If you are a job seeker or a business owner, don't miss out on this free training session. Learn to use ReferenceUSA to job search in different geographical areas and industries. Find out how to identify key contacts, and to create customized marketing lists for your needs.

Date: Wednesay, June 16, 2010
Time: 2:00-3:15PM
Location: the Internet Lab
Space is limited. Register online.

Former area resident, John Quinn, shares his amazing story of his challenge and triumph over Cerebral Palsy. Quinn, through astounding determination, was able to hide his disability and become a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. Come hear his inspirational story, Someone Like Me, on Thursday, June 10 at 7:00PM (no registration required). Teens and adults alike will look at life differently.

Debra Drummond, president of the local Women Marines Association, will speak of the opportunities and excitement of being a woman in the United States Marine Corps. She also will share the many benefits that are available to former military women who might not be taking full advantage. Join us at 7:00PM on Thursday, May 6th in the Community Room for a great video and informative conversation.

If you are over 50 and seeking employment, be sure to register to attend the Metro Detroit Career Fair at Burton Manor in Livonia on Tuesday, April 13th from 9:00AM to 1:30PM. While all ages are invited to attend this event, workshops will be held for seasoned workers who need help "rebranding" themselves. The event is sponsored by Fox2Detroit, AARP and EmploymentGuide.

Need to polish up your resume for the jobs fair? The library has many books on resumes, cover letters, and interviewing.

In a recent article by Donna Gordon Blankenship of the Associated Press, a third of Americans 14 and older — about 77 million people — use public library computers to look for jobs, connect with friends, do their homework and improve their lives, according to a new study released Thursday, March 25. The study was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by the University of Washington Information School. Study researchers were intrigued to find that people across all age and ethnic groups used library computers, said Michael Crandall, one of the principal authors of the study, from the University of Washington Information School.

Some of southeast Michigan's youngest elected officials - including Plymouth Library Board Trustee Eric Bacynski - want their generation to be champions for change in their communities. The "You-Go-Lead" Young Government Leaders Symposium provides information and guidance for college students, recent graduates and people under 35 who are interested in running for local or state elected office or in getting appointed to local boards and commissions. The symposium will be at UM-Dearborn on Friday, March 26 from 12:15-4:30. Free registration at www.umd.umich.edu/iflg or contact Kelly Young-Raymore at (313) 436-9179.

State Representative Dian Slavens (D-Canton) will hold a Job Resource and Retraining Town Hall Meeting on Friday, February 19 at 11:00AM in the Community Room. The event will provide attendees with information on a variety of topics, including No Worker Left Behind and other worker retraining programs, job search and job placement services offered by Michigan Works!, and help with unemployment benefit claims. No registration is necessary.
[Note: This is not a library sponsored program.]

MatchCollege.com is an excellent free website that helps you find the information you need about college, financial aid, tuition, admissions, and more. This website also lists the top careers (librarian came in respectfully at #141), and gives information related to salary, job condition, and employee satisfaction. Chosing a college can be a hard decision, but this website gives you plenty of information to make the choice a little easier.

In the past couple weeks, dozens (if not hundreds) of patrons have called or visited the library asking about the 2009 Michigan tax forms: Well, your wait is over!! Find supplies of all of the most common Michigan 2009 tax forms and instruction booklets (including MI-1040 and MI-1040CR-7, better known as the Home Heating Credit Claim) on the large work table inside our Copy Center. These are in addition to the 2009 Federal tax forms and instructions, which have been in stock for the past few weeks. For the less common tax forms, you'll find binders containing all reproducible 2009 Michigan and Federal tax forms (photocopy charges apply to these reproducibles) in the Copy Center, which also has a computer work station featuring direct links to Federal, Michigan, Other States' and City of Detroit tax form websites.

Make this your priority stop when looking for information on Detroit.
This information portal is all about Detroit and its surrounding communities. Local news items, jobs, special reports and obituaries are also included.

Tend to procrastinate? Need to improve your time management skills? If so, take some advice from Brian Tracy, author of Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. His secret to ending procrastination? Tackle the biggest, most challenging task of your day first thing. That's your "frog," says Tracy. If you're like many people, you'll instead try to complete several quick, easy and/or enjoyable tasks first thing in the morning. You'll learn why it's so important to "eat that frog" first, along with loads of other useful time management tips. No time to read a book, you say? No problem! Listen to the audiobook (on CDs) in your car while driving to work or running errands.

We regret that the speaker for Thursday night's program, You Oughta Be in Pictures, has cancelled. Mr. Droz, from the Michigan Film Office, assures us that all the pertinent information is available on their website.

One of the most important parts of any successful job search is thoroughly researching potential employers. Such a task can be daunting, especially if you are unfamilar with the resources available. Researching Companies Online is an excellent business research tutorial that will help even the most inexperienced user find free company and industry information on the World Wide Web.

Did you know Canton Public Library's three public-use copy machines also double as document scanners? Because the machines have auto sheet feeders, they are great (and fast) for scanning and saving multi-page documents in either pdf or tiff format. You'll need to have an email address, because scanned files are sent electronically to the email address(es) you enter. The Copy Center also offers two letter-size flatbed scanners, which work well for photos and other graphics because you can save your scans in the popular jpeg or a variety of other formats. The flatbed scanners also have OCR (optical character recognition) capabilities, which allow you to scan text pages that convert easily to Word documents so you can edit them. There is no fee to use any of the Copy Center scanners.

TIECon Midwest 2009 will take place Friday, October 23 at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, MI. The conference is designed for entrepreneurs who "think creatively, innovatively and resourcefully to create their own future regardless of economic conditions and uncertainties."TiECon Midwest 2009 will focus on four vertical educational tracks including: Cleantech, IT, Healthcare and Emerging Concepts.

Great book called "A Gift"  gives excellent pointers on setting goals, changing your self-talk, believing in yourself and taking control of your time and your life.  Along, with many other tools that we have and can use to make our dreams come true.  The book relates to a winning, goal-oriented organization and one that was filled with heart, which is the gift of "Arbonne".   From first hand experience Arbonne has great products.  If interested check it out for yourself and here's the website:   arbonnewisconsin.myarbonne.com.

The Michigan Helping Hand site helps Michigan citizens facing economic hardship find the services they need. You can find information about jobs and training, unemployment benefits, health care, family support and housing. CPL has also put together (along with other members of the Metro Net Library Consortium) a checklist to help those that are facing unemployment and feeling overwhelmed by the recession. Tough Times - Library Lifelines is a list of resources to help you: file for unemployment, find affordable health insurance, find a new job, keep your home, maintain and repair your credit plus find additional assistance.

Our Job Resource Center from Newsbank lists current Detroit area job openings. You can browse the entire listing or search for a specific job. This database also offers various job hunting help, including resume and interviewing tips.

From resume and interview tips to job search tips, Comcast.net's jobs site can help you get ready for your next exciting job position. Even the message boards can be helpful. One response to a job search question asking for work at home jobs listed the "world wide work at home" website which gives info, job listings and resources leading to a work at home job. Click on Comcast.net jobs to get started.

Are you a passionate young person who wants to help the environment? Why not become an environmentalist? Check out these books on what an environmentalist does for the planet. Also, take a look at this eMagazine called Young Environmentalists for resources, tips and advice on making the planet a healthier place to live.