Introduction to Critical Information Literacy: Promoting Social Justice through Librarianship eCourse
ALA
April 10, continuing for 5 weeks
Fee $225.00
Librarians have a long history of fighting for social justice, and today the need to continue the fight seems as strong as ever. You may find that members of your community are eager to get involved as well, but how can you help them? How can you provide them with resources that you know are unbiased, reliable, and accurate? In this new eCourse, information literacy expert Dawn Stahura will show you how. Together, you’ll look at instruction sessions through the lens of critical information literacy, discussing the inherent biases and systemic oppression in how information is disseminated and processed. Stahura will provide you with useful strategies to incorporate the process of knowledge creation into your instruction sessions, while highlighting the racial disparities found in publishing. Register
Free Lexile Workshops for Educators and Librarians Coming this March!
Minnesota State Library Services
In partnership with MetaMetrics (developers of the Lexile Framework), the Minnesota Department of Education is offering free professional development workshops across the state. Lexile measures are the most widely adopted reading metric and are used to connect students to reading materials that match their unique abilities. Lexile measures are reported on the MCA-III for grades 3-8 and 10, as well as on the OLPA. The workshops cover a number of topics including strategies for applying Lexile measures in the classroom and provides an overview of free Lexile resources and tools. CEUs will be available at the workshops. To register, visit https://goo.gl/forms/4ALIEDzawqzCyDH33. View the flyer in your internet browser here. Please contact Margarita Alvarez, Test Development Supervisor, Statewide Testing, Minnesota Department of Education with questions about the workshops.
Web Design Basics for Librarians eCourse
ALA
April 3, continuing for 4 weeks
Fee $175.00
HTML elements are the basic building blocks of every webpage, so a little coding skill can yield big gains in effective communication and efficient website maintenance. With basic HTML skills, you can add links to your press releases, customize your Facebook page, or update your library’s website.  Even if you work with rich text editors in a content management system, fundamental web design principles will give you better results.  Once you know the basics, you can deepen your contribution to the web team with skills in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and JavaScript. Diane Kovacs, an experienced web designer and online instructor, will show you how to design attractive, clear, and accessible webpages and give you the foundation for learning more. Register
Project Management Fundamentals for Librarians
ALA
April 17, 12 week course
Fee $500.00
Do you have trouble staying on top of a project? Seeing it through from start to finish? This advanced eCourse will provide you with essential strategies and techniques to successfully oversee projects from their initial proposal to completion. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of several project management tools and processes that will help you stay on task and on schedule. You’ll learn about management styles, institutional constraints, project life cycles, stakeholder management, scope definition, risk assessment, project planning tools, team management, and more! You’ll gain practical experience through assignments and interaction with the instructor and your fellow students. In twelve weeks, you’ll enhance your skill set and attain a solid foundation in project management. Register
Dealing with Challenging Patrons Workshop
ALA
April 12, 1:30pm Central
Fee $60.00
Every library employee encounters challenging patrons and users from time to time. Whether it’s a troublesome group of teenagers, a loud patron, an angry or even dangerous person, the experience of dealing with someone unpleasant is common for staff in libraries of just about all sizes and types. In this workshop, library safety and security expert Dr. Steve Albrecht will show you how you can deal with these patrons effectively, efficiently, and without creating major disruptions in your library environment. Library employees at all levels will learn strategies for dealing with such patrons and effectively defusing challenging situations. Register
Behind the Scenes: SLJ in Conversation with Top Children’s Book Editors
School Library Journal
March 9, 3:00pm Eastern
Join Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal‘s reviews manager, for a rich conversation with four editors and publishing insiders, Jennifer Brown of Alfred A. Knopf, Jean Feiwel of Macmillan, Deirdre Jones of Little, Brown Books, and Namrata Tripathi of Dial Books. They’ll discuss finding great new talent, cultivating relationships with authors and illustrators, and how they feel about award season buzz. Each editor will also offer a special sneak peek at several upcoming titles. Register
How to Implement a Digitization Program eCourse
ALA
March 6, continuing for 4 weeks
Fee $185.00
Digitization is a rapidly growing area of librarianship. Whether you’re a community repository or you need to digitize old materials to save space, the ability to start a digitization project is becoming an essential skill for the modern librarian. In this eCourse, Susanne Caro, a former state documents librarian and digitization expert, will show you what you need to get started if you are new to digitization. Through hands-on exercises and instructor interaction, you’ll learn about how to assess different materials for digitization as well as how to get buy-in and resources for your project. You’ll become familiar with different tools that can help you do the work. Register
Panel Discussion: New Graphic Novels for Your Library
Cisco
March 14, 1:00pm Central
Get the scoop on the latest youth and adult graphic novels and comics in this free, hour-long webinar. Representatives from DC, Macmillan, and IPG share upcoming titles from their catalogs, perfect for refreshing this high-circulating section. Moderated by Graphic Novels Editor, Sarah Hunter. Register
The 5 Essentials for Creating Community-Centered Libraries
Library Journal
April 19, continuing for 4 weeks
Fee $349.00
Join peers from around the nation and beyond to hear from leading library directors doing innovative work to learn why and how librarians are taking advantage of powerful community engagement tools and—more important—applying what they learn to create highly collaborative, people-centered libraries and communities. This deep dive online course is designed to impact all staff and stakeholders from front line staff to the director’s chair. We’ll provide a step-by-step guide to turn your community engagement ideas into a powerful roadmap for setting direction, measuring outcomes, and leading your community. Register
Visualizing (and Finding!) Funding for Libraries
WebJunction
February 28, 3:00pm Eastern
This webinar will introduce participants to a dynamic and freely available data-visualization tool, Visualizing Funding for Libraries that enables library professionals and supporters to search for institutional funding for libraries at national, state, and local levels. Participants will learn pro tips on navigating the tool and as well as next steps on how to pursue new funding opportunities. Data visualizations such as maps, network constellations, and partnership pathways showcase key networks of funders and recipients, as well as individual grants that highlight the library services and programs that are winning grants. Visualizing Funding for Libraries is a Knight Foundation News Challenge winning project. Register
Spring YA Announcements
Cisco
February 28, 1:00pm Central
Get a sneak peek of forthcoming YA titles in this hour-long, free webinar, featuring representatives from Macmillan Children’s Publishing; Flatiron Books, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin’s Griffin, imprints of Macmillan Publishing; Bloomsbury, Diseny Book Group, and Greenhaven Publishing Company. Register
