The Department of Labor Should Be Represented at All Public Libraries

The Department of Labor should be represented at all public libraries, or all public libraries should have a set of computers that are designated exclusively for employment searches, applications, and other synonymous purposes.

This would curtail the need for job seekers to log out of their computer sessions after the conventional hour time limit, or specifically during completion of employment applications, to allow other users who have reserved the computers to utilize them...

It would further resolve the need for patrons to commute out of the way to local Departments of Labor for uninterrupted time on public computers to perfect resumes/curricula vitae, cover letters, Linkedin and similar professional profiles, and/or to complete employment applications.

Staffed library employees should be trained to address any and all issues that any DOL employee is and/or should be trained to address, on and off the computers, from unemployment and job application processes to employment/career counseling, assistance with resumes, et cetera.

DOL computers in public libraries would ideally be situated in designated rooms or areas in each local library. These particular areas would bear the state Department of Labor logo and relevant correspondence—brochures and instructional manuals—that would guide patrons through the varied DOL processes... 

All Public Libraries and DOL Career Centers Should Make All Major Web Browsers Available for Use

All public libraries and DOL Career Centers should make all major web browsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.) available for public use. Some libraries have recently made all of the stated browsers available for use. Others have not. This creates challenges for employment applicants who apply to companies with websites that are not compatible with certain browsers. It also, for the stated reasons, creates challenges for workers who must complete online training or elements of outsourced employment either in public libraries or DOL career centers, due to issues that they might have with personal computers and/or if they have not been privileged enough to purchase a computer that is in good working condition.

Notices should also be posted informing the public that any issues that they might experience with any website could be due to browser incompatibility and should encourage use of other browsers, and offer pointers for the successful completion of online applications, i.e. avoidance of certain symbols, et cetera, et cetera.

These simple acts could make a huge difference in employment acquisition, retention, and advancement, in merited reduction of unemployment rolls, and in the successful use of websites for any and all needed purposes.