When downsizing occurs, laid off workers are often steered towards outplacement firms that help them with job-hunting, resume writing, interviewing, and so on. A demonstration of Bartle Library resources in generally a part of such a service. The initial contact for this tour is arranged through Drake, Beam, and Morin, a local outplacement firm. The firm advises its clientele of the time and the place of the tour. In order to limit the size of the tour group to a maximum of ten, the firm requires tour participants to sign up ahead of time.
Tours tend to be cyclical, and usually revolve around layoffs.
There often is no interest in scheduling sessions for weeks on end, and then a flurry of activity will occur. It primarily focuses on non-print resources. Most, but not all, of the people who take the tour are fairly computer literate, and, though unfamiliar with our computer systems, they catch on quickly. As mentioned earlier, the tour group size is kept to a maximum of ten, as participants in the tours ask numerous questions and require lots of hands-on help. Useful information can be gleaned simply by reading the article abstracts.