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Trends and Issues in E-Government Services
Tuesday, January 8
2:00-3:00 p.m. EST
Join Pam Thompson and the E-Government Workgroup to discuss delivery of E-Government Services in Florida Libraries.
Register for the workgroup.
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E-Government in Public Libraries:
Resources for Florida Veterans
Wednesday, January 23
10:00-11:00 a.m. EST
Join Steve Murray, Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs and Pam Thompson, Division of Library and Information Services, for a webinar exploring the resources and benefits available to Florida's veterans and how to help your patrons locate the help they need.
Register for the webinar.
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The Ultimate Course for Helping Job Hunters
January 24, 2013
and
January 31, 2013
1:00-2:00 p.m. EST
Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) provides this two-part online class to help prepare you to assist job seekers in your library.
Instructor Diana Silveira, Novare Library Services
Register for the class.
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SAVE THE DATE!
Greetings from Florida - Florida Library Snapshot Day
Wednesday, January 30
Tell the story of your library and its value to the community by joining us for Florida Library Snapshot Day, January 30, 2013!
All types of libraries are invited to submit library photos, statistics and stories that showcase what happens during one day in their library.
Register your library.
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Greetings!
At the holiday season, our thoughts turn to all of you who work so hard to help your communities. It is in this spirit we say ... thank you and best wishes for the holidays and a happy new year.
Please join us for the next E-Government in Florida Public Library's webinar on Resources for Florida's Veterans on January 23.
Let me know if I can help you with your efforts, and don't forget to share your ideas and resources on the
Project Compass Florida website.
Pam Thompson
850.245.6633
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Trends and Issues in E-Government Services
Please join Pam Thompson and the E-Government Workgroup for their monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 8 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The group discusses issues, trends, problems and solutions in the delivery of E-Government services and the workforce recovery efforts in Florida's public libraries.
Due to the interactive format of this session, there is limited space. You are encouraged to register early. The E-Government Workgroup meets the second Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
For additional information, email Pam Thompson, E-Government Consultant, at pam.thompson@dos.myflorida.com, or call 850.245.6633.
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Job Search Assistance in Manate e County
By Julie Farmer
Neighborhood Services Department
Manatee County Public Library System
In January of 2012, the Manatee County Central Library began hosting a monthly job-search assistance event. The
Suncoast Workforce Mobile Career Opportunity Center bus parks outside the library and offers hands-on assistance to job-seekers to conduct online job searches, receive referrals to employers with available positions, write resumes and cover letters, evaluate their work skills, and more. Suncoast Workforce has had such a positive response that they have added a second monthly visit at our location.
A library meeting room is reserved for local career assistance agencies so that an agency representative can provide information about services provided. This has enabled us to partner with a variety of agencies, including Women's Resource Center of Manatee, Connect Your Community, Goodwill Industries/Job Connection, CareerEdge, the Literacy Council of Manatee County "Career Pathways" program, Experience Works, Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Florida's Florida Master Money Mentors program, Boley Centers, and the Bill Galvano One Stop Center. A librarian provides information about online databases available through the library website that provide assistance in the job search. Some individuals have entered training programs that they heard about through the library's job search program.
The library has five dedicated extended-use computers for job hunters and resume writers. We also maintain a permanent book display of job hunting and resume/cover letter writing books as well as handouts and online user guides to job search databases, resources, and services.
We have achieved modest success with this evolving program and we are reviewing ways to make it more valuable to our job-seeking patrons.
For more information about this program, please contact Julie Farmer at julie.farmer@mymanatee.org or Fran Barba at fran.barba@mymanatee.org.
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End of Year Tips for Small Business
 With the end of the calendar year fast approaching, your small business patrons might want to look at tax credits and deductions that are available to them, some of which are new for 2012.
Information for Small Business and the Self-Employed from the Internal Revenue Service provides a wealth of information for your small business patrons who file Form 1040, Schedules C, E, F or Form 2106, as well as small businesses with assets under $10 million. The site also links to the Virtual Small Business Tax Workshop which helps business owners understand federal tax obligations.
Small Business Administration (SBA) provides new online tools for your small business patrons to help plan for the new year:
Events site allows your small business patrons access to information on hundreds of small business training seminars and workshops across the country from SBA and its partners, including Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers, and SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives). By entering a date range and zip code, your patrons can quickly find and sign up for training. Topics include starting, managing or financing a business and business planning.
Build Your Business Plan site provides your patrons with a step-by-step guide to create the plans that will serve as the road maps for their businesses. Not only can their plans be saved as PDF files, they can also update the plans at any time, making these living plans.
The SizeUp Tool allows your patrons to get to know their market and competition better. Your patrons can get customizable reports and statistics about their business and its competition. SizeUp uses industry, city, state and other details to create reports and provide maps and data related to your patrons' competition, suppliers and customers. It also highlights potential advertising opportunities. |
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Tax Information for Unemployed
Your patrons facing financial difficulties may find that there's a tax impact to events such as job loss, debt forgiveness, or tapping a retirement fund.
For example, if a patron's income decreased, they may be newly eligible for certain tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The Tax Center to Assist Unemployed Taxpayers from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides your patrons with needed information and online tools about their federal tax obligations. One of these tools, Internal Revenue Publication 4128, uses a question and answer format to address tax questions created by job loss. The publication is also available in Spanish.
Florida Office of Reemployment Assistance sends your patrons Form 1099-G, showing the amount of benefits paid and the amount of withholding tax which was forwarded to the IRS, by January 31. The form is mailed to the patron's last official address of record on their benefits claim.
If your patrons have questions concerning the amount of benefits received or tax withheld shown on the form, they should call the Reemployment Assistance hotline toll-free at 1.800.204.2418, option 2, and a customer service representative will help them.
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Tips for Finding Seasonal Work 
Your job-seeking patrons can find many online tips for finding seasonal work. Monster.com offers the following tips to help them plan their job search:
Know Where to Look
Some of the best opportunities will be at the big retailers like Wal-Mart or Target. Extra workers may be needed in stocking or shipping facilities. Also check with local catering firms and shipping companies like UPS or FedEx.
Dress for the Job
Business-casual is the minimum when you are looking for any job. Even an outdoor job needs slacks, collared shirt and polished shoes.
Be Prepared
Be prepared to fill out an application and participate in an impromptu interview. Make sure you have any necessary documentation with you - your resume and all contact information for your references.
Know What You Want
Determine what hourly rate is acceptable, what hours and days you're available, if you meet job requirements like heaving lifting or standing, and if the location will work for your transportation.
Be Flexible
The best way to make sure to stand out from other seasonal talent is to present yourself as flexible. Temporary workers must be prepared to be flexible about the hours or type of work. Either can vary as the holiday season progresses.
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Charitable Giving During the Holiday Season
During the season of giving thanks and giving gifts, charitable giving from both individuals and businesses can make a big difference to those in need.
Most charities or nonprofits operate as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations and donations made to them are tax deductible. Donations eligible for a tax deduction include cash, volunteered services, business sponsorship of local charity events, or the donation of inventory or services.
In Florida, your patrons have both state and federal resources that that they can use to research a charity.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services produces the Gift Givers' Guide as a resource to provide the financial information reported to the Department from charitable organizations in Florida. The Guide is provided as a public service and lists the charities currently registered. Inactive or expired registrations will not display. Patrons can search for a specific charity or download the entire directory as a PDF document.
Florida Division of Corporations provides an online search tool to locate information on corporations currently registered as nonprofits in Florida.
And be sure to check the tax status of the charity either directly with them or with the online search tool from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for a quick lookup of tax-exempt organizations.
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Can You Help?
Thanks to Julie Farmer for providing the article on the Manatee County's Job Search Assistance program.
How is your library supporting workforce recovery efforts? Send your article to Pam Thompson at pam.thompson@dos.myflorida.com to be included in the next newsletter. |
This program is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services. |
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