The American Library Association (ALA) announced that Newtown’s C.H. Booth Library was selected for the second consecutive year to participate in Libraries Lead with Digital Skills, an initiative of ALA and the Public Library Association PLA, sponsored by Grow With Google, the tech company’s economic opportunity initiative.

“Really the timing of this couldn’t be better. Google has set up so many of its resources online, so this is a natural program to do virtually. Meanwhile, it is also a great way for people to polish up their skills and be able to add another certification to their resume, right when so much is uncertain,” said Amy Schumann, head of reference.

The program will run from July 8 to August 5, and will consist of a cohort of students working their way through Google’s prep courses for Google Suite Certification. After the completion, the grant will pay the fee to take the exam. Participants will meet up online once a week on Wednesdays for questions and advice. Attendees will learn how to use Sheets, Drive, Docs, Slides, and more.

“Libraries have long been America’s gathering place for learning. From learning new digital skills for the workplace, to creating a résumé or growing your business online, people are going to libraries as resources for professional growth now more than ever,” said Nicky Rigg, program manager for Digital Skills outreach at Google. “Grow with Google is excited to support library programs across the country to help ensure that economic opportunity exists for everyone.”

This program is funded by Libraries Lead with Digital Skills, which was created so that local libraries can combine their own program offerings with Grow with Google training materials to offer virtual community workshops or other activities aimed at empowering small businesses to grow online or assisting job seekers to prepare for and find work.