MADISON — A digital ad campaign kicks off this month to remind job seekers or any Wisconsin residents needing workforce assistance that help is as close as your public library. The digital audio and targeted online ads, airing during podcasts and digital radio while also popping up for those searching for jobs online, direct residents with employment needs to visit their local public library for assistance or online at JobCenterofWisconsin.com.

“Library staff are often asked for help with employment services, including job searches,” said Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, state librarian and Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction assistant state superintendent of the Division for Libraries and Technologies. “Thanks to a federal grant, the DPI and our partners developed workforce-related materials and trainings to further equip statewide library staff to help job seekers with resume building, application assistance, workshops, interview preparation, and more.”

The ad campaign, along with the development of workforce assistance resources for libraries, is a culmination of three years of work through the Libraries Activating Workforce Development Skills project. The project grew out of a long-standing collaboration between the DPI, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Wisconsin Library Association, the Wisconsin Library System, and Wisconsin’s Workforce Development Boards. Funding was made possible when the collaborative successfully applied for and was awarded the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant with a budget of nearly $245,000.

Since the work began in October 2018, the project has provided library staff training sessions, developed online training resources, delivered outreach materials, and fostered closer collaboration between public libraries and LAWDS partner organizations throughout Wisconsin. For more information on the workforce assistance project, visit the DPI’s website, and for those in need of employment services, visit your local library or JobCenterofWisconsin.com. No library cards are necessary for assistance but are available for free to those who would like one.

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