CE NEWS

April 4, 2018

Table of Contents

• 2018 CE Survey Results
• Choose Privacy Week
• Privacy Tool Kit
• Small Library Institute of Management
• Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss!
• CE Calendar

2018 CE Survey Results

Last January, Alaska State Library staff conducted a statewide continuing education needs survey for library directors and staff in order to better understand the continuing needs of Alaska librarians. The results of the 2018 CE Survey will be used by Library Development staff to develop future workshops, learning opportunities and online resources.  Below are a few highlights from the 2018 CE Survey which was completed by 121 respondents, 62% who identified themselves as public librarians.

Experienced workforce

32.23% of respondents have been in their current library position for more than ten years and 60.33% have worked in libraries for more than 10 years.

Passionate Librarians

61% of respondents are working in libraries without an MLS degree. Indicating a passion for librarianship and the need to support ongoing continuing education opportunities.

Preferred Continuing Education Providers

1^st State, regional, or national association conferences;

2^nd Alaska State Library;

 3^rd Professional library association courses.

Preferred Continuing Education Formats

1^st In-person conferences;

2^nd Self-paced online learning modules;

3rd Hands-on seminars, workshops or institutes;

4^th Webinars

Areas respondents feel they most need to training on and the specific topic(s) in those areas they are most interested in.

Trustee Topics-Developing library policies

Adult Services – 21^st Century Programming

Children Services-Children’s Literature

Young Adult Services-Building collections that meet the needs and interests of young adults &  Programing for teens and young adults.

Choose Privacy Week

If your library is planning on participating in the American Library Association's annual Choose Privacy Week celebrated May 1-7, 2018 you may want begin planning your library programming.  Start with a review of the Choose Privacy Week Program Guide which contains a list of suggested displays, community wide reading events and discussions, film discussions and programs and workshops designed to help librarians inform community members about privacy issues and help them to understand how the loss of privacy fosters a chilling effect that may impact how community members use the library and seek information.   

Privacy Tool Kit

In 2005 the American Library Association created the Privacy Tool Kit  to inform, support and assist libraries in the development of privacy policies. In 2016, the American Library Association, the Office for Intellectual Freedom & Intellectual Freedom Committee updated the Privacy Tool Kit to reflect the significant changes in technology and social media which are impacting the privacy of users.

Anyone who follows the news, is aware that stories on data breaches, cyber-attacks and privacy concerns are all too common.  Retailers, insurance companies, hospitals and banks and local municipalities have been targets of data breaches exposing the personally identifiable information (PII) of millions of Americans.  Libraries have a responsibility to protect each patron’s right to privacy and confidentiality and should conduct regularly scheduled privacy audits, limit the amount of personally identifiable information (PII) they collect from patrons and have a privacy policy in place that includes the following:

• Notice & Openness-inform patrons of their rights to privacy and confidentiality and what types of information the library is gathering about them and how that information is used
• Choice & Consent- ask for and provide patrons with an  “opt-in” or “opt-out” choice on whether to provide personally identifiable information
• Access by Users-Provide users with the access to and the ability to update/correct their personally identifiable information

Whether you are looking for information on how to conduct a privacy audit, create or revise a privacy policy or implement a privacy policy the Privacy Toolkit has resources and information that can help.

Small Library Institute of Management (SLIM)

Deadline to apply for the Small Library Institute of Management (SLIM) is April 9^th, 2018

The Alaska State Library is pleased to announce that a Small Library Institute of Management (SLIM) will be held in Juneau at the Father Andrew P. Kashevaroff Building (APK) during the week of May 21-25, 2018.

The Small Library Institute of Management (SLIM) is an intensive weeklong workshop providing management and foundational library skills to library directors, without Master’s degrees in Library Science, which work in small community libraries in Alaska.

The SLIM workshop will cover the areas of library administration, management, policy development, collection development, copyright and patron confidentiality, reference services, youth services and technology planning. SLIM is a blended workshop combining an in-person workshop with a self-paced online course. During the workshop there will be many opportunities for participants to share their library experience, participate in informal conversations and network.

 Participants of SLIM will be reimbursed for their travel and receive a per diem for meals not provided during the workshop. Hotel arrangements for SLIM participants will be made by the Alaska State Library. Participants are required to stay in the arranged hotel and attend all scheduled sessions and events.

 For more information and to apply http://lam.alaska.gov/professional_library_development/2018_SLIM

Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss!

• A Librarian’s Guide to Solo Leadership: How to lead when you don’t think you have anyone to lead
• Make a Giant Leap for Patron Privacy: Prepare for Choose Privacy Week 2018 with a Free Webinar on Library Privacy Audits
• Fine Free Libraries-What, Why and How

CE Calendar

Check out the April CE Calendar for a listing of free webinars.