OCEAN CITY – Job search services could be coming to branches of the Worcester County Library.
Library Director Jennifer Ranck told the library’s board of trustees on Tuesday that a proposal to offer job search services at the Worcester County Library are currently under consideration.
“Some really good news is the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance met with the library to talk about offering job search services in our branches,” she said. “They have a very similar, very successful program at the Wicomico library that started about 10 years ago.”
In Wicomico County, the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance – a division of the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland – funds a job search center at the public library. Ranck said a program that once occupied a corner of the library now features its own room with multiple computers, staffing and other resources.
Ranck said officials with the Lower Shore Workforce Alliance have identified the Ocean Pines and Ocean City branches in their efforts to establish job search services in Worcester County.
“I think there’s room to put in a permanent center upstairs here in Ocean City …,” she said. “I also think Pocomoke would be able to use something like this. I’m trying to think about where we can put that in that branch.”
Ranck added the library system was still considering times and locations for a possible job search services.
“I will keep you up to date about that,” she said.
Ranck noted the program would align with areas of the library’s strategic plan. She also said job search services at the library would be funded with a grant from the agency.
“Basically, the Workforce Alliance would be offering us a grant to help us fund supplies and a person to help staff the job center,” she said.
Ranck also announced this week that the county’s finance department would soon open an office at the Ocean Pines branch of the Worcester County Library.
“The finance department is going to be moving a small office into the Ocean Pines library so that people can make payments for water bills, tax bills and things like that,” she said. “So we’ll be losing one of our computer rooms, but I think the convenience for the public will be appreciated, and I think it might get some people into the library that wouldn’t normally come in.”
Ranck said officials have yet to set a date for the move, but want to coordinate the move with a carpet replacement project at the library.
“Ideally, it would be great to have that happen end of December, early January because it’s typically a slower time for people,” she said. “But we’ll see what happens there.”