SF Chronicle: A place to check out books -- and jobs

[marmar]

Public libraries around the Bay Area and the country have emerged as vital resource centers for the growing hordes of job hunters. With free Internet access, tons of information online and in print, knowledgeable staffs and convenient locations, public libraries are attracting unemployed folks like never before.

Libraries have risen to the challenge, holding classes on resume writing and job interviewing, subscribing to specialized job databases, offering online prep courses for civil service and other exams, amassing materials on starting businesses, creating Web sites on career development and even offering free career counseling. Recently, the nation's libraries agreed to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Labor to more effectively help job seekers.

Last year, 30 million people reported turning to their public library for help in their job quest, 6.9 million did some job-related training at library computers and 3.7 million found work using a library computer.

"There's a hunger out there for information on job hunting," said Luis Herrera, city librarian of San Francisco. The library attracts capacity crowds to its class on how to find a job online, and there is huge demand for its classes covering basic computer skills - something many displaced workers lack. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/01/BURU1EK0UQ.DTL#ixzz0vMiYag4l