professional development Archives | Page 2 of 34

COVID-19 Webinar: Considering Copyright during a Crisis

April 6, 2020

In an April 3 American Libraries Live webinar, Libraries and COVID-19: Considering Copyright during a Crisis, several panelists discussed how libraries can address these challenges and share practical tips and information about which digital content providers have loosened restrictions on their materials during this pandemic. Panelists included: Lesley Ellen Harris, CEO of Copyrightlaws.com Jill Hurst-Wahl, associate … Continue reading COVID-19 Webinar: Considering Copyright during a Crisis →

Libraries and COVID-19 Webinar: Providing Virtual Services

March 25, 2020

Note: This event has filled up, but please check back Friday, March 27 for the recording of this webinar. Panelists include: Jason Griffey, director of strategic initiatives at NISO Francisca Goldsmith, consultant at Library Ronin David Lee King, digital services director at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Lindsey Gervais, digital pedagogy specialist at Gale … Continue reading Libraries and COVID-19 Webinar: Providing Virtual Services →

Free Webinar: Libraries and COVID-19

March 18, 2020

They’ll discuss lessons learned during the initial response and how they are continuing to provide important services as public facilities close and commerce slows. We’ll also speak with mindfulness and mental health experts about how library workers can manage stress and anxiety during this ever-evolving situation and how they can disseminate these strategies to their … Continue reading Free Webinar: Libraries and COVID-19 →

A Librarian’s Good-Bye

By Karen Muller | June 3, 2019

In 1970, I was working in book receipts at Boston Public Library and just beginning to consider library school when I expressed an interest in cataloging during a coffee break with colleagues. Bill Crowe, who became dean of University of Kansas Libraries, suggested Cataloging USA, by Paul S. Dunkin, published by the American Library Association … Continue reading A Librarian’s Good-Bye →

Connect to Connected Learning

By Linda W. Braun | May 1, 2019

“Library staffers still are uncertain what the [CL] framework actually encompasses and how to integrate it into library services for and with teens,” says Lance Simpson, youth services director at Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Public Library. Simpson is a member of the project Transforming Teen Services: A Train the Trainer Approach (T3). A joint endeavor of the … Continue reading Connect to Connected Learning →

Minding Professional Ps and Qs

By Lindsay Gypin | January 28, 2019

“The whole point of professional etiquette is that you want to make the other person feel comfortable,” Calvin said. The pair discussed three aspects of etiquette geared toward making other people comfortable in a work environment: professional attire, professional communication, and professional dining skills. Determining how to dress in a new work environment can be … Continue reading Minding Professional Ps and Qs →

To Move Forward, Look Back

By Meredith Farkas | January 2, 2019

I’ve similarly struggled to develop a regular practice of reflecting on my work, though I can now see why it’s so valuable. Reflective practice is the act of looking back on what you did so that you can learn from it and inform what you do in the future. Many of us do this informally … Continue reading To Move Forward, Look Back →

Advice for Every Phase

By Greg Landgraf | November 1, 2018

We talked with Sara Kelly Johns, retired school librarian, online instructor, and school library activist; Kathryn Kjaer, head of library human resources at University of California, Irvine; and Jill Klees, career consultant to students and alumni at San José State University School of Information. Finding a Job Don’t neglect networking. According to a 2016 survey … Continue reading Advice for Every Phase →

11 Tips for Meaningful Networking

By Terra Dankowski | November 1, 2018

How do you make networking effective and meaningful for your career and community? Library professionals affiliated with the American Library Association’s (ALA) New Members Round Table (NMRT) share their strategies for connecting with colleagues and building relationships. 1) Get in the mindset. “You have to go in looking for a positive interaction,” says Athanasia Fitos, … Continue reading 11 Tips for Meaningful Networking →

Getting Advice

By Zoë McLaughlin | November 1, 2018

Here are some people and resources to consider when building connections for your job search: Career centers. Your school’s career center is an obvious first stop. It can be useful to learn if the center’s staffers have certain specialties. For example, someone may be well versed in interview preparation, while another person may be better … Continue reading Getting Advice →

Community Colleges of Spokane (Wash.) librarians Melinda Martin (left) and Heather Morgan at an Assessment in Action RoadShow delivered to community college librarians in Washington state.

On the Road Again

By Chase Ollis | July 18, 2018

The program offers daylong, immersive workshops in a variety of disciplines that can be brought to institutions around the world upon request. Led by experts in the field, these traveling workshops help academic librarians learn new skills and strengthen existing competencies to tackle the greatest issues facing the profession today. The program reaches hundreds of … Continue reading On the Road Again →

Finding the Right Fit: The Mentorship Search

By Kate Thompson | June 25, 2018

Reflecting on her experiences, University of Notre Dame digital research and outreach librarian Mandy Havert began the session with brainstorming different parts of the mentorship relationship, asking us to “get to the ‘why’ of mentoring” and ask ourselves “What do I want to learn? What will I do with that knowledge?” and “Who can help?” Whether within … Continue reading Finding the Right Fit: The Mentorship Search →

Latest Library Links

16h

Emily Temple writes: “As you might have heard, on [June 24], the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, eliminating Americans’ constitutional right to an abortion and dragging the country back in time almost 50 years. If you’re looking for help making sense of it all, here are just a few recent pieces we recommend.” The list includes a recent New York Times essay by librarian and public intellectual Tressie McMillan Cottom (pictured).

LitHub, June 28; The New York Times, June 28
16h

Liz Mineo writes: “Collections at Schlesinger Library at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute document the abortion dispute in the US, providing rich historical and political context and offering insights into the evolution of one of the nation’s most stubbornly polarizing issues. The holdings of Schlesinger, a research library on the history of women in America, include archival materials that chronicle the dispute from both the abortion rights and the anti-abortion movements, said Jenny Gotwals, Johanna-Maria Fraenkel Curator for Gender and Society there. Among them are photographs, records of abortion-rights organizations, posters of anti-abortion advocates, and personal letters of women asking for help to terminate their pregnancies, as well as personal papers and documents of anti-abortion activists.”

Harvard Gazette, June 28
16h

Laura Sackton writes: “These days I cannot get short stories into my bloodstream fast enough. There are so many! More come out every month! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with non-queer short story collections, but as someone who grew up hungering for queer lit, this current abundance is especially satisfying.”

Book Riot, June 28
16h

Madeleine List writes: “Parents who attended an LGBTQ-themed storytime at a Wilmington, North Carolina, public library say members of the Proud Boys protested outside and entered the building during the event to antagonize them.… ‘I was starkly nervous that they were in the building,’ one parent said. ‘I definitely felt unsafe at that point. I never imagined that the police would allow them to go into the library.’”

Qnotes Carolinas, June 25
16h

Alisha Ebrahimji writes: “A library board in New York reversed its decision to remove all LGBTQ-related displays from its children’s section in four of its libraries during Pride Month after the removal was criticized. On [June 21], four out of seven Smithtown Library Board of Trustees had voted to remove all Pride material displays from the children’s section in its Commack, Kings Park, Nesconset, and Smithtown locations on Long Island.… On [June 23], however, the board met once again for an emergency meeting to talk about the ban, resulting in a reversal on a 4–2 vote. The Pride Month material will remain on display through July 15 and be removed afterward at the supervisory librarian’s discretion.”

CNN, June 24
16h

Brett Zongker writes: “Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that historian George Chauncey will receive the 2022 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. Chauncey is the DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University. He directs the Columbia Research Institute on the Global History of Sexualities. ‘Professor Chauncey’s trailblazing career gave us all better insight into, and understanding of, the LGBTQ+ community and history,’ Hayden said. ‘His work that helped transform our nation’s attitudes and laws epitomizes the Kluge Center’s mission to support research at the intersection of the humanities and public policy.’ Chauncey is the first scholar in LGBTQ+ studies to receive the prize.”

Library of Congress Blog, June 22
16h

Deanna Schwartz writes: “Authors are protesting Amazon’s ebook return policy, a system they say allows readers to ‘steal’ from self-published authors. Amazon’s current return policy for ebooks allows customers to ‘cancel an accidental book order within seven days.’ But, for some readers, seven days is more than enough time to finish a book and return it after reading, effectively treating Amazon like a library.… Those suggesting the read-and-return practice think they’re ‘sticking it to Amazon’ but in reality are only harming the authors, said Eva Creel, a fantasy writer who publishes under the name E. G. Creel. ‘I have my book available at the library. If somebody wants to read it for free, they can,’ Creel said.”

View more Latest Library Links