New Workforce Assistance Resources for Public Library Staff

New resources are available on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website to help public libraries better prepare in providing workforce assistance to library users, including job searches. Visit https://dpi.wi.gov/pld/workforce-assistance and bookmark this page on staff computer stations for library staff training webinars, a marketing toolkit, and links to community workforce partners and resources.

In addition, a new digital ad campaign, kicking off January 10, 2022, and running until February 27, 2022, will remind those searching for a job or needing workforce assistance that help is as close as your public library.

Whether or not your library has been able to meet the needs of job seekers in your community in the past, you can position your library as a welcoming space for job seekers in a few simple steps:

• Add a button or widget from the new marketing toolkit (customizable in Canva) to your library’s website and link it to JobCenterofWisconsin.com.
• Complete the Workforce Resources Inventory For Libraries worksheet to identify your library’s available services and needs. Tell users about the resources available to them at your library-- put this information on your website, share with local workforce partners, and mention these tools/services in other communications.
• Assign staff training to familiarize themselves with the Job Center of Wisconsin website via webinars on the DPI website.

The development of the workforce assistance resources and digital ad campaign is a culmination of 3 years of work through the Libraries Activating Workforce Development Skills (LAWDS) project and was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program. The project grew out of a long-standing collaboration between the DPI, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin Library Association, and Wisconsin’s Workforce Development Boards. In 2018, the collaborative successfully applied for and was awarded a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant with a budget of nearly $245,000.