Libraries Help Veterans and Military Families Prosper

Libraries Help Veterans and Military Families Prosper

Public libraries have been supporting their communities for years and that service does not waver when it comes to helping veterans, returning service members, and military families. With the frequency that military families move, the complexity of reintegrating into the workforce, those that have served in the military face multiple challenges in adjusting to new locations and adjusting to life after their service. Public libraries near bases and in new at-home communities provide aid with issues like economic security, meaningful career pathways, financial literacy, and navigating benefits and retirements.

Libraries almost always have online resource guides easily accessible to those who need it. In addition, many offer in-person consultation sessions for those who need questions answered and hold specific spaces in the library for veterans and their families to use. They also network with diverse programs that specialize in different topics that pertain to veterans and their families from moving resources to help in obtaining career training and education. Local public libraries are extremely beneficial to veterans in their surrounding communities and make significant contributions to improving the lives and transitions of veterans and military families.

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Economic Security

Economic security encompasses a variety of issues from stable employment for veterans and their families to accessing resources that help veterans take care of their families like childcare. Means of obtaining economic security is also difficult due to the uncertainty of military life. There are high costs involved in the constant moving and many veterans and military families have trouble developing secure employment.

Meaningful Career Pathways

Forging meaningful career pathways and opportunities preserve the mental and emotional well-being of veterans. Not only does this make them feel fulfilled, but it also provides a sense of stability and security. These careers are created through proper education, training, and access to job opportunities, coaching, and resume resources.

Financial Literacy

Having knowledge of financial literacy and planning is vital in ensuring military veterans and families are being taken care of. Financial literacy is accomplished by understanding a variety of cost-associated obstacles and managing financial resources effectively.

Navigating Benefits & Retirement

Topics of benefits and retirement can be difficult for anyone to navigate. Library cards give veterans access to Brainfuse’s VetNow, an all-encompassing eResource that helps them search databases for information regarding careers, resumes, and benefits. The Brainfuse VetNow Navigator is especially helpful because it helps veterans and their families understand the benefits they are eligible for and, more important, helps them apply for these benefits. The database holds information over multiple eligible benefits from housing to healthcare to education.

Additional Help From Libraries

On top of being connections between veterans and resources, libraries also host and create a lot of events and programs that are designed specifically for veterans. They cater to both adults and children in military families. For example, plenty of interactive and free resources are available for children and teenagers. The Navy Digital Library houses endless audiobooks, magazines, songs, and interactive learning tools for kids of military families to use. Another example of library programming that helps bridge the gap for veterans is Community Conversations with Veterans which are partnerships with California libraries that are focused on engaging veterans and their families through community events. Libraries are continuously creating new ways to connect with veterans and ensure they and their families are welcomed in their communities.

Libraries, Core Components of Military Communities

Libraries are instrumental in securing and providing resources for the veteran and military family community. They are centers for outreach that connect veterans to support and tools all across the nation and within the local community. These resources become very important in helping veterans and their families transition whether they are being relocated or stepping out of military life. By ensuring that veterans have stable lives with options for careers they value and benefits they can access, libraries are helping veterans and their families adapt to civilian life. Libraries have worked to serve their communities for generations and the outreach towards military families is the stepping stone towards providing inclusive and conscientious services to their patrons.