Turning the library into an employment agency was simple. We had access to computers, email, and printers. It was fun to use our resources to help one of our library members.

We created a basic account on LinkedIn for my tech-newbie jobseeker, Mandy. She probably wouldn’t get work through it but I wanted to get her talking about her skills and experience, without interrogating her. She had left school without great exam results and had done a series of low-skill jobs since then. Two months ago the local hair salon had let her go because of a downturn in their business. She hadn’t worked since.

“Have you considered volunteering?”

“Who’d want me?”

I looked into her pale blue eyes and wished I could give her a confidence injection. “Plenty of plac...

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