PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Free Library of Philadelphia will host workshops in April to help federal workers laid off due to cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Sandra Miller is a workplace librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia. She says the workshops started at just one location, but they began to see a growing number of displaced workers asking what type of services the library offered, so they decided to expand.
“We wanted to be able to provide resources for anybody coming into the library, but specifically for federal workers, because your heart kind of went out to them more because of the circumstances in which they were not able to continue working, and it wasn't in their control,” Miller said.
Volunteers, like Charlie Ellison, a federal employee who is out on family leave, will lead the workshops.
“A few friends and neighbors just wanted to do something to help fellow feds,” Ellison said. “Some of us are federal employees on various forms of leave. So this is a way to channel some, you know, productivity to help our friends and neighbors who are very dedicated public servants,” Ellison said.
He says some people, who have been government employees for decades, might not know how to navigate the job hunt.
“The Free Library is committed to supporting our communities in times of change and showing that we are here to help,” said Kelly Richards, president and director of the library. “These workshops are designed to help displaced federal employees with the resources, skills and confidence to navigate their job search.”
The Federal Employee Transition workshops span the first week and a half of April. They will be hosted at four locations:
— Tuesday, April 1, at 5 p.m. at the Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library
— Wednesday, April 2, at 5 p.m. at the Business Resource and Innovation Center at Parkway Central Library
— Monday, April 7, at 5 p.m. at the South Philadelphia Library
— Tuesday, April 8, at 5:00 at the Northeast Regional Library
For more resources from the Free Library of Philadelphia, including free online workshops, visit freelibrary.org.