Professional Development Opportunities

Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) have emerged as powerful tools that enhance and expand the role of libraries, empowering them to provide innovative services and experiences to their patrons. Delve into the myriad ways AI, VR, and other emerging realities intersect with library services and learn how libraries leverage these developments to redefine their work.

Learn some of the best time management principles to increase productivity and assess the value of tasks. Discover the benefits of creating goals and how productivity is tied to the ability to assess time and establish priorities.

This two hour live online class will introduce students to the basics of Dublin Core and describe and explain best practice in the field.

Libraries succeed by communicating successes and challenges through data. Explore how to maximize storytelling and data visualization techniques for qualitative data. Utilize communication narratives to create visualizations of complex information.

Both everyday life experience and a growing body of research show just how hard it is to determine the credibility of online sources. Traditional checklist approaches to evaluating websites (e.g., the CRAAP test) are ineffective, despite their continued prevalence. A more effective approach to quickly assessing the credibility of an online source is lateral reading. “Lateral reading” essentially involves quickly moving off of a webpage and learning more about a source from other online information. In this hands-on virtual workshop, librarians Andrea Baer and Dan Kipnis will introduce “lateral reading” strategies for online source evaluation. Participants will then practice lateral reading and reflect on how they can help students develop these skills.

ChatGPT and other generative AI tools have the potential to disrupt many librarians’ approaches to library instruction. Keep pace with change with information about specific generative AI tools and how to construct prompts to get effective results. Explore ideas for incorporating generative AI into information literacy instruction.

Project management is an essential skill set to achieve specific objectives, whether you are overseeing or participating in an initiative. Project management knowledge even applies to everyday work life, as we are often constrained to a finite timeline and budget and must work within teams. Entrenching a project management mindset as a team is important in achieving and maintaining strategic goals set forth by your organization. In this 2-part workshop, we will go over the foundations of project management and offer insights on managing the interpersonal dynamics and organizational culture that influences the effectiveness of any work we do. The examples and exercise will be based on various library projects undertaken in cultural heritage organizations.

While it is tempting to make simple changes to last year’s budget and leave tracking to the finance folks, a strategically managed budget is a critical component of a well-led library or program. Attendees will learn how to avoid common budget mistakes and prepare for budgeting challenges, along with real-world strategies for developing and managing library and program budgets. From funding requests and justifications to budget development and tracking, learn how to strategically craft and manage your library budget!

Take a journey through the ever-evolving landscape of science fiction and fantasy literature. Delve into the latest trends, emerging subgenres, and must-read titles that are captivating readers. Peek at blockbusters and hidden gems in these magical, out of this world and often thrilling two genres.