The Seattle Public Library Helps Job Seekers and Hobby Hunters With 'Your Next Skill' and Other Resources
release date: April 22, 2020
Want to learn a new job skill? Put your stay-at-home time to work this spring with the help of The Seattle Public Library. The Library offers many virtual resources that can help job seekers, hobbyists and others, including the Your Next Skill service, which will send you a personalized learning plan on a topic of your choice within four days.
“Whether you want to learn to code in Python, do container gardening or how to organize small spaces, our librarians can put together a custom learning plan for you,” said Marion Scichilone, assistant managing librarian at The Seattle Public Library. Examples of timely learning plans already available for download on the Your Next Skill page include tips on working from home, strategies for staying fit indoors, and help finding financial and unemployment assistance.
To request your personalized plan, go to spl.org/your-next-skill and fill out a brief form, including information on what you'd like to learn and how you want to learn it. Within four days, a librarian will send you a plan that will include resources such as e-books, videos, online resources and online classes.
With unemployment claims reaching record numbers during the pandemic-related economic shutdown, job seekers can find many other job-related resources on the Library’s website, including:
- Job and unemployment resources: The Library website includes guides on topics such as starting a job search during the COVID-19 era and navigating the unemployment insurance process in Washington State.
- More skills development: Your Library account is a portal to services such as Lynda.com, which provides access to thousands of courses covering animation, writing video, business skills, marketing, programming and more; and the Microsoft Imagine Academy, with courses on using Microsoft Office as well as access to Microsoft certification exams.
- Resume builders and more: The Library’s Job Resources page has links to national and local job websites, resume builders, cover letter resources and more. During the Library closure, the free one-on-one, in-person help and computer access are not available.
- Instructional e-books: Through the Library’s website, you can access Safari Books Online, with thousands of instructional e-books on a variety of technical subjects for both beginners and experts.
All physical locations of The Seattle Public Library are closed in accordance with public health guidelines through at least May 4, 2020. Find out more at spl.org/ChiefLibrarian. Find out more about The Seattle Public Library’s digital resources and services at spl.org/stayinghome.
The Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community and find creative solutions to meet the public’s changing needs and interests.