Job-Search Assistance Now Available at Libraries in Partnership with Mahoning County One-Stop

BOARDMAN (For Immediate Release-July 9, 2007) – The Mahoning County One-Stop located at 149 Boardman-Canfield Road has recently extended services to all 16 locations of The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. “Increasing community access has been a long-term goal for One-Stop,” said Jessica Borza, the organization's chief operating officer in Mahoning and Columbiana counties. This effort creates a more convenient approach to services for customers in need of employment or seeking a different job.

This collaboration allows One-Stop customers to conduct job searches beyond One-Stop's normal business location and its hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Job seekers can visit one of Mahoning County 's public libraries, with a variety of locations and extensive hours which include evenings and weekends.

Discussion for the collaboration began more than a year ago when the Library, a key player in workforce development, continued its efforts to build the local economy by assisting patrons with job searches through One-Stop services.

The Library's Assistant Director, Mary Pullin, notes that, “A newly released study commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council, titled Making Cities Stronger: Public Library Contributions to Local Economic Development , points ‘…to a shift in the role of public libraries – from a passive, recreational reading and research institution to an active development agent, addressing such pressing urban issues as literacy, workforce training, small-business vitality and community quality of life.' Our association with One-Stop is certainly in keeping with this trend.”

One-Stop has an employer base of more than 500 companies. Individuals seeking work, as well as employers seeking employees, are encouraged to register with SCOTI, Ohio 's job matching system and a service provided by One-Stop. Librarians at all of the Library's locations have received training on how to register users with SCOTI and instruct them on the system's job searches.