Another Place To Look For Jobs

Alabama Mobile Ever think of the library?

by Steve Alexander

Published: Mon, February 09, 2009 - 11:52 pm CST

The tough economy is prompting people in the Mobile area to look for jobs in places you may not think of.
Ever think of going to the library for a job?
A lot of people in Daphne are.
Tonja Young, the director of the Daphne Public Library, said, "We used to see people every now and then. The staff at the front desk says that we have several people every day now."
But Young isn't talking about jobs working at the library.
She's talking about people using library computers to look for job openings in different careers.
The Daphne Public Library has eight internet stations that you can use for free.
Young said, "If you have a library card and you're set up to use the internet, you can just walk in and find an empty booth and go right on in. If you do not have a library card in Baldwin County, we can give you a visitors pass."
Not only can you look through free job sites, you can also fill out applications and even put together a resume.
Reference Librarian Anne Morris said, "I help people with resumes frequently, either if they are using a formatted template that we have on our computers or if they're doing it from scratch."
If all of the booths are full, there's a 30 minute time limit.
However, Adele Austin, who works in circulation, said, "If you know you're going to be filling out a job application on-line, you can come to the desk before you sign on and ask for more time."
Each person gets up to two hours access per day.
Of course, you can still find students here doing research, but even some of them seemed surprised that people can search for jobs here.
When asked if she realized people could look for a job at the library, Daphne High School student Lauren Britt said, "No. That's useful."
Another Daphne High student, Darcey McKinney, said, "I've actually been looking for a job. Maybe I'll use this place to look for a job."
The Mobile Public Library System also has free internet access.

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