Talk Back: Answering questions about the library

At the Steele Memorial Library, we have suggestion boxes and always want to hear from you about what is working for you (or not) at our libraries.
Here we look into our suggestion box and see what you have to say—-

1. “I think you should add more adult stuff, like all these tables that are empty should be used for adult classes–
a. GED classes
b. Driving classes
c. How to do a resume
d. law library area
e. job skill training classes–how to get a job and how to keep it.
These are some of the things that should be done.”

Thank you for your suggestion! We agree these are things that are needed in our community.  We’ll take the list one-by-one to show you where to find these resources. Yes, you are correct about the empty tables upstairs. We were able to obtain new computer tables which freed up a lot of space on the second floor. For now, the old circular tables are empty.  People have been using them to spread out their materials for study, and one is dedicated to our community puzzle project.  We are in the midst of re-imagining this space to see how we can organize it to serve our community best.  Let us know what you’d like to see in this area, and we’ll keep you posted!

A. G.E.D. Classes:

While the library does not offer G.E.D. classes in-house, we can recommend that anyone needing information on G.E.D classes in our county can contact:

Adult Education at Greater Southern Tier BOCES (GST) – Bush Campus
Greater Southern Tier BOCES (GST)
459 Philo Road
Elmira, NY 14903

Main: 607-739-3581
Fax: 607-795-3704
Website: www.gstboces.org

In the meantime, we support students through offering books, computers, printers, internet, and free wi-fi. We also offer databases through our website such as lynda.com which offers continuing education for adults in a myriad of topics and subjects, and access to full-text articles from peer-reviewed sources, perfect for writing papers for school. Get to know our online databases by going to our home page, clicking on our resources tab, and clicking on Databases and E-resources.

B. Driving Classes:

If you go to our resources tab and click on our databases page:  https://ccld.lib.ny.us/databases/  and click on “Driver’s Education”, you can access free NYS permit practice tests.

AARP offers driver’s education classes at the library periodically. For times, registration, and more information, call 607-733-2788 to register through AARP.  For more info click here:  Elmira AARP classes

For more Driver’s Safety Classes in Chemung County, visit the Cornell Cooperative Extension site at:  http://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/community/getting-there/driver-safety-courses

C. How to do a resume:

We have a great database called JobNow! (Also under our resources tab, and databases page under “Career“). JobNow! offers resume live help, an option to submit a resume and get feedback later, resume templates and resources. Additionally, they offer job interview tips, online resources, and live interview help. Check out their Career Resources with a live job coach, career assessments, and more resume creation resources. Available free to our library patrons.

D. Law Library Area:

While we are a public library, not a law library,  we do have a collection of NY State Statutes on our back wall of the library, behind the biographies. We also offer some basic books on legal matters including Your Little Legal Companion, Every Tenant’s Legal Guide, The Most Valuable Personal Legal Forms You’ll Ever Need, and more!  To look for more legal books, including ones in other libraries in the STLS area (remember you can request any book in STLS’s 48 libraries to be sent to your home library for you to check out)  visit our online card catalog.  Some terms you could use to search with could include: Forms (Law), Law, and Legal. Remember to limit the search via the options on the left of your screen to “Adult Non Fiction.”

Elmira does boast an excellent law library. Here is a link to their site:  https://www.nycourts.gov/LIBRARY/6JD/Chemung/

Check out our blog on Local and Online Legal Resources.

E. Job Skill Training Classes:

Check out JobNow!  Under careers on our databases page.

If you’d like more training in a certain area, check out the classes on lynda.com, available through our databases page under Classes online

Thank you for any and all of your suggestions. Thank you for telling us what we do well, how we could improve, and what you would like to see.  Check back periodically for more Talk Back posts regarding suggestions we’ve received.  Let us help you get the resources you need for fun, career, and life improvement.