“We listed the things they will need while applying for a job, such as the first and last days of work, addresses of employers and references,” said Jones.

The library offers patrons Cypress Resume, an online resume builder, to create professional resumes.

“We also are offering the employees 50 pages free for printing and 50 pages free for copying. We’re giving away USB flash drives as a way for them to store their resumes and other information.”

The library staff participated in job fairs presented by Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center at the end of August to help those employees affected by the closing of the manufacturing plant.

“Here, we could talk with the employees in person and explain the resources and services we have and how we can help them. That was a really good experience. I met a lot of nice people who were appreciative of our help,” said Jones.

“Outreach to the community is what we like to do. We want to let them know we can help with their job search. This isn’t an easy time for them so we want to do something positive — something that makes a difference.”