Libraries have been underneath fixed assault for 4 straight years—and that doesn’t even take note of how a lot has transpired on this planet of librarianship over the past decade. From COVID to AI, libraries have been weathering adjustments left, proper, and heart.
However how a lot have library employees been capable of spend money on themselves and construct their talent units throughout these (seemingly ceaseless) altering occasions? Maybe the reply isn’t a lot. That could possibly be as a result of time is brief and the work is lengthy. It could possibly be as a result of attending a category, workshop, or convention is costly. It could possibly be 1,000,000 different issues or any mixture therein.
As we enter the brand new yr—and one which guarantees to not be slowing down—it’s time to construct skilled improvement into your agenda and duties in an effort to do one of the best job potential in serving your neighborhood. Whether or not or not you’ve gotten a price range doesn’t matter. One in all these alternatives is freely obtainable whereas the second comes on the nominal price of $35.
READCON
READCON, also referred to as a curriculum for library Readiness, Advocacy, and Neighborhood Empowerment Throughout Difficult Circumstances, is a freely obtainable skill-building program that helps equip library employees with a variety of “soft skills” to assist navigate the present and future realities of library work. This system is meant to empower library employees.
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Developed via an Institute of Museum and Library Companies grant, READCON is an extension of the Get Prepared, Keep Prepared Neighborhood Motion Toolkit.
READCON incorporates six completely different broad matters for library employees to discover, both chronologically or via no matter pursuits or wants they discover themselves looking for. The matters embody disrupting censorship, disaster communication, the authorized panorama for library employees, civic engagement, battle communication, and a information to youth advocacy. Every matter was written by an knowledgeable in these matters and consists of a variety of actions meant to assist develop these talent units—quick movies, audio classes, key readings, and extra.*
The entire matters inside READCON may be completed solo or with a gaggle. For those who’ve obtained a couple of hours for skilled improvement in your library, select one or two of the matters inside READCON and run it for all applicable workers.
READCON is made obtainable at no cost and presents its content material in a number of languages for better entry.
The Authorized Panorama of Librarianship Discussion board
An offshoot from READCON is the upcoming Authorized Panorama of Librarianship Discussion board (L3), working February 18-20, 2025. The occasion, which prices $35, will train library employees to know their authorized rights as people and as workers throughout the library, in addition to the authorized rights of the establishment itself. It’s designed in order that library employees inside any enviornment—public, college, or tutorial—can’t solely be taught however have the chance to have interaction with the audio system to ask questions and get clarifications on authorized points as they relate to the library.
This closed, digital occasion is restricted to those that are at present working in public, tutorial, or college libraries, in addition to at present enrolled MLIS college students or these college students enrolled in a college librarian certification program. Every session of this system is obtainable a number of occasions over the course of the three-day occasion, which permits for limiting the variety of attendees in every session to 30. It will let attendees have the sorts of conversations and ask the sorts of questions that, too usually, they don’t get the chance to have. Not one of the periods will probably be recorded or saved.
Areas for this occasion are filling up quick, and librarians in states which have confronted (or might quickly face) important authorized challenges are particularly inspired to participate. Registration will shut both when each slot is stuffed.
If all for studying extra or to enroll, head to the L3 web site.
*Full disclosure: I wrote the curriculum for the subject of civic engagement. It consists of the place and the right way to do asset mapping, the right way to encourage civic engagement in your library, upping your public talking expertise, understanding and appreciating what your private/skilled values are, and extra.