Last week, Brown Library announced an offer for free computer classes to the public.

The library recently received six new laptops — three from grant funding and three from funding, courtesy of Friends of the Brown Library. The laptops are being used to help those in the community, who are trying to find work, as well as those who need help using a computer to find work.

The computer classes are open to the public and aid participants in basic computer functions like turning the computers on and off, Internet searches and how to use email, among others. But more importantly, the computers will give those that come to the library in need of using a computer for job searches and making resumes, a means to do so without a time limit.

Community members that possess a library card in good standing with the library will be permitted to checkout the laptops and use them for an extended amount of time. The desktop computers available at the library allow members to use them for a limited amount of time, currently. So, obviously, the laptops will allow more members to use a computer at the library at any given time.

But the greater benefit offered at the library is the fact that those in the community, who are unemployed, now have more resources and time to search for jobs, benefitting the community, and ultimately, the state.

According to Labor and Economics Analysis Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce, the unemployment rates in 78 of the state’s 100 counties increased for the month of July. The state’s unemployment rate for July was 6.3 percent, and has increased five months in a row, according to LEAD data.

The jobless figures released by the state do not include unemployed people whose unemployment insurance benefits expired and who are not listed as unemployed. If those people were factored into the equation, the true jobless rate would be significantly higher.

With the continuous increase in unemployment rates, resources that local libraries like Brown Library offer are beneficial to those unemployed in their respective communities.

For those who are out of work and need help learning how to effectively use a computer to search for jobs, make a resume and correspond with potential employers via email, consider signing up for Brown Library’s free computer classes. For those who know how to use a computer but need access to one in hopes of bettering their job search, consider joining Brown Library’s membership and take advantage of an available resource.