Intro
Good Morning. My name is Jeff
Scott and I am the Deputy County Librarian for the Tulare County Library. Our
program is about our Job in a Box. This is a $60,000 LSTA project that would place
a Brodart Lending Library book machine in the Visalia
Pitch an idea
For those unfamiliar with
this new way of applying for LSTA grant, I will provide a little background.
The program is called Pitch an Idea. Instead of investing the blood, sweat, and
tears over a grant that may not get funded, the state library has simplified
the process here. You get a notification that these grants are available and
you have one week to write up your elevator talk, develop a total cost, and
submit that to the state. The State Librarian, with a group of experts, then
makes conference calls with questions about your proposal. If you make a
compelling case, your project gets funded. I really like this approach since it
saves a lot of time for library staff and it’s an opportunity to be very
creative.
Inspiration
What inspired the project?
This project was actually one of two we submitted to the state library. For
those of you familiar with Pub-Lib Robert Balliot you may recognize the phrase, "There’s a Book for That." That was actually the title of our other project that
we had submitted. The idea behind that was that we would place a machine in
community centers around the city with a focus on that center’s purpose. For
instance, if there was an Art Museum or non-profit center, we would place a
machine in there and create a collection based on the users needs. If it is a
history museum, we would place a machine in there and have materials relating
to museum displays. Lastly, we included Work Investment Board One Stops. After
carefully considering the work that would be involved in placing several of
these machines in the city and throughout the county all at once, we decided to
focus on the biggest need, job assistance.
Segway to partnership
Last year, the State
Librarian’s office held a conference to help library directors collaborate with
their local Workforce Investment Boards. The Department of Labor had recently
instructed their local boards to work with their local community specifically
targeting libraries.
De-facto job centers
For many years, libraries
have acted as de-facto job centers. We help with resumes, set-up email
addresses, and navigate an often complicated online application process. Even
though we often receive no recognition (monetarily speaking anyway) for these
efforts, it has become particularly critical for libraries to take on this role
during our recent recession. We are the safe place to forage in this harsh
winter of recession.
Funding
The biggest objective for a
library to build a partnership with the Workforce Investment Board is funding.
When you turn on the news and you hear about job bills that are trying to get
pushed through Congress, much of that funding is going to your local Workforce
Investment Board. Most of the money that they receive is distributed to
partners in the area. Adult Literacy and Job Assistance are two of the key
sources of funding. The key to receiving funding is to partner with WIB and put yourself
in a position to receive distributed funds. One of the key aspects is to find
out more about how your local WIB operates.
Libraries and WIBs are Similar
WIBs and Libraries work in a
very similar fashion. If you were to enter a facility and ask for job services,
you would fill out an application, and then be whisked to a computer center.
These centers look just like computers in libraries. Some examples:
Computer Labs
There are no time
restrictions in the WIB centers. They can actually be there all day on the
computers. It’s interesting how reversed this concept can be. Even though a
library computer lab does not have to have a specific mission, a WIB center
obviously does, yet you can get completely unrestricted time. Customers can go in
the center and not do one bit of resume writing or job searching. Furthermore, there
isn’t anyone on the floor to help them with the computers. Typically, there is
just a security guard available. A typical WIB center doesn’t receive funding
to provide this service, therefore, support is minimal. And you wondered why you
receive so many job seekers at your computer labs; you are the only one there
to help them in your communities.
Job Coaches
Most of the steps taken by
serious customers involve Job Keys, Job Coaches, and Placement. A customer
comes in and asks for job services. The customer is brought over to the
computers and takes a job keys test. This makes an assessment of their
abilities. If their abilities are below what the One Stop can support, they can
refer the person to other services. Often, the library will see those people
who don’t make that cut as they may require literacy skills or someone that can
provide technology training that WIB doesn’t provide. Those that possess
necessary skills are passed onto job coaches. Job coaches work with the
customer to find out more about what the customer needs. If they possess the
right set of skills, they can more likely be placed. Those successfully placed
at a job provide the revenue for One Stops.
Where WIB makes its money?
One Stops make their money on
placement. How many of the unemployed can they find jobs for? They do this very
well. For example, a recent grocery store chain Vallarta came into town needing
employees. WIB already had the names and abilities of people that would fit
right into the job on their rolls. They established the interviews in their
facility and helped with all the paperwork. The grocery store was able to get
up and running far more quickly with their help rather than having to do all of
the work, the advertisement, the placement all themselves.
How do libraries fit in?
Libraries can fit into the
funding cycle by searching for ways to partner. The local WIB in Tulare County
Gaining a Foothold
One way the library could
integrate itself into the One Stop service flow was by providing resources at
critical junctures. When a customer came in, the ones that have the highest
potential for getting a job are provided a job coach. This person provides
guidance and resources. The library can play a very strong role here by
providing the needed resource. In the past, we had tried office hours
(providing a staff person available to answer questions and help with library
services), but we wanted something that had smaller staff time and higher
impact. Job coaches often refer their clients to book resources. What better
place to get that resource than at the library? However, an easier way to go
about it was to provide the books at the point of need. They may make referral
to us, but that doesn’t mean we will see that person. This is how we decided on
using the Brodart Lending Library book machine inside the One Stops.
Previous Experience
We have had previous
experience with these book machines. Last year, we were awarded a United States
Department of Agriculture grant to provide library services in poor rural
areas. We used the lending library and placed it in the small town of Cutler
One Stops
We decided to place the
machines in the Visalia Porterville and Tulare
What needed to be accomplished
The many problems with this
plan were manifest. We could place a book machine in the one stops, but who
would choose the books? What would happen if they didn’t have a library card? What are all the obstacles that we could face? Furthermore, how could we
encourage One Stop Customers to be full library patrons if they didn’t have to
come to the library to get materials? What cross training was needed for WIB
and library staff so that we can know what we both do?
Our plan was to coordinate
the unveiling of these machines with a program that was paid for through the
state grant. The grant would pay for cross training of both WIB and Library
staff. Furthermore, Paul Clayton, a popular motivational speaker for One Stops,
was hired to have the kick-off program in April of this year. Our main problem
was how to solve these operational problem between February and April.
The Collection
What material would go in the
machine? The library already had a strong test collection that includes GED,
ASVAB, and SAT prep, but we had to research the most popular items that would
be most beneficial for job seekers.
We surveyed our reference
librarians and ran circulation statistics in the areas of 658 (business), 373
(secondary school) as well as other areas. We also asked WIB staff,
particularly the job coaches, what type of books we should have. The result was
a list of over 300 titles.
The problem that we
encountered with this was that even though the machine could hold 300 titles,
we wanted to focus on a core list and purchase duplicate copies inside the
machine. That way, there isn’t a title that is missed. As you can see from the
machine, you can only see what is in the front row of the machine. In the case
of job help, it’s difficult to recommend a book if it is buried in the back.
Some example titles would be
What color is your parachute?, How to write better resumes, 48 days to the work
you love, GED, high school equivalency exam and How to prepare for the ASVAB.
Even as we filled the
machine, job coaches approached us on what we were missing. Many of their
customers were veterans recently returned from their tour of duty. We ending up
purchasing books on how to adjust to civilian life after a tour of duty and
what to do next.
Some interesting problems
with the collection I will describe in detail later on. One of which was a
misunderstanding at one of the one-stops about what should go in the machine.
While we had agreed on workforce books, she had thought we should put childrens
picture books in the machine. More on that later.
Issuing Cards
Another issue that we had to
tackle was what if customers weren’t library patrons. Sure the books were
there, but if there is no way to get a library card, then they are useless. After
cross training WIB staff we described the problem. Staff were willing to
provide library card applications since they often need customers to fill out
paperwork. However, they did not have access to our database so it could not be
activated in real time. What to do?
Our plan was to create dummy
cards that were created with names like OneStop1 so that the WIB staff would
have a live card that would work on the machine. WIB staff would issue the
card, connect the library card number with the paperwork and fax the paperwork
in. We would then create the patron. This worked exceeding well and helped
accomplish another goal of the project, getting more One Stop customers to
become full-time library patrons and realize all the library had to offer. We
also saw a dramatic change in perspective in regard to the library.
Surveys
We conducted a pre-survey of
WIB customers and their perception of the library. We asked them how often they
used the library, what did they think of when they thought of the library, and
what would make the library easier to use. What we found in the survey results
was that the more people used the library, the more they saw the library as
other than a repository for books. After three months with the machine in
place, we reversed the perception as more WIB customers became library patrons.
Whereas only 18% saw the library as a place to get books in the pre-survey, 75%
saw the library as a place for job resources and computers after the survey.
Even though, ironically, we found a way to integrate library services into the
One Stop using library books. Customers found something tangible right in front
of them and once they see a small aspect of what they could do, they wanted to
see all the could do. Getting a library card at a WIB One stop resulted in more
customers becoming full library patrons and utilizing all of our services.
Caveats
Some things to keep in mind
in regards to the machine. The machine can hold up to 300 books at one time.
Providing a variety of books in each row will only block the books behind the
front book. It’s important to try to find a small selection of the most needed
books and provide multiple copies of them. Some of these books can be quite
heavy as well. An entire row of a heavy GED book may end up straining the
coiling system on the machine. Sometimes it is necessary to use every other
slot in placing the books or using two different rows. The Brodart Lending
Library can be used with or without a connection to your catalog. If you choose
to connect it, there can be issues with the SIP connection dropping that can
leave the machine inoperable. We chose to leave the machine offline so any
transactions are stored on the local computer inside the machine. The
information can be retrieved and then uploaded to our catalog. This can even be
done remotely with an internet connection. We haven’t had any issues with
authentication, but using the machine in a different environment can lead to
some minor problems. Even if you choose to not connect the machine to the
Catalog, you will still need an internet connection to the device so that the
manufacters at PicInk can trouble shoot or re-boot the machine if necessary. It’s
easier to make a connection inside a facility with an internet connection as
the One Stops do have. However, even in a remote environment, a sprint card can
be enough of a connection to troubleshoot issues with the machine.
You should also look into
moving the collection around to add more books and take out ones that aren’t
moving. This isn’t necessarily a hot check-out spot since the collection is
very specific as is the clientele. We don’t need to check on the machine more
than once a month as circulation is low. We check-out around 10-20 books a
month at each location.
Lastly, it’s important to
have all One Stop Center
The Results
In the end, we changed the
perception WIB customers had of our libraries. We also changed the perspective
of WIB staff and administration. Our partnership was highlighted both in the Library’s and the Workforce Investment Board’s annual reports. This partnership
now puts us in a position to partner with WIB for future grant projects
whenever another Jobs bill is passed. Furthermore, the project in of itself has
generated more publicity for the library. It has demonstrated innovative
thinking in tough economic times. Furthermore, it’s generated enough interest
from our foundation to warrant using the machines for a fundraising campaign
entitled "Your Library in More Places". There are many underserved rural areas in
Tulare County
