At the Pflugerville Public Library, we provide resources and services to help individuals with many of their needs. Two areas in which we have expanded our support is in providing opportunities for individuals to add professional skills and to help small businesses succeed. These efforts are grouped under the terms “workforce development” and “small business support.”
Workforce development is a succinct way of saying helping people build skills to find more fulfilling jobs and helping businesses attract qualified workers. Helping people is something library staff prides itself on and supporting the community is part of our core mission. For us, supporting workforce development in Pflugerville is a natural fit.
Paired with workforce development, we provide support to small businesses or those with a business idea. Small businesses help maintain the identity of a community in the face of rapid growth, something familiar to Pflugerville. Through our interactions and feedback from the community, we know that the uniqueness of Pflugerville’s identity and finding rewarding work locally are very important to our residents.
Library staff does not always have the necessary expertise. For this and other areas that require specific knowledge, we develop partnerships that allow us to extend our services by working with organizations who have that expertise. Lucky for us and the entire community, we have some amazing local partners.
One such partner is SCORE Austin, with its network of experienced entrepreneurs, corporate managers and executives from a diverse set of industries who volunteer their experience and knowledge to mentor small business owners and entrepreneurs. By partnering, we offer monthly in-person Small Business Workshops at the library on a variety of topics. Our next workshop on May 7 will cover marketing trends for small business owners. You can register on our website calendar.
We recently w launched a new partnership with the BizNess Center at Abundant Life Community Development Corporation through its Lifleline program to provide Job Search Assistance. Components of the partnership include walk-in job search assistance at the library on two Saturdays of each month and resume and cover letter review. which can be submitted by email to library@pflugervilletx.gov. Our partner will also lead occasional job search-related workshops throughout the year.
We also work with an online high school to provide Career Online High School, through which adults can obtain a high school diploma. This online, self-paced program provides those who meet the requirements this opportunity at no cost to them. Three community members already have graduated and obtained a diploma, while another four are in the program.
Another excellent partner is the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation, which promotes economic development in the city. Through our partnership it funds several electronic resources for us, including the recently launched BlueCareer. This platform allows users to explore careers in the skilled trades, including assessments, career profiles and opportunities for training.
Another fantastic resource the PCDC funds is LinkedIn Learning. This platform provides users the chance to learn new skills by accessing a vast library of tutorials and courses taught by industry experts. This resource is useful to individuals sharpening their professional skills or small businesses looking for free training for staff.
In addition to partners, we purchase access to various electronic resources provided by vendors that work with libraries. In the area of small business support, we offer AtoZ Databases, a public records database for sales leads, mailing lists, market research and job searches. We also offer Gale Business Plan Builder, a step-by-step tool to create business plans, especially useful to those just starting out.
In the area of workforce development, we also offer Udemy, made available to us through the Texas State Library. This resource is a learning platform, similar to LinkedIn Learning, providing online, self-paced courses.
We provide other electronic resources that can assist your educational growth like Learning Express, providing academic skill-building, standardized test prep, job search and career development assistance, and Mango Languages, an online language learning platform.
Our electronic resources, including the ones mentioned above, are accessible for free with your library card anytime, anywhere on any device. Library cards are available for free for those who live or work within the Pflugerville school district boundaries. For those outside the boundaries, there is a $25 annual fee for membership.
We offer other related opportunities including the library’s makerspace, the Pfab Lab. Library guests can schedule to be trained on the various tools and equipment in the lab, then schedule a time to work on their own projects utilizing 3-D printers, laser cutters, sewing and embroidery machines and much more.
New this past year we’ve also started offering a Maker Market twice a year featuring local artisans selling their creations. And our fantastic librarians create a variety of programming, including many hands-on opportunities to learn new skills.
If you are looking to enhance your skills, the library has resources and programs to support your learning. If you have a small business, we have workshops and resources to support your business needs. If you feel you’ve missed out on your chance to obtain a high school diploma, we can place you in an online school at no cost to you. If you are lost professionally or new to the workforce and want to explore career options, we have resources to help. We strive to offer resources and services that meet a variety of learning styles and satisfy various needs.
Should you have any questions or need specialized assistance please reach out to me at DanielB@pflugervilletx.gov.
Let the Pflugerville Library help you succeed professionally!
Daniel Berra is the assistant director of the Pflugerville Public Library.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Pflugerville librarian: We offer support for professional development, small businesses
Reporting by Daniel Berra / Austin American-Statesman
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