MAYOR GARCETTI LAUNCHES JOB RESOURCE PROGRAM AT CITY LIBRARY

MAYOR GARCETTI LAUNCHES JOB RESOURCE PROGRAM AT CITY LIBRARIES

Downtown’s Central Library Home to First WorkSource Center Portal; 73 Librarians Citywide to be Trained to Aid Job Seekers

LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti today launched a new job resource program at City libraries, including a new job center and training for librarians, to help job-seeking Angelenos find work.

L.A.’s first WorkSource Center Portal, a career center located inside a Downtown’s Central Library, will provide a place for Angelenos to seek help finding and securing a job. Job seekers can meet one-on-one with trained staff to search for jobs, write resumes, sharpen interviewing skills and consider new professions. Additionally, all Adult Services librarians will be trained to assist Angelenos in utilizing City resources, including the online jobs portal JobsLA, to find and apply for career opportunities at the other 72 Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) branches.

The new, one-stop career center is located in the business and economics department of Downtown’s Central Library, at 630 W. Fifth St. It will be open to the public every day except Sunday. The Mayor was joined at the launch today by City Librarian John F. Szabo, Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) General Manager Jan Perry, and the City of Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Chair Charles Woo.

“Since Ancient Egypt, libraries have served as centers of civic life, and today our Central Library takes on a key role in connecting Angelenos to a foundation of civic life: a career,” said Mayor Garcetti. “We aren’t simply educating Angelenos about career opportunities, we are dedicating full time staff to walk them step by step through practice interviews, resume building, and critical skills training. The people who walk out of this WorkSource Portal will be prepared, strong candidates for permanent work.”

According to a University of Washington study sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, 30 million Americans used public libraries during the Great Recession either in-person or online to address their career and employment needs. Among those library patrons, 76 percent searched for employment, 46 percent worked on their resumes and 68 percent submitted online job applications.

“Every day we help Angelenos to write a cover letter, prepare a resume, search for a job and apply for it online,” said City Librarian John F. Szabo. “Now, our patrons will be able to connect to even more employment opportunities with the assistance of trained staff and additional resources in our WorkSource Center Portal.”

The LAPL welcomes millions of Angelenos every year at its Central Library and 72 branches. Recognizing this opportunity, Mayor Garcetti, WIB and EWDD have partnered with the library to expand the pilot program where staff had been previously available on a limited basis in several branches. Today, li

Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE), who also operate a WorkSource Center in the Downtown/Pico Union area of L.A., will operate the City’s new WorkSource Center Portal in the Central Library; and Managed Career Solutions, who operate a WorkSource Center in Hollywood, will provide technical assistance and training for Adult Services Librarians at LAPL branches throughout the City.

“The jobs portal brings the same quality and level of service that you’d find in a WorkSource Center,” said Jan Perry, EWDD’s general manager. “But in this high profile location, we will reach people already looking for work and increase their probability of success.”

About the Los Angeles Public Library
A 2015 recipient of the nation’s highest honor for library service—the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—the Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest and most diverse urban population of any library in the nation. Its Central Library, 72 branch libraries, collection of more than 6 million books, state-of-the-art technology accessible at www.lapl.org, and more than 18,000 public programs a year provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life-long learning.