By: centraljersey.com
Sometimes making the right connections can make all the difference. That’s the Princeton Public Library’s philosophy when it comes to getting business and job search advice out to the public.’
"The way I like to look at it is, people have a lot more ways to find information, it is our job to connect them with reliable information," said Princeton librarian Catherine Harper.
The Princeton Public Library has a large collection of print and online resources for people who need help with their business, or those who are out of work and looking for jobs, and with some help from librarians, users can get what they need and put it to use quickly.
"We also help people find a higher quality of information on the web, mostly through databases," said Ms. Harper.
Among the databases patrons are able to access are the Factiva and Business Source Premier sites, which help people research industry trends and company information. For company and industry analyst reports and industry benchmarks, there is One Source. Business owners who want to keep an eye on their competition, customers or possible employers can use Reference USA. The CorpTech Directory details 95,000 high-tech companies in 27 industries.
All of these databases, as well as seminars with SCORE – Counselors to Americas Small Business, networking seminars, free Internet, job search help, resume programs and more are either available or have been held recently at the library, and Ms. Harper says more and more patrons are taking advantage of these resources.
"Since the economy went south, we’ve definitely seen an increase in usership and job search tools," she said. "Just having the facilities for people to use is important."
Having all that information is one thing, finding exactly what you need is another. That’s where Ms. Harper and her fellow librarians come in. In addition to helping patrons who come in every day, the library also encourages setting up hour-long meetings so a refined, efficient search using the library’s resources can be set up.
"Besides the subscription databases, there is a huge amount of reliable data available free on the web that can be very useful to entrepreneurs," she said. "Government statistical databases are a prime example. Finding that data, especially when you don’t know it exists, can be a challenge. And it’s our role to help people find it."
For job seekers, Ms. Harper will steer people to www.rileyguide.come, a free site that is a good starting point for anyone looking for a new job.
"It’s the best site in terms of finding jobs and searching sites," she said.
To help people continue making "the right connections" the library will host a series of networking breakfasts to be held once a month at 8:30 a.m. The first will feature Peter Bromberg and Janie Hermann, who will discuss how the library can assist job seekers. On Oct. 19, Dale G. Caldwell will talk about picking the right company to work for. On Nov. 30, Fred Ball will talk about interviewing skills. jsaccenti @centraljersey.com.
