Job hunting at the public library

MIDTOWN (WABC) -- It's no secret.

You'll find a wealth of information inside the New York Public Library.

Well, get ready to beginning a new chapter -- one that seems tailored made for these times.

When the nation is hemorrhaging jobs, 5, 6 hundred thousand a month and New York is particularly impacted by the declines, we have an increasing number of people who need help," explained Paul LeClerc, president of the New York Public Library.

The facility contains thousands of books, computers and one-on-one counseling.

It's where Fran Schulman spends her time, deciding after 10 years at her former company, it was time for a career shift.

She says one of the best finds was hoovers.com.

"You can dig deeper and find out about company, managers. It's a very expensive system, so I never could afford to subscribe to a system like this," Schulman said.

Similar programs exist at other branches, but things here at the Science, Industry and Business library have been taken up a notch.

Kevin Stone is relieved. He has a Master's degree, but things in the world of real estate dried up for him a year ago.

He's visited other centers with not much luck.

It's very frustrating and distressing because you feel like you are held hostage and overlooked because they don't know what to do with you," Stone said.

For those who haven't had to look for a job in awhile and may not be familiar with all the technological advances, reps from AARP and retired business executives are available to help.

Without the program, 58-year-old Elliott Abney says he'd be lost.

"This is my only place to have access to a computer. I can't afford to go to Burger King and places like that that charge a dollar for 10 minutes," Abney said.

Like everything else here, there is no fee. The price of doing things at the library.

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