Job Mob!

Daily Hours: 4
Total Hours: 80

I spent most of the morning at the MATC campus located across the parking lot from Goodman, where every Friday, representatives from multiple neighborhood organizations (Joining Forces for Families, The Catholic Multicultural Center, Centro Hispano, the Nehemiah Center, Urban League, and of course, the Library) come together to offer drop-in job hunting assistance.  The program is only a year old, but they serve an average of 20 people a week.  Most of the organizations involved had been doing some sort of job help in their own right before, but recently they came together, realizing they could be much more efficient if they created a partnership.  MATC provides two rooms, where new job listings are printed out and organized each session, and a computer lab where job seekers can get help with online applications and resume creation/tweaking.  Representatives for local businesses and companies looking for employees will also often set up a table there and interview people right on the spot.  I know I mention how key these partnerships are in the South Madison area in just about every journal entry, but they really are on to something!  And the fact that the Library can function on the same level as these non-profits really shows how librarians can realize their full potential as community and social justice advocates.

Every few days or so,  I have one of those practicum moments that reminds me why I started down this career path to begin with.  My time helping at Job Mob was definitely one of those moments!  I helped a man format and edit his resume for an hour, and in the process I learned his life story,  and I was able to teach him some basic computer skills, as well as even do a bit of Reader's Advisory (he liked Legal Thrillers, so I was able to draw on some of my RA skills from Reading of Interests of Adults).  As I wished him luck as he went off to an interview, I realized just how rewarding the whole interaction had just been.  But that's not to say that there are not frustrating moments:  I was in awe of Chris' patience as she helped a man who couldn't remember his email or password for 15 minutes until they finally got it right.  And then they sat for the next hour and a half taking a detailed personality questionnaire for the job he was applying for.

I walked across the parking lot and finished my shift getting things ready for the Gardening with Kids workshop I will be organizing tomorrow afternoon, choosing some kids books about Gardening as well as parent resources for a display I'll have in the room.  A truly gratifying librarian day!