Library Love Comes with Special Notes, Free Ice Cream and Bilingual Job Seekers Meeting Employers in Santa Barbara
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Job seekers who can speak two languages, preferable Spanish, came together for some possible employment opportunities Thursday at the Eastside Santa Barbara library.
The job fair was specifically tailored for employers actively seeking bilingual and Spanish-speaking jobseekers.
Meet representatives will be on site. They have positions to fill, some immediately.
Maegan Boyce with Community West Bank said, “we pride ourselves on relationships within the community, relationships within the bank and really investing in our community and our team members.”
She said, the library was a convenient and welcoming place for community members to gather. “A lot of times it will at UCSB or a job fair (at other larger sites), but to be at a community library is really special.”
They were ready to meet a potential employee face to face. “Right now we have a position in our Goleta banking center so it would be phenomenal to have someone who is bilingual.”
Employers Include:
1Heart Caregiver Services
La Bella Rosa Bakery
AppelOne Staffing
MarBorg Industries
CA Dept. of Social Services Community Care Licensing
Momentum Work, Inc.
City of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Clerk-Recorder
Community West Bank
Santa Barbara Police
County of Santa Barbara Human Resources Department
Santa Barbara Public Library
Crossroads Staffing, Inc.
Storyteller
Goodwill Mission Services
UCSB
HC Assetco LLC dba Hotel Californian
United States Postal Service
Hilton Santa Barbra Beachfront Resort
US ARMY
The library site is one of the many expanded used for the library properties and its services.
Besides books the library locations are resources for community events, meetings, seminars, and a library card can also get someone access to museums, state parks and ebike rides.
New library card requests in the month of February with that promotion, in Santa Barbara, spiked to 900. That was just at the main library downtown, the eastside and Montecito branch.
There were also special boxes around the town for people to write notes to the library staff or share their experiences. Over 1000 came in. Lauren Trujillo is the Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation. She said, “we had 60 boxes all over the community. We had over a thousand cards come in from children to grandparents to family member to teens, it’s been incredible!”
The staff said it was emotional to read. “I think we pulled a heartstring and people wanted to express not just their love, not just what the library does for the community but for the special people behind the desk and behind shelves to make the library run.”
They will be closely looking at the responses and possibly getting ideas for future projects, based on the feedback.
The new Library plaza is open and has some tables and chairs for people to spend time in a partnership with the group “Friends of State Street.”
In April an Italian festival will take place in the plaza and literary events are coming up this month.
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