The CNIB Library: Your Employment Resource
Are you looking for a new job, researching a company or brushing up on your resume-writing skills? Do you need on-the-job research material in accessible formats? The CNIB Library is an ideal place to find tips and resources. Read on to learn more about how the Library’s collection and services can help with your employment needs.
A comprehensive job-search resource
“We have books and other resources that cover everything from the very start of a job search to the very end where you might be preparing for an interview,” says Lindsay Tyler, Training and Outreach Specialist at the CNIB Library. “Plus, many people who use our Library do so for research on the job.”
Services are free to anyone eligible for service from CNIB. Registered Library users can phone (toll-free) or email the Library for assistance in finding materials during office hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm EST).
“Suppose you wanted an audio version of the classic career exploration book What Color Is Your Parachute? You could call our toll-free number and if you’re signed up for CNIB Library service, we’ll send it to you through the mail. It would probably reach you in a week. You could read it on your DAISY (Digital Accessible Information SYstem) player, and then send it back,” explains Tyler. (What Colour Is Your Parachute? is also available in braille and several other formats through the Library.)
The CNIB Library sends out approximately two million items a year through the mail and the Internet. For items that are mailed, Canada Post handles them postage free.
Digital tools for job hunters
The CNIB Digital Library is available around the clock to anyone registered with the CNIB Library who has a computer and Internet access. The Digital Library contains thousands of books, newspapers and magazines in a range of formats, including audio, electronic text and electronic braille.
The Digital Library allows users to browse the CNIB’s book, newspaper and magazine collection, read materials online or order items to be delivered in the mail.
Job hunters can also use the Digital Library to access searchable databases such as the Canadian Reference Centre. Updated daily, the Digital Library’s databases contain full-text Canadian and international magazines (such as Business Week, Career World, and Occupation Outlook Quarterly), newspapers and reference books.
Online databases represent “tools that people can use to search for information about a specific company or about an industry … for example, if someone was looking to work in finance, there are magazines specifically for people who work in finance … there are databases where we provide full-text access, not just access to the most recent issues but back through the years … so people can really research a company,” says Tyler.
The Digital Library contains a repository of job-related books, magazines and websites. A subject search on “employment” brings up titles such as 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions (format: electronic text or online digital audio) and Better Resumes in Three Easy Steps (format: electronic text). It also offers more than 50 local and national newspapers and magazines such as Maclean’s – all good sources of labour market information, business and careers news. Finally, the Digital Library contains links to Government of Canada career information sites.
Recommended resources
Do you have access to CNIB’s digital library? Tyler recommends the following resources for job seekers:
Available in online digital audio format:
- What Color Is Your Parachute? (2006) Call #: EA28515
- Resumes for Mid-Career Job Changes (2006) Call #: EA28556
- Going Back to Work: A Survival Guide for Comeback Moms (2007) Call #: EA26136
- The Don’t Sweat Guide to Your Job Search: Finding a Career You Really Love (2004) Call #: EA34317
- Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer Questions that Will Get You the Job (2008) Call #: EA35777
- The Hidden Job Market (2007) Call #: EA34500
- The Savvy Networker: Building Your Job Net for Success (2007) Call #: EA34621
Available in e-text format through NetLibrary (accessible to low vision users):
- Dynamite Cover Letters and Other Great Job Search Letters (1998)
- Guide to Internet Job Searching (2002)
- (and many more…)
Available in e-braille format:
- Get that Job! (2005) Call #: EI00163
Recommended websites:
How to connect
For more information about the CNIB Library, call 1-800-268-8818 or connect by email: reader.services@cnib.ca.
For an overview about the CNIB Library, see the CNIB website.
You can also surf the Digital Library as a guest to get an idea of what is available in the collection: www.cnib.ca/cdl