February 10, 2010 — The Anne Arundel County Public Library (ACPL) and the Anne Arundel County Workforce Development Corporation’s (AAWDC) One Stop Career Centers have formed a partnership to provide job seeker and career assistance to all County residents.

Since October, more than 400 people have sought help from AAWDC Job Search Specialists who are available at the West County Area Library in Odenton during most day and evening hours. The library is located at 1325 Annapolis Road, in Odenton.

In addition, hundreds more have availed themselves to workshops hosted by AACPL and AAWDC, including a program titled “Demystifying the Federal Employment Process,” held on January 26, 2010, which attracted more than 100 participants.

Based on the overwhelming demand for such services, officials from AACPL and AAWDC announced that the partnership will be expanded into the Southern end of the County, as well as to additional locations in the Western area.

“Our staff was increasingly being called upon to assist patrons with locating job listings, compiling resumes and filling out online job applications, among other tasks,” notes Marion Francis, AACPL Administrator. “We are thrilled to have yet another resource to offer those individuals who are seeking job and career assistance.”

"We are very excited about this partnership between the Anne Arundel One Stop Career Centers and the Anne Arundel County Public Library system,” adds Kirkland Murray, President and CEO of AAWDC.  

Glenn Spitzer is one of the many individuals who has directly benefited from the partnership. Mr. Spitzer is a dislocated worker with a BS in Mechanical Engineering who has been looking for work since last April.  His goal is to become a Professional Engineer in the area of HVAC/Construction with an emphasis on energy consumption.

After seeking assistance at the West County Area Library, Mr. Spitzer, with the help of AAWDC, has enrolled in several training sessions at a number of local higher education institutions that will better position him for achieving his career objectives.

In addition to the services offered through the partnership, AACPL offers many online job seeker resources that can be accessed online from the library’s website, www.aacpl.net. These include job searching tools, resume support, career and college information, and skills building and test prep tools.

Many branches also offer basic computer instruction, one-on-one computer training, and print materials for career and college training and test preparation.

For more information on these and other services, call AACPL at 410.222.7371.