The Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library is pleased to announce the launch of three new databases!

Brainfuse: JobNow 

The first, is Brainfuse JobNow™ – a versatile online service designed to support every step of the job search process. JobNow features live online coaches who, among other things, assist in resume/cover letter preparation, and help patrons prepare for job interviews. 

JobNow™ will be available to all library patrons from any home or library computer beginning now! To access JobNow™, please visit the library’s website by clicking this link.

JobNow™ provides live online assistance, powerful tools, and other resources for job-seekers. It features the following services: 

• Live Interview Coaching: Patrons can brush up on interview techniques or get live online interview practice from trained job coaches. Job coaches and patrons communicate via live chat in our online classroom. In addition to live interview coaching, patrons enjoy 24/7 access to interview tips and career resources.
• Resume Lab: Patrons can submit their resumes any time through the JobNow Resume Lab and a job coach will send it back within 24 hours with detailed feedback and suggestions for improvement. Users are also able to download resume templates, or browse resources for producing better resumes.
• Career Resources: Patrons enjoy 24/7 access to a carefully-selected library of job resources. In addition, Brainfuse job coaches help users strategically target jobs best suited to their interests and qualifications.
• Adult Learning Center: The Adult Learning Center provides foundational, career-enhancing skills to job seekers. In addition, the Adult Learning Center offers test preparation (including the GED and the USCIS citizenship test) and a unique academic skills center featuring live, online tutors.

About Brainfuse™
Brainfuse is one of the nation’s leading online tutoring providers, serving a diversified client base of libraries, school districts and colleges/universities for over 18 years. With Brainfuse, users receive real-time tutoring from instructors via our proprietary online classroom. We serve hundreds of library systems throughout the country, including the New Mexico State Library, the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, the San Francisco Public Library, the Sacramento Public Library, The Free Library of Philadelphia, and North America’s largest homework help program through the Chicago Public Library. For more information about Brainfuse services, please contact us at info@brainfuse.com.

Gale Business: Entrepreneurship

Additionally, the library is happy to announce two new resources made available through Gale Business. Medford residents now have access to Gale Business: Entrepreneurship, a free online database that covers all aspects of starting and operating a business, including accounting, finance, human resources, management, marketing, tax, and more. Combining authoritative periodical and reference content, novice entrepreneurs, as well as business students, have the guidance and resources they need to jumpstart their business development plans.

Gale Business: Entrepreneurship, from Gale, a Cengage Company, offers an intuitive interface providing multiple pathways to key information for both beginner and experienced entrepreneurs. Users can quickly learn how to start a business, write a business plan, craft a marketing campaign, launch a product and more.

Gale Business: Entrepreneurship features:

• Easy-to-browse homepage features four key business stages—plan, fund, start, and manage.
• More than 700 business plan templates
• Tightly-indexed collection of small business eBooks, 300+ journals and magazines, and directories listing thousands of associations, consultants, consulting organizations, trade shows, business information sources and more.
• Overviews, news, magazines, journal articles, and recommended web resources keep small business owners up-to-date on their industries.

New content is added daily so the latest information is never more than a click away. Additionally, the platform provides seamless user login, after authentication to Gale products, using Google Account and Microsoft Office 365 credentials, plus access to G Suite for Education and Microsoft tools including Drive, Docs, OneNote and OneDrive.

 When starting a new business, entrepreneurs need all the help they can get. Access Gale Business: Entrepreneurship is like having experts on call 24 hours a day. Created by subject experts and a librarian advisory board, this online resource is designed for success. Medford residents can access the Small Business Resource Center 24/7, on any device by clicking this link. 

Gale Business: Plan Builder 

 According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, as of 2018 there were 30.2 million small businesses across America that employ 58.9 million workers. This equates to almost half of the U.S. workforce. Those figures include local businesses in Medford. 

 Often startups and experienced business owners alike simply don’t know what kind of information they need, where to find it or how to get started. Now small businesses in Medford can take advantage of Gale Business: Plan Builder, an online resource, from Gale, a Cengage company, that turns the complex business planning process into a guided, step-by-step experience. It can be accessed by clicking this link. 

 Gale Business: Plan Builder is equipped with: 

• Business Planning Tools & Templates: Includes Lean Canvas, SWOT, Pitch Deck and more, to assist users in creating documents and other deliverables needed for starting, managing, and growing a business.
• Intuitive Dashboard: Shows the progress and completion of activities as it moves users through the entire business development life cycle. It even includes “Guide Me” contextual tips to assist with using the program.

For anyone who is new to small business ownership, this resource provides a gradual introduction to entrepreneurial concepts. For more seasoned business owners, the focus shifts toward activities to support the management and growth of an operation, such as getting a loan, seeking investors, buying new equipment, or opening a new facility.

 For questions or more information, please contact Zoey Mills at zoey.mills@minlib.net.