Project Compass: Illinois Workshops
Library partnerships – Ideas from the Real World
These ideas were extracted from a Discussion Forum for the Infopeople workshop Jobs and Workforce
Recovery* (specific identifiers have been removed for privacy reasons)
The following questions were given to workshop participants by the instructor to consider in their posting
about partnerships:
1. What current partnerships does your library have with organizations that provide job search and
workforce recovery services? What partnerships do you want to form?
2. How can partnerships enhance the workshops on job search skills that your library already offers?
Classes on computer skills?
3. What additional workshops or computer classes do you think could be offered through partnerships?
4. Job seekers may need one-on-one assistance with resumes or online applications. How can
partnerships enhance what library staff can provide to job seekers who need this type of assistance?
5. What is your library doing to help patrons who need referrals to social services? Can you provide links
to web pages that provide good examples of these social service referrals?
Our branch Public Libraries doesn't really partner with any outside organizations. We attempted to
work with the one-stop, but they were so overwhelmed that they were unable to plan any workshops.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we do have an excellent volunteer that helps us out a lot through his
job search class.
We do offer a computer basics class, but we rarely get job seekers as students. My class is as basic as a
class can be. Our first two hour class covers the parts of a computer and how to use a mouse. I market
it as a class for seniors, and it tends to be too simple and slow for many of the job seekers.
Through our class I have stumbled upon the Goodwill Community Foundation
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ They have a large number of videos that explain how to use different
programs, how to use a computer, etc. It's a great site and I believe people who go through the courses
are able to receive some credit for doing so.
I would love to partner with our local colleges and chamber of commerce. So far, we haven't been able
to do that as I'd rather have a clear objective before I attempt a partnership. In my dream partnership,
we'd hold a job fair in conjunction with a resume writing workshop. Unfortunately, I don't see that
happening anytime soon due to staff shortages.
In our library we have developed partnerships with organizations such as CalWorks, SBETA (San
Bernardino Employment Training), Manpower, and Senior Services. These organizations not only refer
people that need our help, but they also provide us with some training when needed. We have
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provided resume and microsoft office workshops to the public as well as online databases to help with
job search and other job training resources. Our library is currently working with Career Transitions and
Tutor.com for some of these services. When a patron need social services we have a strong relationship
with our local United Way that has assisted many of our referrals as needed. We look forward to
expansion of these services as we work with the Literacy and Workforce Development Initiative.
1. Eastbay Works Oakland Career Center provides a schedule of free computer training workshops, but
at present the library does not work collaboratively with them. I would like to partner with the nearby
One-Stop Career Center.
2. Through a partnership with One-Stop, ideally the library could offer workshops on e-mail basics, such
as opening a free account, submitting attachments and online applications. I wholeheartedly agree with
___’s observation that people are often lacking necessary computer fundamentals for today's
competitive job market. We offer information and referrals to employment assistance agencies, but the
library is centrally located and is in a good position to partner services with Eastbay Works.
3. Other helpful computer workshops include creating, editing and saving online documents. Given the
time constraints of computer usage, this would greatly assist job seekers. One-Stop offers computer
classes, but the entire series must be completed and participants cannot register late. An alternative at
the library would be the "Job Search Clinic" model.
4. An increased need of social services and lack of staff to provide them is a common problem. Through
partnering, we can collaboratively "share the burden" of offering one-on-one assistance.
5. The library provides the wonderful Berkeley Information Network resource list of emergency meals,
shelters, drop-in centers and showers. We also refer people to 211.org. We have a community
information database that can be accessed through oaklandlibrary.org.
Our library had a young lady from EDD/CalWorks who took the initiative to contact our Library Director
to seek her support in having her come over for a number of hours to become available to patrons
seeking employment, needing resume and application help, and having information about other
services.
The director was responsive but there was no real marketing of the program to make it successful. I
have an idea that I know is not innovative because it was tried about 10 years ago, and since it has been
tried and failed I am not being successful in promoting another trial run.
I think the partnership of having an academic librarian to direct patrons to the education they need in
the field they would like to pursue on the long run would be fruitful, especially at this time, when the job
market is so bad and the requirements for employment are becoming more technical and require a
higher degree of education to be competitive. The idea is to have an approachable bilingual Academic
Librarian working at the public library for a number of hours as an outreach liaison to see if he/she can
help job seekers in finding their academic needs and guiding them not only in an academic path but also
in the professional one too, especially targeting the Latino community and other diverse people with
librarians that can convey the message in the language needed.
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I find that people of diverse cultures are more likely to seek help when they can communicate in their
native language, giving them the confidence the message will be clearly understood and they will in turn
get complete information on how to meet their needs.
_____ Public Library has explored partnership opportunities in various formal ways. Several were
mentioned in this week's readings and so probably don't qualify as "innovative." Nevertheless they have
been fruitful for job seekers in our community.
First, we have an ongoing relationship with SCORE where they provide two counselors that meet with
patrons at the library. This has been an incredibly popular program serving hundreds of patrons
interested in beginning or evolving their small businesses. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are
popular topics here in Berkeley. I think this is due in part to the fact that we have a large university with
a business school less than a mile from our central library. But this program reaches beyond the new
graduates and touches people in all stages of their career.
In addition we have been working hard at building a partnership with EastBay Works, our local one-stop.
It has been challenging. They face pretty significant resource limitations and the first series of workshops
we planned with them earlier this year was a failure. Of the 4 scheduled workshops, the One-Stop staff
had to cancel one and simply failed to show up for another. This was a huge disappointment for us as
we were left with eager patrons that we couldn't satisfy. We have been talking with them again in an
effort to rebuild the relationship. The focus has been on trying to understand what they need and how
we can support them. It's a "help us help you" situation which has been frustrating. But I think it is key
to stay focused on building a relationship rather than building a program. I am hoping that more library
staff can visit the one-stop and perhaps offer tours of the library and computer lab to one-stop
personnel to help develop understanding. From there perhaps a better developed program idea can
emerge.
As for other partnerships that could enhance the current programs we offer, I got some ideas from this
week's materials. We have an ongoing computer class which is run by library staff with the assistance of
volunteers. The volunteers we have are fabulous and get rave reviews from patrons. Unfortunately, we
lost our volunteer coordinator position at the library earlier this year and maintaining the crop of
volunteers we have has been difficult. I would love to tap the local community college and university as
places where bright, motivated talent could be found. Especially since both have courses in education,
computers and related fields I would like to reach out to them.
Finally, there is one thing that the Berkeley Public Library has done that was very innovative at the time,
though has become more common in more recent years. I'm referring to the Berkeley Information
Network (BIN) which is a database of local community organizations and resources. This was first built
decades ago and has been continuously maintained by the library since. It is a core resource for us when
we are in a position to refer patrons to social service agencies or local community nonprofits. In
addition, it is available to anyone else and is linked on our home page. I have heard that other city
agencies use it and would hope that our local one-stop would consider it as a good resource. You can
take a peek for yourself at: berkeleypubliclibrary.org/bin.
We have also developed individual BIN lists on various topics that are simple one-page handouts that we
can pass out at the reference desk as well as provide access to online. Those can be found on the drop-
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down menu on the right side of the BIN home page. There are lists on Civil Service JobLines, Job Hunting,
Volunteering as well as several others on free meals and shelters, mental health resources, etc.
At the ____ Public Library we partner with the Employment Connection to give computer classes on job
search and resume creation. We have volunteers in the computer lab to help patrons with questions,
and a retired teacher has volunteered to give computer classes on basic computer use.
Something that I would like to develop for our library is a series of workshops given by a variety of local
service providers to let the community know the services that are available to them.
Partnerships can enhance workshops and computer classes by exposing our patrons to community
members who can provide additional resources. It is a subtle invitation to our patrons to take
advantage of what the community has to offer.
The Library can recommend with confidence that a patron get additional individual help from the
Employment Connection and/or CSET. This is because we have a good relationship with that
organization. Volunteers are available to provide one on one help in the computer lab in the afternoons
and through our adult literacy program.
For patrons who need referrals to social services we suggest that they call 211. This service can help
them find the specific help they are looking for, and often recommends additional services that people
may not know is available. Generally, the websites that I recommend the most often are:
tualrepubliclibrary.org for our databases, learning express for help with GED or ASVAB test preparation,
JobNow for employment help, and uscis.gov for help with accessing information about Citizenship.
My particular branch library is not involved with any partnerships to help job seekers. Within my system
there are several such partnerships, however. The Central Library's Social Sciences Section used to work
with SCORE to help small business owners, our Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Branch hosts a satellite office
for Workforce Partnership, and the Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch has begun hosting job & career
fairs. We publicize these other resources and refer people to the Workforce Partnership counselors at
the Serra Mesa Library. One idea that I'm interested in pursuing would be to contact the manager at MX
to ask how we could also host a career and/or job fair.
At my branch we do not offer any computer classes. Offering instruction on basic computer skills would
a first step towards helping potential job seekers. Partners might be able to offer instruction in more
specialized topics, moving beyond the basics.
With regard to providing in-depth one-on-one assistance, having volunteers ready to help job seekers
could be helpful. However I think it would be more effective to refer to job centers such as the one run
by Workforce Partnership, because there they can work closely and without the timelimits that
customers on our library computers encounter.
As for links to local social services, on ____'s main page there is a link to 2-1-1 San Diego, the region's
Community & Social Services clearinghouse. https://211sandiego.communityos.org/cms/
More specifically, they have a resource page on Income Support and Employment:
http://211sandiego.communityos.org/taxonomy/taxonomy_overview.taf
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Our library refers job seekers to WorkForce Connection which is a job resource center and business
assistance center where you can come and utilize any of the available resources free of charge. There
are six computers with internet access and Microsoft Office, two telephones, a copier and a fax machine
for job search-related activities. WorkForce Connection is an addition to the Verdugo Jobs Center
http://www.ci.burbank.ca.us/index.aspx?page=766 located in Glendale, the neighboring city to Burbank.
WorkForce Connection is funded through a variety of governmental agencies and grant programs.
WorkForce Connection staff contacts 15 - 30 businesses monthly, informing each Human Resources
contact of the services offered by the WorkForce Connection and asking them to share their open
positions information. Businesses can provide the information by fax or e-mail. Current openings are
posted for a period of 2 weeks, unless the employer designates a different closing date.
Additionally, WorkForce Connection regularly supplies flyers listing services to local college career
centers, the Burbank Chamber of Commerce, Burbank Temporary Aid Center, and City of Burbank
libraries and public offices.
City of Burbank has job employment job links on their website:
http://www.ci.burbank.ca.us/index.aspx?page=770
Job seekers check California Employment Development Department which provides employment and
training services http://www.edd.ca.gov and they seek Information about Cobra and Cal-cobra from the
Department of Managed Healthcare
http://www.opa.ca.gov/about/consumer_information/COBRA_financial_assistance.aspx
Our library partners with Burbank Chamber of Commerce http://www.burbankchamber.org that
promotes economic growth in the city.
On our home page there is a link to AskWiki http://burbank.wikidot.com/jobs-careers that is a resource
for job seekers.
We subscribes to JobNow! where job-seekers can get live, online interview coaching, resume lab, and
career resources.
http://main.burbank.ca.jobnow.brainfuse.com/authenticate.asp
Our community is very small and most know about the Workforce Center which is our "One Stop Shop."
The library does refer people to them, but we also show them our Job & Career Accelerator program.
This program is accessed by their library card number and is, as I have stated before, very user friendly.
We are also finding that a lot of our job seekers do have access to a computer and are seeking jobs at
home.
I think resume and cover letters are the things that most need help with. I would like to see a workshop
with our Workforce Center and the library on just these subjects. I know that the center does have a
system that does resumes, but the one on one contact is important.
We do have computer classes, but have found that there is such a difference in the ability of the clients
that we refer them to our literacy program for one on one tutoring. Our literacy program has helped
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with teaching people how to access job searches, resumes, and applications for those that have little or
no knowledge of computers. The only problem is the literacy program is made up of volunteers and they
are not always available when there is a need.
This is such a small town that you can walk to every service you need. When we find out what a person
needs are we are able to direct them to it. We do also give them the web sites, but most will just go to
the agency they need.
1. The ____PL is going to be setting up a “Volunteer Job Center.” One center already exists at the _____
Library. The ______ Library has been working closely with the Delaware Economic Development Office
(DEDO). We intend to form the same partnership. We have already been in contact with DEDO and they
have provided us with an extensive blueprint on what to do to set up the Volunteer Job Center and
offered to have one of their AmeriCorps volunteers to work with us when the time comes.
I would like to form partnerships with Delaware Department of Labor as well. It would be wonderful if
they could have some of their trained staff offering free seminars on building resumes or cover letters.
2. We currently offer free computer classes at the Library, but none of them are specifically geared to
job searching. We could expand our classes to include things like “find your next job using social
networking sites,” or “using keywords to pop your electronic resume to the top of the list.” These are
skills that another organization may have information on how to do best.
3. I would like to find an organization that can offer other free seminars as well. Some ideas include;
“how to dress for an interview on a limited budget,” or “how to manage your job searching stress,” or
“how to eat healthy on a diminishing budget.” The University of Delaware might have some outreach
departments that would help.
4. Our whole goal is to try and get a “Volunteer Job Center” running. To be successful, we will need
volunteers with human resource backgrounds. The more experience our volunteers have, the better our
job center will be. To get the right volunteers, I hope to contact RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer
Program), Volunteer Delaware, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club. We could also
recruit students who are good with the Microsoft Word or the Internet to just show our job seekers how
to use the computers.
5. The State of Delaware has a great resource called Delaware211.org. Delawareans can also call 211 to
get referrals to any number of services from emergency housing to transportation and more. Another
good website is from the Delaware Association of Nonprofit Agencies
(http://www.delawarenonprofit.org/about/meetmembers.php) with a list of links to all of their
members’ websites.

Jobs and Workforce Recovery: Libraries Helping Individuals and Communities is an online course
created by Dana Emanuel Lee and Mary Ross for the Infopeople Project. The Infopeople Project is
supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the
Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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