Professional Development Alliance: Register for October’s Professional Development Offerings
October 01, 2020
Autumn has arrived, and with it, so much professional development! We hope you were able to catch some of September’s PDA offerings, but if not, we have plenty more for you this month.
Related Note
Did you know that Atla posts all of its past webinars on our website for free? Check out our On Demand Learning page to see the archive!
ReadAtla is partnering with other library consortia and organizations to create a Professional Development Alliance (PDA). The PDA is dedicated to sharing professional development opportunities across the participating organizations. This new cooperative initiative multiplies the number and variety of online professional development opportunities available to members of each participating library organization.
As a pilot, each PDA-participating organization is sponsoring a no-cost, online professional development session each month that is being promoted to members of all participating library organizations. Sessions will cover a broad array of topics of interest to library professionals. Atla’s October contribution is “Librarians Across Disciplines: Mitigating Archival Chaos,” during which Archivist Caitlin Reeves Greenamyre of Columbia Theological Seminary will share the basic tools of tackling archival collections.
PDA offerings, including registration information, are included in the Atla events calendar, as well as down below.
October’s PDA Offerings
|
Session Title |
Description |
Date (CST) |
| Librarians Across Disciplines: Mitigating Archival Chaos |
This session seeks to equip librarians and library administrators with basic tools to gain control of archival collections. Particularly geared towards small theological libraries with minimal archival staff, we will discuss basic archival principles, and outline steps for inventorying, describing, and digitizing archival objects. Participants will leave with tasks that can be introduced into workflows to mitigate archival chaos. The realization that taking even the first step towards archival control will give attendees great confidence in tackling their “stuff” and advocating for institutional support. Outcomes:
|
Oct. 13 1 – 2 p.m. |
| Assessment of Student Learning in Academic Libraries | Given the intensified attention to assessment and accountability issues in the higher education sector, academic libraries, and librarians in the United States have felt increasingly compelled to demonstrate the value they bring to their colleges and universities. Opening with an introduction to assessment, in this session, we will explore how academic libraries have approached assessment in recent years as well as current practices and future trends in assessing and documenting learning. |
Oct. 14 10 – 11 a.m. |
| Transcending Meatspace: Virtual Reality Library Events via Mozilla Hubs |
Meatspace: the corporeal opposite of cyberspace. In pre-COVID times, our libraries were champions of building rich, collaborative programming in meatspace. But this far into our post-COVID reality, we’ve all developed an intimate awareness of the limitations of Zoom, et al. and the kinds of programming that fits (or doesn’t fit) into a web-meeting model of video feeds and flat screen shares. Two SCELC Member libraries experimented together to transcend meatspace by implementing virtual reality spaces powered by Mozilla Hubs. Both will share their experiences in projecting the best aspects of presenting in meatspace into cyberspace, and how you might do the same for your libraries. |
Oct. 19 1 – 2 p.m. |
| Teaching Information Literacy K-16 | The challenges students face when conducting research can feel overwhelming. In this presentation, Reference Outreach & Instruction Librarian Linda Mork, a former high school English teacher, K-12 media specialist, and academic librarian, will offer ideas about teaching concepts from the ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy in order to help students of all ages understand and navigate the information ecosystem and provide strategies to help move them past common research roadblocks. |
Oct. 20 1 – 2 p.m. |
| Demystifying Research and Publishing in Libraries | This discussion-based webinar offers guidance for academic library staff who want to conduct research and get published. The webinar comes from the perspectives of four librarian authors and editors who are at varying stages of their careers. Speakers will attempt to demystify topics such as developing research ideas and methods, conducting research projects, writing for your audience, intriguing editors with unique angles to your work, and more. Tips and tricks will be shared! Speakers will address a diverse range of publication types, from peer-reviewed articles to reviews and case studies. This webinar is designed for any and all library workers who want to explore pursuing research and publishing, including librarians going up for promotion, tenure, or review. Following the webinar, attendees will be provided with additional learning materials to keep. |
Oct. 22 1 – 2 p.m. |
| The Happy Place: Creating Positive Library Spaces Using Emotional Intelligence | Employee engagement can be challenging. In this fun and interactive workshop, participants will learn how to engage staff in meaningful ways while creating a culture of positivity and respect. Based on real life situations and years of communicating and working with staff, managers from Wake County will explore the key factors they discovered that contribute to a happy work environment. Participants will have an opportunity to share ideas that have worked in their organizations. |
Oct. 27 1 – 2 p.m. |
| Git and GitHub for Libraries | Git was built for programmers to keep track of changes to their code. GitHub was built for allowing programmers to share their code. But anybody can use this powerful and popular combo of software and platform, for writing, for building websites, and for collaboration. This presentation will explain the basics of using Git and GitHub, for an audience of non-programmers, using examples from libraries. |
Oct. 28 10 – 11 a.m. |
| Tips and Techniques for Facilitating Meetings Online | As libraries continue to work online or in a hybrid format, the need for well-designed and effectively facilitated meetings rises. Disorganized or poorly run Zoom meetings can lead to wasted time and frustrated teams. Attendees will learn techniques they can use immediately to plan for a meeting and develop a participatory environment where all attendees are proposing ideas and contributing to the meeting’s success. |
Oct. 28 1 – 2 p.m. |
Professional Development Alliance (PDA) participating consortia:
- ASERL: Association of Southeastern Research Libraries
- Atla
- BLC: Boston Library Consortium
- CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois
- LOUIS: Louisiana Library Network
- NC LIVE: North Carolina’s statewide library cooperative
- SCELC: Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium
- SEFLIN: Southeast Florida Library Information Network
New Initiative Aligns with Organizational Ends
This new initiative aligns with Atla’s new Organizational Ends adopted by the Board of Directors earlier this year, specifically OE 3, Librarians and information providers are growing in their competencies and skills, and OE 3.3, Librarian and information providers have access to professional development in technical and digital skills. This collaboration with other library organizations also supports the increased need of members for expanded learning opportunities given the recent shift to largely online operations at some institutions.
If you have suggestions on future webinars, send us your ideas.
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