skills to meet his information needs. This could be overwhelming to any organization, but local librarians (and their partners) got to work and came up with a logical approach to create a sense of hope and a brighter future for this community of library users.

To begin, the La Crosse Public Library’s Information Services Manager wrote a proposal for the Main Library to house a Foundations Center Cooperating Collection in the Reference area. There’ll be more details on this topic in the next Whirpools edition, but in a nutshell, this designation allows our library users to more easily access databases and materials that will assist them in writing grants for new business development, research, and/or personal professional development. Though in its infancy, this collection is up and running and there will be more information and resources to come, so stay tuned!

Next, in partnership with the Wisconsin Job Center, the La Crosse Public Library’s Information Services staff along with a number of dedicated assistants started hosting free basic computer training for small groups of individuals referred from this agency. Since many of these individuals have little or no computer experience, the weekly training classes provide a great introduction to the physical computer (ie. monitor, CPU, mouse, keyboard), Microsoft Windows including basic Word and Excel, and an elementary introduction to the Internet. Practice sessions allow individuals time to develop their abilities and to ask on-the-spot questions in the presence of more seasoned computer assistants. We’ve found these special training classes beneficial for everyone since our computer users receive the focused individual assistance they need in a much smaller, less distracted and more casual setting.

In addition, WRLS staff responded to the information needs of librarians by recently hosting a half-day workshop at the La Crosse Public Library entitled Tough Times: Helping People Find Jobs and Other Assistance. The goal of this workshop was to better educate librarians about the local programs and services available through the La Crosse Job Center and the local Social Security office. Funding for the workshop was provided through an LSTA grant which also paid for a mobile lab of six wireless laptops specifically intended for employment resource training of member librarians. The laptops feature a resume-building software called WinWay, a number of job hunting resources, and a WRLS webpage highlighting relevant links to employment resources including those mentioned at the workshop.

Each member library also received a copy of the WinWay software for in-house use through this grant.

Finally, both of the guest speakers from the workshop opened the door to future library programming opportunities on many topics of interest to our library users (ie. applying for retirement or unemployment benefits, job skills training, resume writing, interviewing tips, finding and applying for local jobs). Since it is more cost effective to speak to large groups of individuals than one-on-one in a limited setting, they both felt strongly about providing these workshops at the library for groups of individuals who may not otherwise hear about the programs offered at the La Crosse Job Center and through the local Social Security Administration. Having attended the WRLS workshop, this would be a highly valued service to offer to the people in our communities at little or no cost to the library.

Though the economic downturn has affected all of us in one way or another, it’s a hopeful sign when libraries and librarians, together with their partners, continue to provide timely, relevant service in the communities which we serve. By implementing thoughtful solutions like hosting computer training classes, helping job seekers find employment services, connecting prospective business owners with multiple funding options, teaching librarians about local programs and services, and so much more, we are able to lift one another up and strengthen our communities; in any economy, that is truly money well spent.