New York Public Library’s Bronx Library Center Hosts Fourth Annual Job Expo

 New York Senator Gustavo Rivera gave donations, remarks on September 18th

September 19—The Bronx Library Center (BLC) is pleased to announce the success of another Job Expo, held yesterday, September 18th, 2013. The BLC is located at 310 East Kingsbridge Road in the Bronx.

In attendance that day were over 1200 participants, 60 employers and 30 community organizations, with a singular, collective objective in mind: to place Bronx jobseekers with hiring companies around the city.

Organized by the BLC’s Career and Educational Information Services department, the fair placed employers with individuals who completed one-on-one counseling, developed a professional resume and cover letter and completed other pre-screening activities in advance of the fair. The event also offered participants a wide array of job training workshops throughout the day, providing a “one-stop employment shopping experience” for employers and potential employees alike.

Thanks in part to the generous contributions of State Senator Gustavo Rivera of 33rd Senate district, the fair helped to facilitate the job placement of numerous Bronxites and New Yorkers. 

“At a time when a large number of our community is facing financial hardship and searching for job opportunities, it is imperative that we continue to find different avenues of connecting members of our community with employers looking to fill positions,” said State Senator Rivera. “I am very grateful for the efforts of the Bronx Library Center and I am always proud to support organizations that help our community move forward.” 

The day’s events included workshops like “How to Land Your First Job in a Tough Economy,” in addition to classes on how to use the library’s online job database, useful interview tips and resume help. Many employers accepted resumes and hiring on-site. The job fair will also provided 100 suits for male and female job seekers thanks to organizations Dress for Success, World Changers and Men’s Warehouse. 

The Center’s Job Expo is one of the hundreds of programs the Bronx Library Center holds throughout the year; since its inception in 2010, the fair has attracted over 5000 attendees. “We are once again very excited to host a job fair for the community at large. As a library, we are more than books and computers. We are an integral force in strengthening and empowering our communities,” says Chief Librarian Michael Alvarez. 

Robyn Saunders, head of the BLC’s Career, Educational and Information Service Center echoes similar sentiments. “Employers and community collaborators are coming together to show their support and provide employment opportunities for residents of the Bronx,” she says. “Reports consistently tell us that the Bronx is one of the most disadvantaged and economically poor counties in the country.  At this job expo, several companies have stepped forward to demonstrate that they are willing to change that perception and to provide employment for Bronxites.”

In its fourth year, the Bronx Library Center’s Job Fair has helped to provide over 600 individuals find full-time employment with companies such as St. Mary’s Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital Center, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Montefiore Medical Center, Bally’s Sports Club and the Veterans Administration, among others. 

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. Its renowned research collections are located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street and Madison Avenue. Eighty-seven branch libraries provide access to circulating collections and a wide range of other services in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English for speakers of other languages.  All in all The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org.