ALA Continuing Education

ALA Continuing Education launches sustainability course in partnership with Sustainable Libraries Initiative

CHICAGO — The American Library Association is pleased to announce a unique new learning opportunity offered in collaboration with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative. Sustainable Librarianship: Core Competencies and Practices will provide library staff with access to expert instruction on the subject.

Registration is open and the course begins on Feb. 13. The course is four weeks long.

Classifying and fixing dirty data

CHICAGO — Problems associated with dirty data lead to massive headaches for organizations both large and small across the globe. And though data quality issues are frequently discussed, what you will rarely hear about are pragmatic methods for fixing things. “Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data,” published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, draws on expert Susan Walsh's decade of experience in data classification to present a foolproof method for cleaning and classifying your data.

Journey through school librarianship using AASL’s Shared Foundation of Explore

CHICAGO — Published by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and ALA Editions, Sarah Culp Searles’s book “Explore” takes readers on a journey through the broad and varied territory of school librarianship, sharing resources, ideas, and trends to help along the way. This guide is designed so that readers can explore their practice on their own or with colleagues—so grab your compass, backpack, and boots and hit the trails. This book offers:

Disaster planning and preparedness for libraries

CHICAGO — The library is a vital information hub and resource provider every single day, and that’s doubly true when calamity strikes. In fact, libraries’ designation as “essential community functions” during disasters is now encoded in U.S. law. Engaging as a partner in planning and preparedness will build much-needed community support should disaster strike, and even a basic plan will also save library workers time and stress later on.

UX principles for library signage and wayfinding design

CHICAGO — Well-designed signage is clear, direct, and reduces confusion and frustration among library users and library workers alike—and also complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), bolstering accessibility. “Library Signage and Wayfinding Design: Communicating Effectively with Your Users,” published by ALA Editions, demonstrates how user experience (UX) design principles can assist libraries in creating positive, welcoming signage that communicates effectively and efficiently.

Ready-to-use lesson plans for scholarly research topics

CHICAGO — The world of scholarly research is uncharted territory for undergrads, but with the right approach you can quickly get them up to speed. With 33 time-saving lesson plans, Toni Carter’s “Introducing Scholarly Research: Ready-to-Use Lesson Plans and Activities for Undergraduates,” published by ALA Editions, will assist you in moving your instruction beyond basic skills to include topics such as how to use a library database and the reasons scholars use them, to why peer review is important. Inside, you’ll find:

A deep dive into information literacy research

CHICAGO — The last several decades have witnessed a deep and continued interest in information literacy. This interest has resulted in an extensive range of research being undertaken and a burgeoning corpus of literature created by academic researchers, library practitioners, and other researchers who explore information literacy through their own disciplinary lens. “The Qualitative Landscape of Information Literacy Research,” published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, describes this research landscape.

Using AASL’s Shared Foundation of Include as a roadmap for more inclusive spaces and practice

CHICAGO — Published by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and ALA Editions, Julie Stivers’s book “Include” brings together a chorus of school librarians, scholars, and students representing a wide range of races, ethnicities, experiences, and identities. Part of a six-volume series on the Shared Foundations in AASL’s National School Library Standards, this guide offers:

Quick copyright guidance for common situations

CHICAGO — Faculty, students, and colleagues come to you with copyright questions, both simple and complex. And they all want reliable answers—as fast as you can get them. With “Compact Copyright: Quick Answers to Common Questions,” published by ALA Editions, you’ll be prepared to deliver. Lawyer, copyright librarian, and iSchool instructor Sara R. Benson presents succinct explanations ideal for both on-the-fly reference and staff training.