Crisis in Employment: A Librarian's Guide to Helping Job Seekers

by Jane Jerrard

In difficult economic times people turn to their local library for help seeking new work. Crisis in Employment will give you the tools you need to support this growing group of patrons. Based on interviews with librarians across the country, as well as research from ALA’s Office for Research and Statistics, this ALA Editions Special Report offers advice and methods for providing appropriate training and education to job seekers with# Tips for maximizing your library’s physical resources# A list of key reference resources useful to job seekers# Advice on building partnerships with key community organizationsCrisis in Employment will help you meet the needs of patrons seeking new work, making career changes, or starting their own businesses in a comprehensive way that suits your local community’s conditions.

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Andrew]

This book is perfect for any community facing homelessness, unemployed, laid-off, teens, or young entrepreneurs.
The book does a very nice and shockingly EASY, creative and simple ways of how libraries can engage with this part of the community.

It offers up everything from budgets, stats, program ideas, ways to utilize resources you already have (something librarians are very good at), offer coping groups for the unemployed, and real-life stories of successful programming and outreach in this endeavor. That includes everything from outreach, programs, job fairs, and touches on self-propelled business entrepreneurs, from teens to adults.

[Kathy Hale]

Some ideas for people coming to public libraries looking for help in looking for employment.

[Molly]

This is what I liked about this book: it was short, and didn't pretend to have more to say than it did. That's good- don't make me wade through a bunch of stuff to find out you don't have alot to say. And... it didn't have alot new to say- 'hmm, times are tough, try teaming up with the local unemployment office.' What a great idea!! Wow!! No kidding?? Please. My library would have worse problems if I didn't know to keep in touch with the local career center.

The few ideas that were in there, from the few people, were decent. Nothing that rocked my world or opened any new ideas. And nothing that dug very deep... yes, having an open lab for computers just for job searchers is a wonderful idea. But let's go beyond that- how do you control the ones who aren't looking up job stuff? How do you draw that line (because it can become finer than you think)? How do you realistically set aside the most popular asset the library has (computers) for potential non-use? Most importantly of all, how do you get the people to want your help and wonderful services? That was just one issue I had... the ideas are good, I just wish they'd scratched deeper.