Career Connections at Your Library

***BEFORE YOU REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR PLEASE REVIEW IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION BELOW***

Libraries offer more than just books—they are vibrant community hubs that empower individuals to achieve their career goals. As economic landscapes shift, libraries play a crucial role in supporting job seekers by providing access to resources, expert guidance, and opportunities for professional development. Whether individuals are searching for a new job, transitioning careers, or looking to enhance their skills, libraries offer essential services to meet their needs.

One-on-one appointments can be a highly effective way for patrons to strengthen their job search strategies. These personalized sessions provide targeted resume critiques, job search assistance, and mock interviews, ensuring individuals receive customized support tailored to their unique career aspirations. With focused guidance, patrons gain confidence, refine their applications, and enhance their professional presence, increasing their chances of securing employment.

Beyond individual sessions, libraries can be impactful through strategic partnerships with local businesses, employment agencies, and workforce development organizations. Hosting career fairs can create direct pathways to employment and fosters strong connections between job seekers and potential employers.

In this webinar you’ll hear inspiring success stories, receive expert program guidance, and explore innovative ways to expand career resource offerings within your community. By embracing digital tools, personalized assistance, and collaborative outreach, libraries can ensure that individuals of all backgrounds have the support and opportunities they need to thrive in their careers.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Offer one-on-one appointments to provide tailored job search guidance to patrons;
• Understand how libraries form partnerships with businesses, employment agencies, and workforce development organizations to create direct pathways to job opportunities; and
• Discover innovative ways to design and implement career-related programs, ensuring that libraries continue to serve as essential hubs for professional growth within their communities.

Who Should Attend

This webinar is intended for all public library staff, including library directors and reference services staff.

Panelists

Jacob Rachwal (he/him) works as an accessibility services librarian at the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library in New York. With a strong background in library services and community engagement, Jacob has played a pivotal role in developing programming that supports job seekers, lifelong learners, and individuals with diverse needs. His focus extends to workforce development, small business, health resources, and outreach initiatives that connect libraries with local businesses and employment agencies.

Prior to his current role, Jacob gained experience in library operations, security services, and community representation, further strengthening his ability to serve the public effectively. Jacob is passionate about fostering learning environments that empower individuals to achieve their personal and professional goals. He has a master’s degree in Information and Library Science from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Buffalo State College.

 

Important Registration Information

Log into or create your ALA eLearning account

An ALA eLearning account is required to register. Don’t have an account? Create one for free by going to the “Log in” menu located at the top right corner of your screen. No membership is required to create the account. If you encounter any issues registering for this webinar, then please email ce@ala.org for assistance.

Redeem your signup code to complete your registration

Once you’ve registered for this webinar, a signup code will be added to your ALA eLearning account and emailed to you. Find the signup code on your signup code page, then redeem it on your account’s dashboard to complete your enrollment in this live webinar.

• Need to purchase registration on behalf of a colleague?
• Need to register a group of 3 or more?
• Need to register with a purchase order?

Review the ALA eLearning FAQ if you need more information.

Accommodations

This live webinar will be captioned in English (United States). Zoom desktop client or mobile app is required to access captions.

Attendees using screen readers are advised to turn off speech prior to joining the Zoom event because PLA webinars make extensive use of chat functionality. Attendees who find chat distracting may wish to disable it in the Zoom event, as PLA moderators will verbally highlight important topics raised in chat and chat transcripts will be provided post-webinar.

If you have a physical or communication need that may affect your participation in this webinar, please contact us at plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752) at least two weeks prior to the webinar. Without prior notification of need, we may not be able to provide appropriate accommodations for the live event.

Archived Recording

If you're unable to attend this live webinar, an archived recording will be available to all registrants typically within 1–3 business of the live event. Access to closed captions will be provided in the webinar recording.

Tech Requirements

This webinar will be presented using the Zoom platform. Please review Zoom technical requirements and support information, and test your connection.

Once you've joined the webinar, there are two ways to connect your audio: via computer (VoIP) or via telephone. No microphone is required. PLA works with its webinar platform provider to assure the highest quality audio is being delivered to attendees. However, variables over which PLA has no control—such as the speed of your Internet connection or traffic on your local network—can affect the end quality of the webinar audio delivered by your computer. Each webinar’s audio is also available by telephone via a toll number, so we recommend you have access to a long-distance enabled phone as a backup in case you experience audio issues with VoIP. If you do encounter any problems during the webinar, you will receive a link to its archived recording within a week of the live event and can review anything you missed.

Contact

This webinar is presented by the Public Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Questions about this webinar? Please contact us at plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752).