NY Public Library Debuts Employment Center.

April14, 2009.
by: Miriam Kreinin Souccar

New facility at East 34th Street and Madison Avenue will feature personal computers with job-searching software and personnel available to give résumé tips.

The New York Public Library is morphing into a headhunter of sorts. In an effort to meet public need during the recession, the library today unveiled Job Search Central, a new space at the Science Industry and Business Library at East 34th Street and Madison Avenue.

The center, located on the library’s lower level, has 11 computers equipped with special programs for job seekers, and roving librarians trained to help with everything from writing cover letters to creating a résumé. In addition, the library has added more than 1,000 career-related classes system-wide and is providing special training to at least one staff member in each of its 87 branches to help people look for work.

“In tough economic times, more and more New Yorkers are turning to libraries for critical services like help finding a job,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Indeed. In the last nine months, attendance at the library’s existing career related classes jumped by 82%, with 38% of the program attendees unemployed and looking for work, library officials said.

Overall, visits to the library jumped 13% in 2008. In addition to the new center, the library recently launched a new Web site with access to subscription databases and a live chat that connects users 24 hours a day with a librarian who can help them find classes and databases or teach them how to file for unemployment benefits.

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