Transcript Slides attached

Libraries at the
Front Lines of
Workforce Recovery
Jennifer Peterson, WebJunction
PaLA Annual, October 2011
Agenda
• Project Compass Overview
• The Library, the Workforce and 21st Century Skills
• Pathways to Workforce Recovery
oCore Services
oJob Seekers
• Break 4:15-4:30
oSmall Business
oPersonal Financial Skills
• Workforce Resources on WebJunction
Project Compass:
Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
Project Compass is a partnership between WebJunction
and the State Library of North Carolina.
It is funded by a grant from
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Project Compass Year One
Libraries provide direction in tough times
• Survey of patron needs
and library responses
• Summits with state
agency staff (4 f2f, 1
online)
• Launch “Workforce
Resources” community of
practice on WebJunction
Project Compass Year Two
Libraries lead the workforce for the 21st Century
• Face-to-face workshops
in areas with highest
unemployment/highest
need
• Other state and regional
library conferences
• Online programming and
curriculum
• Ongoing resource sharing
on WebJunction
The Library,
the Workforce
and the 21st Century
Project Compass
What are “21st century skills”?
21st century skills for the workforce
Critical Thinking &
Problem Solving
Communication &
Collaboration
Technology Literacy,
Media Literacy
Flexibility & Adaptability
Social & Cross-cultural Skills
Creative Thinking &
Innovation
Productivity &
Accountability
Teamwork
Global Awareness
What’s so new?
Shifting nature of the workforce
It’s a “globally interconnected information economy.”
Lifelong learning
“Lifelong learning is not an option anymore;
it’s a necessity!
SMART is the new RICH.”
(Bernie Trilling, 21st Century Skills)
It’s not about what to learn.
It’s about HOW to learn.
What does it mean to be a
21st century library?
20TH CENTURY LIBRARY
21st CENTURY LIBRARY
Primarily content driven
Audience and content driven
Mostly tangible objects
Tangible and digital objects
One-way
Multi-directional
Focus on presentation and
display
Focus on audience engagement,
experiences
Acts independently
Acts in highly collaborative
partnerships
Located in community
Embedded in community
Learning outcomes assumed,
implied
Learning outcomes purposeful
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
They need the 21st century library.
Project Compass
56 Things
you (your library)
can do for
workforce renewal
to support families
Schedule job seeker workshops
to coincide with storytimes
Start a "coupon exchange club" to
help families save money.
Place a
computer in
the
children’s
area for
parents to
use for jobseeking
Provide “tough times” info on help
with bill paying, food pantry
locations, emergency housing, etc.
Invite Ag. Extension
to do a workshop on
home vegetable
gardening or raising
chickens in the
backyard.
Offer just-for-fun family
programming on
Friday or Saturday
nights to help those
struggling financially
to spend time
together as a family.
Offer workshops on how to live on
a restricted income
Enlist a mental health professional
to provide pro bono workshops on
dealing with the stress of job loss.
Introduction to
Project Compass
Pathways
a Pathway is…
 A checklist of actions to help the workforce
 Check what your library has already done
 Circle where you would like to focus next
 Find resources to help take the next steps
4
Pathways
Core
Services
Job
Seekers
Small
Business
Personal
Finance
Communication
Collaboration
Training &
Programming
Collections
Discovery &
Assessment
5
Sections
Job Seekers Pathway
Guiding question
Remember that these
actions are interconnected with all the
other approaches
Resources for
each action
Core
Services
Pathway
 Connecting with community agencies
 Providing basic computer skills training
 Building partnerships
 Marketing and communicating library services
Why ?
People turn to the library
to get connected with social services
and to acquire basic skills and knowledge.
A workforce-friendly library
 Job center with easy
access to information
 Longer time limits
on computers
 Convenient hours
for programs
to create a friendly place
Free print copies for job seekers
Offer one free copy of resume
on nice resume paper.
Offer 5 free resume faxes per week!
Open early
1-2
days/week
for job
seekers
only.
Remove time limits
for computer use for
job seekers
Have a flexible phone policy
for those in need.
Chat daily with a
job-seeker.
Ask what they’re doing
and what they need.
Offer free coffee
during job center
hours.
Can’t afford coffee?
Ask a local bank or
business to sponsor it!
A connection to community services
Social services triage:
1. What can the library
do?
2. Who to refer to?
3. How to partner to
augment services?
Help in PA
PA Libraries in Action
Carl Long
Reading Public Library
Christine Goch
Cambria County Library
Kathee Rhode
Lower Macungie Library
Cindy Parker
Friends Memorial Public Library
Jamie Brambley
Fulton County Library
Providing Public Access to Computers
Providing Basic Computer Skills Classes
PA Libraries in Action
Carl Long
Reading Public Library
Christine Goch
Cambria County Library
Kathee Rhode
Lower Macungie Library
Cindy Parker
Friends Memorial Public Library
Jamie Brambley
Fulton County Library
Cambria County Library Links to Core Services
 Understanding needs of unemployed workers
Job
Seekers
Pathway
 Connecting job seekers to resources
 Providing programs and training
 Building partnerships with workforce
development agencies
Why ?
Job seekers are still relying on their public library
for this support.
to build programs for job seekers
Create handouts about
library services for job seekers
Feature the best of
your collection
for job seekers
in a display or
on your website.
Bookmark popular
job search sites on
your public
computers
Create an
online job center
Offer workshops on
resume-writing
Offer 1-on-1 interview tutoring
Start a job club
Offer library
meeting
rooms to
local
workforce
agencies.
PA Libraries in Action
Carl Long
Reading Public Library
Christine Goch
Cambria County Library
Kathee Rhode
Lower Macungie Library
Cindy Parker
Friends Memorial Public Library
Jamie Brambley
Fulton County Library
Career Services via Lower Macungie Library
Host a Job Fair!
Whatever you do,
let everyone
know about it.
Action:
Start a job club at your library
Partner Power
Partnerships are essential in lean times.
Who are your potential partners?
Working with workforce agencies
• Build on existing
relationships
• Start the conversation
• Explore possibilities
• Be patient and persistent
to build community connections
Have a breakfast for the
Chamber of Commerce or
local politicians to let them
know what you are doing.
Create a “Help for Hard Times” flyer
with community information
Bring in reps from the
local community
college to offer
student loan
workshops
Learn about local social service
agencies, their hours and what they do.
Create a
Social
Services
bulletin board
with
brochures &
flyers from
local
agencies
Recruit retirees for
resume evaluation,
interview help and
computer tutoring.
Get your
library board involved!
Ask your Workforce Board where you can
"fill in the gaps" so you aren't duplicating
already-successful efforts.
Partner for specific programs
• Resume
workshop
• Find volunteers
in your
community
BREAK 
Agenda
• Project Compass Overview
• The Library, the Workforce and 21st Century Skills
• Pathways to Workforce Recovery
oCore Services
oJob Seekers
• Break 4:15-4:30
oSmall Business
oPersonal Financial Skills
• Workforce Resources on WebJunction
More
Project Compass
Pathways
Supporting Small Business
and Entrepreneurs
4
Pathways
Core
Services
Job
Seekers
Small
Business
Personal
Finance
Small
Business
Pathway
 Understanding how small business builds
local economies
 Connecting patrons with resources for small
business
 Providing training and programs to support
small businesses
Why ?
Starting new or sustaining existing local business
creates jobs and stimulates the local economy.
Pennsylvania Open for Business
Reach out to partner
Backyard Chickens
workshop
SCORE , a resource partner with the U.S. Small
Business Administration (SBA)
PA Libraries in Action
Carl Long
Reading Public Library
Christine Goch
Cambria County Library
Kathee Rhode
Lower Macungie Library
Cindy Parker
Friends Memorial Public Library
Jamie Brambley
Fulton County Library
Small Business Start-up Backpacks
Provided to Friends' Memorial Public
Library by University of Pittsburgh at
Bradford's Entrepreneurship Program
Business Resources via Lower Macungie Library
to support entrepreneurs
Create a display of the best of
your business collection
Offer library space for small
business meetings
Find partners (like SCORE) to offer
business workshops in the library
Set up a
small
business
center next
to your job
center.
Post an “entrepreneur
readiness” checklist—find
one online, like the SBA’s
“20 Questions” guide.
Get out of the library
and get to know the
small business
community better!
Include a business link on
your website home page
Host networking
opportunities for
entrepreneurs,
including people in
the arts and crafts.
Building Personal
Financial Sustainability
Personal
Financial
Skills
Pathway
 Understanding the impact of the economic
downturn on personal financial stability
 Providing resources, training and programs on
applying for social services, refinancing a
mortgage, getting out of debt, etc.
Why ?
Whether unemployed or not, many patrons need to
regain control of their personal finances.
Project Money
 Increasing
personal
financial skills
 Uses free web
resources
 Uses adult
literacy program
strategies
Existing PA Resources
Consumer Information via Lower Macungie Library
to increase patrons’ financial skills
Offer credit report workshops,
including free printing of credit reports
Use a story-time
format to highlight
financial topics—
get the whole
family involved!
$ Offer student loan
workshops $
Bookmark financial
resources on your
public computers—
there are many!
Provide handouts on 10
steps to financial well-being
(projectmoney.org)
Offer “penny-pinching”
workshops
Start a savers club
Provide
information
about
bankruptcy
– both
discreetly
and in
workshops.
PA Libraries in Action
Carl Long
Reading Public Library
Christine Goch
Cambria County Library
Kathee Rhode
Lower Macungie Library
Cindy Parker
Friends Memorial Public Library
Jamie Brambley
Fulton County Library
Fulton County Library
Your Action Plan
 Select circled areas on pathways for
focused actions
 Identify relevant strategies, tools, partners,
communication plans, etc.
 Get a better idea of what success looks like
to stay informed
Have the local workforce
agency provide workshops to
library staff about how to use
their services
Have “lunch and learn” sessions
for staff once a week
At staff meetings, ask
each person to share
an experience with an
un(der)employed
patron.
Create and sustain relationships with
local social service agencies.
Offer miniworkshops
for staff on
social
networking
and new tech
tools for job
seekers
Provide “reference
interview” training
with role playing
and practice
Collect success stories!
Assign a "PR" person on your staff to stay in
touch with local media and keep the library’s
services “top of mind”
Workforce Resources
on
WebJunction
WebJunction.org
webjunction.org/workforce-resources
You
can tweet to
this hashtag!
See Member Center
for help with:
setting up an account,
posting to discussions,
creating documents.
See also archive of these tweets
Key Resources
 Digital version of each pathway
 with live links to all resources
 All workshop curriculum materials and
workbooks
 Free to download and repurpose
 Links to upcoming and archived webinars
related to workforce recovery
 Content of two online workshops
 The hashtag! #libs4jobs
Growing Workforce Resources
National community continues to contribute to:





Resources
Templates
Questions/Answers
Webinars
Twitter #libs4jobs
No contribution or question is too small
…all are welcome!
This means
YOU!
Stay Involved
On WebJunction
webjunction.org/workforce-resources
Crossroads (monthly newsletter)
webjunction.org/crossroads
Events
webjunction.org/events/webinars
Questions?
[email protected]
State Library of North Carolina
Thank you!