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Free Ways the Library Can Help Your Career by Regina Ussery

Regina UsseryLife has changed drastically for our country during the past year. Simple daily activities have been altered – face masks, social distancing, and curbside pick up have become a part of the norm. For others, life has taken a more drastic turn that has forced them to reconsider their career. The Heartland Library Cooperative has some tools available for our members to assist with whichever direction their lives have taken them, all of which are free with your library membership.

Some people have used the pandemic as an opportunity to return to school. For those that have already taken the plunge, your library card gives you access to the Florida Electronic Library, an online database with valuable resources such as scholarly articles and journals, digital magazines, and ebooks. Whether your major is business, law, medical, or one of the liberal arts degrees, there is a large selection of peer reviewed articles available on the database for your academic needs

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Others may be questioning if going back to school is the right option for them or worried that they may not be able to keep up with the skills needed to return to the classroom, especially during a time when many of those classrooms are fully online. Universal Class offers over 500 courses to assist you at any point in your educational endeavor. These courses do not count as college credit, but there are plenty of options to help you brush up on old skills or to teach you new ones that you may need to be successful in a higher education setting. With courses that teach basic research skills, essay writing, algebra, typing and keyboarding, as well as exam preparation courses, Universal Class has options to help you feel more confident stepping into the classroom.

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For those individuals looking to improve their chances of landing a dream job, the Peterson’s Career Prep on the Florida Electronic Library has tools to help. There are tutorials that range on topics from resume basics and cover letters, tips for job searches, and navigating career changes. There is even a tutorial to help military vets with their transition into a civilian job setting. Along with tips and tutorials, the website has tools to help create your resume, including stunning premade templates designed to catch the attention of potential employers.

The Florida Electronic Library and Universal Class are just a few of the tools that your local library has to assist you with reaching your future educational or career goals. Sign up for a library card at one of the Heartland libraries in order to gain access to these great resources.