At a time when more than 300,000 Washingtonians are unemployed, the Washington State Library is offering an online resource guide to help them weather the current economic downturn.

The “Hard Times Resource Guide” makes job-related information and resources just a few clicks away on a computer, said Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people who are out of work in Washington, and many others are worried they might lose their job soon,” Walsh said. “The Hard Times Resource Guide can help them navigate and succeed in this difficult economy. It literally places lots of helpful information at someone’s fingertips.”

The link to the Hard Times Resources Guide is http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/hardtimes/ . The guide offers many categories. It offers tips on how to find jobs, develop resumes and interview skills, file for unemployment, manage money and finances, and find education and worker training information and resources. It also provides links to mortgage help and affordable housing, and even volunteering in the community.

According to the state Employment Security Department, Washington’s unemployment rate in July was 9.1 percent, with an estimated 315,853 (not seasonally adjusted) unemployed and looking for work that month.

Walsh said the state’s high unemployment rate means more people coming to libraries to use computers and seek resources

“When times are tough, people use libraries in search of help,” Walsh said. “The State Library and local libraries across Washington have been busy doing all they can to provide important information that will help these patrons get back on their feet.”

Walsh said that State Library staffers have spent the past several months compiling resources that are included in the online guide.