In the past year, the state of Washington lost nearly 100,000 jobs. Across King County people are feeling the economic pinch: layoffs, reduced hours, decreased benefits and mounting bills.

To help people cope and get back on their feet, the King County Library System is hosting how-to demonstrations of the latest job-search and financial tools, as part of its “Look to Your Library” program.

Issaquah and Sammamish Libraries will host a series of presentations by financial experts, employment analysts and career guidance specialists, from Friday, May 1 to Friday, May 8.

For the first week of May, area libraries will open one hour early, offering more than 300 extra hours of service.

During the first two hours every day that week, librarians will show how to find and use the library’s information resources to help cope with today’s tough economy, in four general categories:

• Just laid off? Find resources for job searching and financial assistance.

• Searching for a job? Explore the latest information sources and tools.

• Struggling small business? Find information, strategies and resources.

• Bills piling up? Get information about options and assistance.

All ‘Look to Your Library’ events are free and open to the public.

Full details are available at www.kcls.org.