Mahoning libraries, state agency partner to aid job seekers

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

YOUNGSTOWN — A local government job placement agency has had more traffic lately, thanks in part to the increased awareness and referrals provided by the public library, said Mya Hasson, One Stop manager.

“In the month of June, we had over 3,000 visitors who came out to the One Stop office and I think that our partnership with the libraries has helped people find us,” Hasson said last recently.

The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County has partnered with One Stop, a government agency that connects job seekers with employers, since 2006, said Diane Vicarel, supervisor of information services in the library system.

One Stop is paperless system, meaning that everything is done online, and its location in the Boardman Plaza houses computer labs for people of all ages and skill levels to search for jobs throughout the state.

“The problem is that One Stop is only open regular Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours,” Hasson said.

This doesn’t give people who already hold a job, but want to get a different one, an opportunity to use the computers there, she said.

However, each of the library’s 16 branches has computers with internet access, is open later than One Stop and usually has hours on the weekend.

“All people need is a library card, which is free, and they can use the computers to complete the free registration for One Stop online,” Vicarel said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.