Foreclosure, and Bad Credit and No Job, Oh My!
In these tough economic times patrons faced with increased financial challenges need help and are too afraid to ask. Discover how you can connect library patrons to trustworthy financial assistance information and learn how three county government departments in Washington County, Minnesota collaborated to get reliable and just-in-time information to county residents. Presentations will explore how partnerships are established, programs are organized, and provide recommendations for other libraries and community partners. This session is the fourth in a series brought to you in collaboration with the Jobs and Small Business Task Force of MELSA, serving the eight public library systems of the Twin Cities metro region of Minnesota.
Libraries Partnering to Support Small Business and Entrepreneurs
This webinar will explore examples of library community partnerships and services designed for all types of entrepreneurs. Find out how SCORE has helped 9 million small businesses through their online and in-person services available at 364 locations nationwide. Learn how SCORE collaborates with public libraries to offer classes and one-to-one confidential counseling to help entrepreneurs start and grow their business. And hear how Hennepin County Library works with a variety of municipal and nonprofit economic development agencies to support entrepreneurs at the library. This session is the third in a series brought to you in collaboration with the Jobs and Small Business Task Force of MELSA, serving the eight public library systems of the Twin Cities metro region of Minnesota.
Working With Your Workforce Center
Workforce Centers operate with myriad local, state and federal funding streams to support the unemployed, but not every job seeker qualifies. Learn how this impacts your library patrons and what libraries can do to make better connections for our customers. Representatives from Anoka County, Minnesota will describe how the Job Training Center and the Anoka County Library forged an innovative collaboration to make sure every door is the right door for job seekers. Presented by Jerry Vitzthum, Director of the Job Training Center at Anoka County and Marlene Moulton-Janssen, Anoka County Library Director.
Understanding Unemployment Insurance and Impact on Your Library Customers
One simple change in library hours can have an unexpected impact on a large number of library patrons: Unemployment Insurance (UI) customers. In this webinar, we will be joined by Ed Seel, Unemployment Insurance Program Supervisor from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, who will explain out how the service works. In addition, Alice Neve, Public Service Manager at St. Paul Public Library, will describe how your library can support UI customers. Using her library as an example, she will describe how to collaborate with local UI offices, analyze challenges and implement solutions throughout your library system. This session is the first in a series brought to you in collaboration with the Jobs and Small Business Task Force of MELSA, serving the eight public library systems of the Twin Cities metro region of Minnesota.
Changing Reference Services to Meet Patron Expectations
Traditional library reference work is changing, largely in response to changing library user expectations. Reference questions are becoming more varied, complex, and require more time than a librarian can answer briefly from behind a desk. Factors influencing these changes include the economic downturn – patrons with limited computer skills need to apply for jobs and social services online; and emerging technologies – library users demand access to downloadable books and interactive web technologies. In this session, Nancy Fredericks and Ruth O'Donnell will explore these changes and how libraries are responding to the new demands.
2-1-1 and Library Partnerships
Hear from libraries who are partnering with their local 2-1-1 providers to appropriately meet and manage the growing needs of our patron communities. Find out how you can connect your patrons to the services provided through the 2-1-1 database, and learn how to focus your "reference interview" when patron needs relate to social services. Join presenters Martha Love and Audrey May to learn about the parallels between library reference work and 2-1-1, and find out how to leverage what you're already doing to provide even more information to customers in need.
Museums, Libraries, and 21st-Century Skills
Libraries can play a central role in cultivating the creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communications skills that individuals need to be successful in the 21st century. In this session, Mary Chute will introduce the IMLS initiative Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills, the accompanying self-assessment tools, and share how libraries can help instill individuals with new skills in light of shifting demographics, global competition, and technological developments.
Staying Committed to Great Customer Service When Your Library is in Chaos
How will you keep calm, happy, energized, and interested even when otherwise good people are having bad days? Learn to find and stay in your best performance state, regardless of the behavior of coworkers and library users. Pat Wagner will cover topics including library customer service goals, four steps to managing workplace stress even on a busy day, why taking responsibility and making hard choices can actually make you feel better, and knowing when other people’s actions are mirroring your attitude.
mySkills, myFuture: A New Tool for Job Seekers (ETA)
As part of the ongoing collaboration between IMLS and the Employment & Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL/ETA), WebJunction is hosting this ETA presentation on the new job-seeking tool, mySkills myFuture. This free online tool enables job seekers to increase their career mobility and economic prospects. Specifically, the self-paced tool helps previously employed to (1) use their previous experience to identify occupations that they might be qualified for; (2) identify the skills s/he needs to acquire to qualify for a specific job; (3) identify education or training institutions where these skills can be obtained; and (4) provide links to relevant job opportunities in national and state job banks. Libraries will want to add mySkills, myFuture to their resources to help job-seeking patrons in their community.
Libraries and Economic Development Series
Archive of the August 2010 Libraries and Economic Development Series presented in collaboration with the Business Special Interest Group from the Colorado Association of Libraries, the Colorado State Library, and the Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC) discussing how you can play a role in the economic development of your community. Sessions include: How to Make Your Library Entrepreneur-Friendly; Turning Your Databases into Business for Your Customers; and Going to Your Customer - Outreach and Strategic Partnerships.
Helping Job Seekers: Using Electronic Tools and Federal Resources (ETA)
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) invests in resources and services to support national and local workforce development needs. ETA staff will join us for a 90-minute webinar to provide an overview of the public workforce system and present the electronic tools most helpful to library staff who assist unemployed workers. Attendees will learn how to direct patrons to the right tools for their needs and to find local Workforce System partners. The presentation will also include an online tour of the O*NET System, CareerOneStop.org and America's Service Locator and including Occupational Crosswalks, job search/resume preparation and State Job Banks and Labor Market Information.
Effective Partnerships between the Public Workforce System and Libraries (ETA/IMLS)
On July 19, 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA) hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on effective workforce-library partnerships. Presenters were from ETA, IMLS, the State of Illinois and Jefferson County, Colorado. This webinar was a part of the partnership between ETA and IMLS, dedicated to spreading the examples of partnership between the workforce system and libraries. To access the presentation, recording, and transcript, please visit the event listing on Workforce3.org and login to the site (registration is free).
Re-tooling Frontline Staff with E-government Resources (WebJunction)
Knowing how to find and use E-government resources is critical for patrons who need access to information related to unemployment, food stamps, Medicaid, tax forms, health and housing; and many people are asking their public library to help them navigate this information. To meet these new and increased demands on frontline staff, libraries in Florida are collaborating with government agencies and social service organizations to provide the best service possible to patrons in their state. Join us for this webinar with representatives of Florida libraries, who will share their strategies used to educate both the public and frontline staff on how to access this information and their experiences building partnerships with other agencies in their communities to respond to workforce development needs. Presenters include Nancy Fredericks, E-Government Librarian, Pasco County Public Library Cooperative; Karen Clinton Brown, Library Program Specialist, State Library and Archives of Florida; Sol M. Hirsch, Library Director and Otto C. Pleil, Reference Librarian from the Alachua County Library District.
Libraries and Workforce Recovery (WebJunction)
Your library has been helping the unemployed and underemployed (aka job seekers) in your community for a long time. However, the declining economy over the past year has dramatically increased the demands on library staff, services, and resources. Would you like to learn about some successful programs in other libraries? Do you wonder if there are some new ideas you could try for getting patrons started? Would you like to know the resources other libraries recommend to job seekers? Are you interested in partnerships but feel unsure who to talk to? This webinar will help you by introducing three successful programs, giving you a fresh look at getting started in helping job seekers, providing information about some "best resources", and exploring agencies and organizations you may consider partnering with.
Helping Washington Libraries in Hard Times (WebJunction)
Originally presented February 10, 2010 as part of Technology Essentials 2010 online conference. Learn how Washington State Library staff created an online Hard Times Resource Guide to help Washington libraries deal with increased demand for resources and training while their budgets and hours were being slashed. Librarians now have a handy tool to offer patrons seeking information regarding unemployment, housing, financial services, and much more. Technology resources play a vital role in helping libraries during these Hard Times.
Hot Tools for Tough Times Drive-by Series - Pt. 1: Helping Your Patrons Help Themselves (BCR)
This hour long talk will explore a few ways you can help members of your community who find themselves out of work or just looking to better their financial situation. We’ll briefly discuss programming possibilities, a few free technologies that can be of great benefit to job-seekers, and some smart ways to supplement cash flow and manage money.
To view the chat file attached to this session, click here.
Look for a Job Using Online Sources (Texas State Library)
Are you finding yourself being a job counselor for many of your library users? Join Carolyn Davidson, Assistant Director of North Texas Library Partners, for a tour of the Texas Workskills Development for Libraries (http://twdl.org) to get relevant, practical links for job seekers. Learn which sites have the best results and are easy for people to use independently.
Getting Your Resume Noticed
Carolyn Davidson Brewer from North Texas Library Partners covers some essential elements of today's resumés. Learn tips to get resumés updated for print and online submissions, key components of the resume and learn if cover letters are still necessary. Learn the difference between a chronological and functional resumé and when to use each type. Also covered will be common questions job seekers have for their resumés and where to find more resources to assist them.
Public Libraries and One-Stops (New York State Library)
In response to the needs of New York's job seekers and the needs of public libraries which are directly serving them, the New York State Library worked with the NYS Department of Labor (DoL) to produce a joint webinar on successful partnerships between public libraries and One Stop employment centers across the State. The presentation begins with an overview of One Stop services and then covers three examples of partnerships.
Access Archive >>
From the left hand menu:
- select "Recorded Sessions";
- then select "Public Libraries & One Stops";
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- Password: LIB2010 (case-sensitive)
Best Practices in Helping Job Seekers in the Library (Infopeople)
Your library has been helping the unemployed and underemployed (aka job seekers) in your community for a long time. However, the declining economy over the past year has dramatically increased the demands on library staff, services, and resources. Would you like to learn about some successful programs in other libraries? Do you wonder if there are some new ideas you could try for getting patrons started? Would you like to know the resources other libraries recommend to job seekers? Are you interested in partnerships but feel unsure who to talk to? This webinar will help you by introducing three successful programs, giving you a fresh look at getting started in helping job seekers, providing information about some "best resources", and exploring agencies and organizations you may consider partnering with.
Data for a Downturn Economy (Library Journal)
Are you drowning in data found in your researching regarding today’s economy? Do you question its validity and relevancy? If so, join us for an informative discussion on how librarians can be part of the statistical literacy movement, how data and statistical resources are evaluated, and the types of information about data and statistics that one needs to know to provide assistance for their patrons.
Anticipating leaner budgets, libraries are looking for ways to help their patrons rediscover the collection beyond the Just Arrived shelves and Best Seller lists. Reaching patrons via email is proving to be an increasingly popular and effective form of communication, giving libraries the opportunity to be part of a community’s information sharing system and offer highly personalized service. By inviting patrons electronically into the library’s virtual home, it is possible to expose even more of the institution’s resources and services. Through the promotion of the library’s key resource, its staff, the library will be further identified as the source for expert knowledge, fostering greater community support.
Doing More with Less: "Training Up" in Tough Economic Times (Library Journal)
Gate counts keep going up, but staff levels are not. Patrons’ technological needs are increasing as many have lost their jobs and access to computers at the same time. Older patrons with little computer experience are finding that many insurance and financial forms need to be completed online. Is your staff ready to serve?
Library employee training budgets aren’t exactly getting fatter either, often forcing staff to just learn on the job or stagnate. And what about new hires? Are they expected to have already learned about your library’s technology as part of their education?
A group of training experts will discuss how ‘training up’ library staff can help stretch and boost the level of technological customer service your library can offer to patrons, and to the library itself. The webcast will also cover Web 2.0 tools and applications that make training sessions, documents and support readily accessible and available on-demand, 24/7. From academe, we’ll hear how one library school program is preparing its students for high touch high tech careers in our public, school, special and academic libraries.
Recession Relief (BCR)
This economy is really depressing. Everyone is anxious and the future seems bleak. But you can help relieve your patrons’ woes. Log on to this free session and find out how to effectively use your resources to help your community with job searches, finances, economic development, resources for the needy, medical insurance, unemployment and government forms.
Technology on a Shoestring: Big Tools for Small Budgets (Library Journal)
More than ever, communities across the country are relying on their local libraries for support in these tough economic times. From helping patrons convert old resume files to enabling military families to connect overseas, libraries are challenged with offering more services on smaller budgets. This one hour webcast will walk through over a half dozen free solutions that can help with some of the library’s toughest patron services challenges, including:
- Zamzar – file conversion service
- Drop.io/Senduit – file sharing services
- Skype – free VOIP service
- Delicious – social bookmarking application
- Ning - online platform for user-created social websites and social networks
- VoiceThread – collaborative multimedia application
- Google Suite/Zoho – documents, reader, calendar, and more
- ChunkIt! – web browsing tool
Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference
Session archives from conference: Lemons to Lemonade: Surviving to Thriving in Tough Times January 21, 2010
State Library and Archives of Florida
- E-Government in Public Libraries: Legal Concerns featuring Mary Minow (Webinar recording from November 12, 2009)
- LegalConcerns E-Government: Tips, Tools and Best Practices (Webinar recording from August 11, 2009)
- TipsTools E-Government in Public Libraries: Helping Patrons File for Unemployment (Webinar recording from May 26, 2010)
See also this List of Library Webinar Programming. Please post additional archives related to economic recovery in the comments field below (must be logged in) or email them to info@webjunction.org. We will add them to the list!
