CE NEWS
December 3, 2020
by Public Library Coordinator on 2020-12-03T12:49:00-09:00 | 0 CommentsTable of Contents
- 2020 Year in Review
- Budgeting for Libraries
- Key Findings from 2020 CE Survey
- Library Space Planning Guide
- Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss
- CE Calendar
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
2020-Year in Review
While every year may have a low point or two, 2020 has consisted of one distressing event after another. Many are calling it the worst year ever. Even as the year proved to be a real downer, librarians in Alaska rose to the occasion. They quickly and efficiently responded to the pandemic by shifting to virtual programming, adjusting service delivery models and leveraging their library's electronic resources. Collaboration and sharing have always been a hallmark of librarianship in Alaska. During 2020 librarians responded to unexpected closures and statewide mandates by pulling together. They shared their library mitigation plans, local sources of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hard to find cleaning supplies. They shared tips on how to install Plexiglass dividers, advice on supervising staff working from home and encouraged and supported one another when it all became too much.
In March, Library Development staff threw out any prior plans they had for trainings and focused all of their energy on meeting the immediate needs of librarians in Alaska. Our staff facilitated 17 webinars, 2 statewide meetings and 4 online workshops in 2020. The Alaska State Library purchased a subscription to Beanstack allowing public libraries to offer their community members the ability to participate in the online Alaska Reading Challenge. New online resources were created to address librarians need for information about COVID-19, Career & Employment Resources and Homeschooling Resources.
The Library Development website was revamped to make it easier to locate our staff's contact information, grant applications and guidelines, continuing education resources and information about services.
We would like to thank all of the people who helped us get through this challenging year by presenting or co-presenting during a meeting, training or webinar, developing content for the Alaska Reading Challenge, or testing our new website. Thank you!
- Jimmy King
- Miguel Figueroa
- Diane Kaplan, Jeff Baird
- Claudia Haines, Elizabeth Nicolai, Susan Jones
- Heather Kinzie, Jonathan King
- Janet Madsen, Samantha Blanquart, Sara Saxton
- Carol Race, Barbara Berg, Mary Rasmussen, Marylou Berg
- Kate Mullen
- Ryan O’Grady
- Daniel Cornwall
- Diane Foote, Becca Boland, Donna Block
- Andrew Sanderbeck
- Karin Peabody
- Amy Carney, Sandy Curtis, Cheryl Benedix, Jill Gann
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
Budgeting for Libraries
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the Alaska economy. As local communities grapple with revenue shortfalls many may be forced to cut programs and services. Now may be the perfect time to sharpen your library budgeting skills by registering for the online Budgeting for Libraries course offered through the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, part of the University of Georgia. The Budgeting for Libraries course is one of the six courses required to complete the Library Financial Management Certificate Program. Each course may be taken independently.
Below is a description of the Budgeting for Libraries course objectives from the Carl Vinson Institute website.
The online course is focus on the roles of the board and staff in the budget preparation process, estimating revenues and expenditures, projection of ending fund balance, budget justification, and budget monitoring.
At the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to:
- Recall the role of the strategic plan in budgeting
- Identify the importance of performance measures
- Recall a typical library budget process
- Recite how fund balance evolves and its importance in budgeting
- Identify supporting scheduled to support a budget request and prepare budget justification
- Recall the importance of revenues to the budget process
- Recall how to monitor the budget
If your library doesn’t have the funding necessary to cover the registration required for this course, you may want to complete a CE grant. Each library outlet is eligible for up to four CE grants which may be used by the director and library staff attend virtual conferences or online training. Each CE grant may be used to reimburse up to $300.00 in actual continuing education costs training.
Key Findings from 2020 CE Survey
Every two years, the Alaska State Library conducts a Continuing Education (CE) Survey to determine the training needs of Alaska librarians and library staff. The 2020 CE Survey was conducted in January and February of this year, but we weren't able to circle back and review the results until now. Below are some key findings from the 2020 CE Survey.
The majority (68.22%) of 107 librarians who responded to the CE Survey are public librarians.
61.68% of respondents have more than 10 year of library experience. 47.78% identify their primary role as Librarian/Section Manager. 33.33% identify their primary role as Library Director. 42.99% have a Master’s degree in Library Science.
CE Providers Ranked by Preference
1st-Alaska State Library
2nd-State, regional, or national professional associations
3rd-Professional library association courses
Educational Format Ranked by Preference
1st-Hands-on seminars
2nd-Conferences (in-person)
3rd-Self-paced learning
4th-In-service training
5th-Webinars (live or recorded)
How Respondents Learn about CE Trainings and Annual Attendance
62.96% responded that they learn about Alaska State Library CE trainings via email.
51.85% responded that they learn about trainings through the Friday Bulletin.
71.60% of respondents reported that they attend Alaska State Library sponsored CE programs 1-2 times per year.
Barriers that Prevent Respondents from Attending CE Trainings
55.85%locations are not convenient
48.05% times are not convenient.
41.56% staffing needs at the library preclude their attendance.
CE Training Respondents Feel They Need to Take:
20.29% Technology Competencies.
18.46% Customer Service and Community Outreach.
18.18% Planning and Data Collection.
Top Three Topics Respondents Want to Know About for Each of the Above Trainings
Technology Competencies
- Web design & development
- Wi-Fi issues
- Networking, security & privacy
Customer Service and Community Outreach
- Managing the library to enhance user experiences
- Develop library partnerships
- Developing online tools to engage and provide services to users
Planning and Data Collection
- Grant writing
- Collecting & using statistics
- Conducting community assessments, environmental scans, and creating surveys
CE Training Respondents Want to Take
54.93% Collection Development.
44.12% Leadership.
43.94% Planning and Data Collection.
Top Three Topics Respondents Want to Know About for Each of the Above Trainings
Collection Development
- Weeding the collection
- Cataloging
- Acquisitions & processing
Leadership
- Communicating and aligning others around a vision and strategy for the future
- Developing personal leadership abilities
- Anticipating and leading change
Planning and Data Collection
- Grant writing
- Collecting & using statistics
- Conducting community assessments, environmental scans, and creating surveys
Library Space Planning Guide
James M. Lonergan, Director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) shared the following information about Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians, a new resource guide designed to help librarians who are planning new or reconfigured public library spaces.
"Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians creates a formal set of best practices for designing library space that may be applied to libraries across the nation. The guide empowers librarians, administrators, space planners, and architects with tools for the planning and design of public library buildings. It takes the user through the step by step process of determining what to consider when designing a new library for their community, and includes illustrations of different room types, shelving, and seating that can be considered for a building project." The guide is freely available to download.
To learn more about Library Space: A Planning Resource for Librarians attend the December 10th webinar scheduled at 9am. Presenters include Lan Ying Ip (Sasaki), Lauren Stara (MBLC), and Andrea Bunker (MBLC). Join webinar
Webinars You Don’t Want to Miss
Tools and Ideas for Independent Reading for All Students …Anywhere, Anytime
Shannon McClintock Miller will share tools and ideas for accommodating the needs of all learners in unique and creative ways. She will explore ways to use apps in concert to support learners who are in remote or hybrid learning models. Practical tips and commonly accessible platforms like Google will be incorporated.
Monday, December 7th at 11:00 am
Rural Library Summit: Accelerating 3rd Grade Reading Outcomes in Rural Places
Research has shown that children who read on or above grade level in third grade triple their chances of attending college. The Summit will explore how libraries can grow their impact on third grade reading leveraging community support and resources. During this half-day event, participants will learn about and connect with a range of opportunities with regional and national organizations, including the newly launched Rural Library Fellowship.
Thursday, December 10th at 9:00 am
Libraries & Public Media: Family Engagement to Advance Young Children’s Computational Thinking
Computational thinking (CT) is now a recognized 21st century literacy that even young children need exposure to. This webinar is for libraries interested in CT programming for families. It presents seminal work conducted by public media, libraries, researchers, and CT experts to determine what CT skills 4- and 5-year-olds are capable of, develop resources to support those skills, and pilot family engagement in libraries. Presenters are from the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library in MS, GBH Boston, a leading producer of educational STEM media and Alaska's very own Claudia Haines of the Homer Public Library.
Tuesday, December 15th at 8:00 am
CE Calendar
To see all of the free training opportunities available in December visit the CE Calendar.
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