Jobs & Opportunities

Throughout New York State, libraries are seeing a tremendous increase in use by people engaged in job searches, applying for jobs online and acquiring job search skills such as resume writing and effective interviewing. 75 percent of all jobs listings are now online and at least 60% of prospective employers only accept online job applications. If it weren’t for New York’s libraries, over 330,000 unemployed people throughout the state would not be able to apply for jobs online.

According to a recent Gates Foundation study, 73 percent of libraries serve as a community’s only option for free internet access—in New York State it’s closer to 80 percent. In a January 2009 survey conducted by the New York Library Association, it was found that 80 percent of our libraries had helped a patron look or apply for a job—given the economy, that number has surely increased by now.

Over 95 percent of our libraries offer classes and programs that teach its patrons how to use computers, access the internet and effectively use e-mail. Over 80 percent of our libraries staff members help patrons understand and use e-government services.

Without our libraries, those seeking new jobs and opportunity in this economic climate would have nowhere to turn.