I Can't Register for Unemployment

A very frustrated patron approached the Newton Falls Public Library staff, saying “I’m trying to register for unemployment and the site is saying I already have an account. I don’t remember doing this.” Unfortunately, at that time, the staff members were not able to resolve the situation, and he went home planning to phone the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (JFS).

While attending a Project Compass workshop, a staff member learned what may have caused this problem. When a client registers by phone with JFS an account is created. A selection may be made to access that account by mail and phone and/or online. If the former option is the one chosen, the account cannot be accessed through the Internet and the client will need to phone JFS.

The library has numerous books to assist job hunters including Guide to Internet Job Searching by Margaret Riley Dikel and Frances E. Roehm, Expert Resumes for People Returning to Work by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark, and You're Hired!: secrets to successful job interviews by Sharon McDonnell.  Excellent free online resources are OhioOne Stop, Ohio Means Jobs and the Job & Career Accelerator at the Learning Express Library where more than five million up-to-the-minute local and national job postings can be found.  The Accelerator can be accessed by going to www.OhioWebLibrary.org, and selecting A+ LearningExpress. It is necessary to register as a user to access the information.

Later in the year, the library will also be offering Make It Work: job hunting, networking, & resumes. The program is for those still looking for a job or wishing to find a different one and includes how to network, job seek, and write a resume that will get you noticed.  The final session is a basic Word class that teaches how to create a resume using Word and is especially useful for those responding to those employers who wish to have resumes emailed. Anyone who is interested is asked to contact the library, leaving your name and contact information.

I Have This Shrub Growing in My Garden...

“I have this shrub growing in my garden,” said the Newton Falls Public Library patron, as she showed a small branch to the library staff member. “Can you help me figure out what it is?” The branch had small white flowers, about an inch long, growing in pairs from a single stalk. The leaves were opposite of each other, rather than alternating.

The library has numerous books about trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, but sometimes using the Internet can be easier for trying to identify things.  We Google searched the terms “shrub paired white flowers opposite leaves” to see what sites were suggested. The first site was thefreedictionary.com with the definition of honeysuckle. We also tried limiting the search to images, to see if any of the photographs matched our patron’s plant.

Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission’s website has a section on Eurasian Bush Honeysuckles. From the descriptions of the various honeysuckles, it appears that our patron has either a Morrow or Amur bush growing in her garden. North Carolina Wildflowers

by Jeffrey S. Pippen has a photograph of the Amur, which are described as having leaves with a “drip tip.” The one belonging to our patron has a more gradually decreasing tip. The Winter Honeysuckle on this page also looks similar, but the leaves are more rounded. The Ohio Department of Natural resources website has photographs and a factsheet about the Amur, Morrow & Tatarian Honeysuckle. The photograph and description confirm that our patron’s shrub is a Morrow.