Libraries, Archives, Museums: Professional Development Resources for Public Librarians: Home

FREE Training Programs

Alternative Basic Library Education (ABLE)
"Alternative Basic Library Education (ABLE) is a free, online learning platform that provides basic library knowledge and skills for library workers who have no formal education in library science."
Continuing Education
Micro-learning sessions from Maskwacis Cultural College (Alberta)
edX
edX has a selection on online courses specifically geared for public librarians. edX is non-profit created by founding partners MIT and Harvard with the goal of bringing the best in higher education to the world.
Library Learning Online
Provided by the Idaho Commission for Libraries, Library Learning Online has an excellent slate of self-paced training for library staff available any time they need it.
ORE Online: Reference Training Modules
The Ohio Library Council has created three online learning tutorials focusing on library marketing, references services and library orientation.
WebJunction
"WebJunction’s library-specific courses is available for free to all library workers and volunteers across the nation."

Funding

Locate grant and scholarship money for continuing education training.

Alaska State Library Continuing Education Grants

Library Associations

Join local, regional or national library associations and participate in the professional workshop opportunities that take place during their annual conferences.

Alaska Library Association
THE major conference for staff from all types of libraries in Alaska. Usually held the first weekend in March on a four-year rotation between Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and a smaller community. Conference and registration information is available from the AkLA website.
Association for Rural & Small Libraries
Each year ARSL offers a conference for library staff from rural and small communities that provides both practical advice, professional development and networking opportunities.
Library Conference Planner
Webmaster Douglas Hasty has created the ultimate library conference planning calendar.
Public Library Association (PLA) Conferences & Education
The Public Library Association (PLA) is one of the fastest growing divisions of the American Library Association. The biennial PLA Conference holds a reputation for excellence as the largest conference devoted to public library professionals.
Reference & User Services Association Online Learning

Library Jobs

ALA JobLIST
"JobLIST offers 24/7 access to current job postings from all library types and related organizations. Ads are searchable by library type, job category, location, keyword, and more for increased access to the perfect opportunity for you. "
Alaska Library Association-Jobs in Alaska
A list of current library vacancies in Alaska.
Pacific Northwest Library Association-Jobs
An extensive list of current library jobs in the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska.

Library Consultants

Library Consultants Directory

Online Self-Paced Tutorials

Take advantage of the many self-paced learning opportunities that exist online.

Digital Literacy Guide
A collection of tutorials, fact sheets and more to help you do more on the internet.
Catalogers Reference Shelf (CRS)
The Catalogers Reference Shelf is a one-stop reference resource for catalogers and technical service staff, providing access to 21 MARC manuals and other reference works published by The Library of Congress.
CodeAcademy
CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries
The 2012 edition includes information on eBooks.
Goodwill Community Foundation Technology
The Goodwill Community Foundation Technology website when you are looking for introductory tutorials on information literacy, emailing basics or various Microsoft applications.
Simple Book Repair Manual
"The web version of the Simple Book Repair Manual was created by members of Preservation Services, Dartmouth College Library. Copyright 1996 the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for copying and redistribution as long as this copyright notice is included."

Book Selection Resources
This list contains a list of book selection resources that may be helpful as you create your library's collection.

Getting Started with Library Customer Service
"In this self-directed course, learners will gain a beginning-level understanding of customer service in the library setting. This training addresses competencies within the Communication, Customer Service, and Ethics & Values sections of the Competency Index for the Library Field."
Legal Reference Tutorial
This self-paced tutorial is for non-law library staff who may provide reference services to patrons with legal or government questions.
Libraries Transforming Communities:Small, Mid-Sized and/or Rural Public Libraries
Models for Change series of webinars
Shelving with Dewey
This online self-paced course created by WebJunction "provides a great introduction for any library staff, assistants or volunteer needing to learn how to shelve items by the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system." You will need to create a username and password to access the course. WebJunction online courses are free to all library workers.

Distance MLIS

Webcasts & Archived Webinars

Library CE topics by subject
The Alaska State Library offers many resources and webinars to help educate and promote professional development for librarians across Alaska.
Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Archived Webinars
ALCTS webinars are freely available for viewing 6 months after the original presentation.
Booklist Online
Be sure and register in advance for the Booklist webinars, if you can't attend the scheduled webinar they will send a link to the recorded webinar.
Infopeople Archived Webinars
Take advantage of the extensive list of archived webinars which are freely available from Infopeople.
Library 2.0 Conferences
"Everyone is invited to participate in Library 2.0 conference events, designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among information professionals worldwide. Each three-hour event consists of a keynote panel, 10-15 crowd-sourced thirty-minute presentations, and a closing 30-minute keynote."
Library of Congress Webcasts
Library of Congress webcasts feature visiting authors and scholars discussing how they have used the primary sources available from the Library of Congress.
UW Madison Alumni Webinars
An extensive collection of archived webinars on various library topics made available by the Information School at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Blogs

Blogs are sources of continual learning. Find a few blogs that interest you and make time each week to read a few posts and share your comments wtih the authors.

The "M" Word Marketing Libraries
This blog follows current marketing trends and provides tips on effectively marketing your library.
Librarian.net
Jessamyn West is a library technologist. She describes herself as a user-focused librarian when working in libraries, and a library activist when she isn't.
Librarian By Day
Bobbi Newman describes herself as a blogger, a Tweeter and an international public speaker.
Tame the web: Libraries, Technology and People
"Michael Stephens, is an Assistant Professor at the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose University. His research focuses on use of emerging technologies in libraries and technology learning programs."

Contact me!

Kate Enge

she/her

Email Me

Contact:

907-465-2271

Professional Literature

ALA State of America's Libraries Fact Sheet
American Libraries Magazine
The flagship magazine for the American Library Association.
Library Journal
"LJ provides features and analytical news reports covering technology, management, policy and other professional concerns to public, academic and institutional libraries."
Public Libraries Online

Podcasts

ALOUD Podcasts
"These podcasts are recorded live in Los Angeles Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium as part of the award-winning ALOUD at Central Library speaker series presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles."
Free Library of Philadelphia Podcasts
Impressive collection of podcasts from their award winning author event series.
The Librarians Is In
"The Librarian Is In is the New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next."
OCLC Podcast
Focuses on online teaching, technology and trends.

Friday Bulletin

The Friday Bulletin is the electronic newsletter of the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums. Its purpose is to provide information on items of interest to archives, libraries and museums within the State of Alaska. It is also intended to provide Alaskan archives, libraries and museums with a window into the activities of their sister disciplines.

CE NEWS
Learn about opportunities to advance your professional skills.
Friday Bulletin: News from the Alaska State Libraries, Archives & Museum
This newsletter is published on the first and third Friday of each month.