Long time, no hear

Hi, everyone. Many thanks to those of you who have asked after me. I appreciate being missed. Nothing dire is happening, but there is a lot of chaos both at home and at work. My son will be graduating high school a year early, and there are a lot of preparations toward that end going on. I also had another cancer treatment. A fairly common but definitely not hoped for result of thyroid cancer is recurrence. The body scan after last treatment was clear; bloodwork in six months and another scan next fall.

 

The Midwest is not unlike other regions and has been affected by the current economic crisis. We lost a major manufacturer here due to a direct hit from a tornado, then two others closed up shop. Literally thousands of people are out of work in our tri-county area. The unemployment offices are swamped and people are being sent to the library with little or no guidance.

 

These former factory workers, some with limited English language skills, and very few computer skills, must use the internet to file for unemployment, get entered in our state’s required database and post a resume. I consider myself fairly computer savvy and this is a cranky, confusing and unfriendly interface.

 

Many of our patrons do not know how to type and do not understand why they need an email address, much less how to establish one. Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Wal-Mart, as well as the larger employers in our area, all require applications to be filled out online. People who can’t even speak English well are required to make resumes without knowing how to say the word (“my rezoom” is how one patron referred to it), much less fill in the form with properly capitalized names. One man did not know what a capital letter was.

 

They must locate employer websites, make a user name and password, find a job opening and find the application. They must fill it in, make an email address and resume, and learn to upload, attach or cut and paste it.

 

Our computer facilities are maxed out. Before this summer, a five or ten minute wait was the most patrons could expect. There are now often 25 people in line with a 30-40 minute wait.

 

Most of our patrons have no other resources and are rising to the occasion. There is some impatience, especially with children who play games and use MySpace and other social networking sites. So far, for us, a user is a user, and everyone is entitled to their first hour uninterrupted, and their second hour if they get back in the wait list.

 

Meanwhile, because of state tax issues, the library has had a hiring freeze since May. No one has been laid off, but because of staff losses due to attrition and no replacements hired, most departments are down to bare bones. We are still offering our most popular public computer classes, but most programming has ceased. Our main priorities are staffing the desks, giving great customer service and maintaining our excellent collection. Public opinion of the library remains high.

 

The true reference question is ever more rare, and so are the stories that I used to tell here. Most of my transactions are now just that: tech oriented and business related. There is no doubt they are important and valued, but there is not the emotional content attached to them. People’s priorities and energies are focused on survival: getting a job in order to eat and have a place to live.

 

So that’s the news from Lake Woebegone, as Garrison Keillor says, where the women are strong and the men are good-looking. The librarians? They’re still feeling pretty good.

 

 

Comments

[caterwaul]

It's nice to see a post from you again, even though times are tough. Thanks for remembering your readership!

[susan]

So wonderful to see you post again! I was beginning to think you might not be "among the living" as per the title of your previous post. Sending good thoughts your way for no recurrence of thyroid cancer.

I feel for those technologically deficient and/or ESL customers who are having such a hard time applying for and finding jobs online. It is certainly a new world we are living in. You are providing a much needed service.

For more feel good librarian type stuff, read the Miss Zukas mystery series by Jo Dereske and watch the new movies, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear and The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines. Librarians rock, and I'm proud to be one! :)

[FGL]

Me, too, Susan! Rock on!!

FGL

[RazzBari]

I feel for you - I've had three rounds of the radioactive iodine, and have been clear now for about 18 months. My library peeps made some great recommendations of funny movies to keep my spirits up.

Hang in there!

[suzanne]

I feel for you! Stay brave--we are cheering for you!

I had imagined this was what it was like, everyone waiting for a computer. I work in a community college library and we encourage students and the public to use our 100+ computers for personal use. Sometimes just the smallest bit of resume proofreading can help someone get that much needed job. I do it all the time too.

Keep the service flag flying!

[Meg]

You and your co-workers are heroes. May you get the resources you need to manage until times get better. Wishing you naps and chocolate; and some peace of mind also.
Your patrons are in the same situation as ours here in the east. We deal with most of the major urban problems, but nothing bothers me so much as seeing someone's internet time elapse when they are most of the way through an application.
These times help me realize how much we need all the positive people.

[Lisa]

Good to hear your voice again! My thoughts are with you daily - I check your blog every day first thing and I was getting worried. Hope all stays well. And you're absolutely right - we always need positive people. You're one of those.

[FGL]

Thanks so much, everyone! Keep up the good work!

FGL

[Paul]

Your scenario mirrors ours in Wiltshire in the UK. We are now developing a structured partnership with our local Job Centre to deliver basic instructions in online job applications to the unemployed, many of whom as you describe have limited English and zero I.T. skills.
Our standard introductory I.T. courses, which begin a new season this week, are fully booked and have a waiting list of around 200 (and we're one of the smaller library authorities in England). We're still turning people away daily who enquire about computer training, and don't even bother adding them to the waiting list any more. There is a colossal gap in the market for basic, user friendly computer instruction here.

[FGL]

Wow, Paul, good for you! That is a GREAT service, and so needed. We also have many calls just asking for free computer access. Libraries seem to be the only place for it, and not enough machines or money to buy more.

But we do what we can, as you do, and do our best to stay user-friendly ourselves! Keep up the good work!

FGL