[Publib] re: e services

[Lise Chlebanowski]

We are starting something similar to this after the first of the year. Our Neighborhood Services Department has some federal money to do outreach, so they are "loaning" us a bilingual social worker with computer skills one afternoon a week. We are going to publicize it like crazy and hopefully that will help take the pressure off of library staff! Many times other agencies have funding for outreach and are just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself! 

Lisë Chlebanowski
Library Manager
Avondale Public Library
328 W. Western Ave.
Avondale, AZ   86323
lchlebanowski at avondale.org
623-478-3105
623-478-3809 Fax
 
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-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Sara Weissman
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 9:38 PM
To: PubLib
Subject: [Publib] re: e services

>>Patrons come in all the time needing help filling out government
applications whether it be welfare, job applications, unemployment
information, tax information etc.  We see a void that needs to be filled
and were interested to see what other
library systems are doing to handle this situation.

This was a popular library function in the ..'70s? Check the library
literature. Some libraries had separate areas/stations for social
services, I & R ..went under various names. Another way to do it is to
give space to your local offices/officials from Senior Services, Temporary
Assistance, Veterans Affairs, etc. An inventory of who does what might be
your first step. Patrons often need help simply navigating the local
bureaucracy.
   We help patrons get forms from the Internet, connect them to the
agencies and county offices they need and we teach classes on online tax
forms and publications early in the year. But we avoid, avoid, avoid
getting involved in the personal details of patrons' incomes,
prescriptions, diagnoses, divorce proceedings, etc. We're not qualified in
those areas.
   I've only ever "done" an online job application for a patron once..a
gentleman who wanted to apply for a local job with a national retailer who
was only accepting apps online--and he had NO sense of how to go about it,
had driven in from the next county to use our computers.  After it was
done ...I contacted the company and ripped into them for limiting
applications for custodial positions to complicated online only access.

If you do decide to give this important help .. suggest you have "hours"
..2-4 on Tuesday and Thursday, or the like, for the sake of staff sanity
and  adequate staffing of your service desks. Good luck!


-- 
Reference Dept
Morris County Library
http://www.mclib.info



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