Job Seekers Turn to the Library During Drop-In Hours 

Kathleen Kennedy, the Library’s career and personal finance specialist, says a new year is a good time to pause and reflect on our lives, including our job status. 

“Is it time to find something else when it comes to our bread and butter?” Kennedy asks. “To step back, take a look, and figure out: Have I stayed too long in my current position? Do I want to try a whole other area?”  

Acting on these questions might lead to more training or education, especially if you have been out of the workforce for a while.  

“For example, I work a lot with people coming out of prison,” she says. “That’s where (they say), ‘Okay, I don’t want to go back. I want things to be different this time.” 

Each week, Kennedy offers drop-in hours for job seekers. She helps patrons write resumes, apply for jobs online, and prepare for interviews.  

Sessions take place on Mondays in-person from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bluford Branch, Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Central Library, Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the North-East Branch. You can also schedule a 30-minute or one-hour virtual appointment.  

Many people Kennedy helps at the Library have a hard time finding work because of gaps in their job history, lack of transportation, or unstable housing. 

So, she says she focuses on “really helping people to look at developing self in terms of professional capacity.”  

Kennedy works with about a dozen nonprofits in the metro area, such as Great Jobs KC, to help job seekers find extra support. In 2026, she also plans to connect patrons with additional pathways to employment, such as training and apprenticeship programs with local unions.  

“That’s one of the quicker ways, if you have fire in your belly for it," she says, "to move yourself out of poverty." 

She adds, “Folks are battling all kinds of heartaches. My job is to never push anything or to tell somebody you need to be doing this, but I want to make sure that I am helping people to avail themselves of all that is out there. So, I want to provide that education.”