On-Demand Webinars

On-demand webinars are archived recordings of previous PLA webinars available 24/7 for viewing at your convenience.

Click to view all PLA on-demand webinars currently available in the ALA eLearning catalog. Or view by topic:

As PLA transitions its webinar content to the new, centralized ALA eLearning site, some older on-demand webinars may be temporarily unavailable for purchase. However, many of PLA’s older on-demand webinars are free, each denoted with a green “Free!” icon below the title, and remain available here on the PLA website during the transition to the ALA eLearning site. If you’d like to purchase access to an older on-demand webinar, please contact PLA at plawebinars@ala.org and we will follow up with you when these products are available on the new eLearning site.


Most Recent: Freely Available

Data Tools for Library Groups and StatesData Tools for Library Groups and States
FREE on-demand ACRL and PLA webinar
Panelists: Sara Goek, Katina Jones & Gena Parsons-Diamond

ACRL and PLA staff discuss the data and assessment products, Project Outcome and Benchmark, and how they can help your group, consortia, or state library administrative agency. Libraries across the country use these tools for benchmarking, understanding trends, advocating for better resources, and assessment. Utilizing the group functionalities of these tools will allow you and your group’s member libraries to easily use peer data, standardized measurements, and robust interactive reporting tools to demonstrate the value of library programs and services. More…


Benchmark 101: Become a Data-Informed LibraryBenchmark 101: Become a Data-Informed Library
FREE on-demand webinar
Panelists: Renee Di Pilato, Sara Goek & Katina Jones

Benchmark: Library Metrics and Trends features interactive data visualizations that allow libraries to easily explore peer comparisons across a wide range of metrics related to library programs, services, and operations. Learn how Benchmark can support your library in everyday decision-making. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Benchmark’s interactive and user-friendly data dashboards and reporting tools for public library subscribers. These feature data from PLA annual surveys, the IMLS Public Libraries Survey, and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The visualizations make it easy to compare your library’s data to peer and national reference points. PLA staff and member leaders share examples of how libraries can use the data to unlock insights about performance, demonstrate value, and increase community impact. More…


Innovative Engagement for Libraries: Using Sport, Physical Literacy, & Wellness to Engage & Support Your Community
FREE on-demand webinar sponsored by Hiveclass
Panelists: Adam Shafer & Ili Erster

Research shows that participating in youth sports can lead to immediate and long-term benefits for youth, their families, and communities. While star athletes are few in between, and not every person has an inherent love for sport, it’s undeniable that physical activity and sports have an incredible ability to transcend boundaries and bring communities together. This one-hour webinar explores how libraries can leverage physical activity as a tool to engage with patrons. This webinar is perfect for children’s librarians, youth librarians, and anyone interested in learning about an innovative digital resource aimed at promoting equity and access to quality physical wellness education for all. More…


PLA 2023 Technology Survey: Free Information SessionPLA 2023 Technology Survey: Free Information Session
FREE on-demand webinar
Panelists: David Lee King, Julie Walker, Larra Clark & Katina Jones

Public libraries are key partners in bridging the digital divide. This free on-demand webinar provides an overview of PLA’s 2023 Technology Survey and covers why your library’s response matters. The survey explores current assets and emerging trends in public libraries, including technology capacity, resources for patrons, infrastructure, digital literacy, and staffing. Presenters share how results from the 2020 Technology Survey have been critical to advancing digital equity initiatives from the local to national level. The data gathered in 2023 will shed light on how the field has evolved in the past three years and help position libraries for new broadband funding opportunities in 2024. More…


Public Library Services for Strong Communities: Results from PLA’s 2022 SurveyPublic Library Services for Strong Communities: Results from PLA’s 2022 Survey
FREE on-demand webinar
Panelists: Dan Hensley, Jerianne Thompson, Sara Goek & Katina Jones

Understand how libraries use their unique programs, services, partnerships, and facilities in support of community needs—now and in the future. This free webinar will provide an overview of results from the Public Library Association's (PLA) 2022 Public Library Services for Strong Communities Survey. Participants will learn how libraries can apply the results to planning and advocacy, and how to engage in PLA's ongoing data initiatives. More…


Empowering Communities with Creativity: CRAFT & HOBBY
FREE on-demand webinar sponsored by CRAFT & HOBBY
Panelists: Joey Kizer & Sara Ewell

We are all beautifully creative humans. The more creativity we can invite into our day-to-day lives the more fulfilling, interesting and meaningful our lives become. This webinar will dig deeper into the power of creativity and why investing in creativity is so important to communities. With the upcoming launch of CRAFT & HOBBY, creativity as a community resource can become a reality. More…

Most Recent: Available for Purchase

Embracing a Public Service Mindset to Better Demonstrate Your Library’s ValueEmbracing a Public Service Mindset to Better Demonstrate Your Library’s Value
Panelist: Beth Yoke

Public library workers and those we serve can get narrowly focused on the stuff that are housed in libraries. Yet public libraries serve the community in many ways besides book borrowing and computer use. By shifting our mindset to a public service focus and rethinking how we approach and talk about our work, we can not only demonstrate our value to the community but also change how the public perceives and talks about us for the better. More…


IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Solutions) in the LibraryIDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Solutions) in the Library
Panelist: Dr. Clayton Copeland

Libraries have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to be welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to everyone in their communities. Through principles of universal design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), libraries can create and enhance access and accessibility for all patrons, including the one in four Americans who are labeled as having disabilities. In this on-demand webinar, Dr. Clayton Copeland provides a framework to bring IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Solutions) to libraries and to the communities they serve. Participants will learn about the foundations of accessibility and universal design principles in communication, programming, services, and marketing. More…


Centering Teens in the Fight against CensorshipCentering Teens in the Fight against Censorship
Panelists: Amy Mikel, Karen Keys, Bo Kinney & Kathleen Houlihan

Attempts to ban books from classrooms and libraries disproportionately target stories for and about young adults, especially those reflecting historically marginalized communities. Public libraries have a role to play in empowering and educating teens and young adults to fight for their right to read freely. In this on-demand webinar, representatives from Brooklyn Public Library, Seattle Public Library, and Austin Public Library share strategies for helping teens to engage in intellectual freedom advocacy and make their voices heard. More…


Empowering Future Managers through Cohort MentoringEmpowering Future Managers through Cohort Mentoring
Panelists: Danae Ramirez, Cary Mossing & David Vargas

Since before the pandemic, San Mateo County Libraries in California struggled to retain top performing staff and fill key management roles internally. Promotional candidates felt they lacked the skills to make the jump to manager and didn’t know how to obtain them. Meanwhile, existing managers were less concerned about skillsets and more concerned with candidates’ ability to navigate the library system’s unique organizational culture. Mentorship is a proven way to help staff gain perspective, practical skills, and second-hand experience, but can be difficult to manage with limited time and resources. That’s why San Mateo County Libraries developed a program that brings the best of all worlds. Learn how cohort mentoring addresses skills that are hard to gain on the job and is an investment in staff growth that positively impacts an organization’s equity goals, long-term sustainability, and success. More…

 

Cost

Unless otherwise indicated, a 60-minute PLA on-demand webinar is $47.40 for PLA personal members, $71.10 for ALA personal members, and $79.00 for nonmembers. On-demand webinars are intended for the sole use of the purchaser. Redistribution or rebroadcast to another individual or group other than the purchaser is prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.

Accommodations

All PLA webinars in the ALA eLearning catalog are closed captioned in English (United States). Access to closed captions is provided in some webinar recordings still available here on the PLA website, and captioning will be added to all PLA on-demand webinars during the transition to the ALA eLearning site.

If you have a physical or communication need that may affect your use of an on-demand webinar, please contact us prior to purchasing. Without prior notification of need, we cannot attempt to provide appropriate accommodations.

Credits

A certificate of completion is available only for those PLA on-demand webinars in the ALA eLearning catalog.

Retired Recordings

The archived recordings of some webinars no longer available on-demand may be found in the online ALA Institutional Repository at https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/375.

Contact

If you have questions or problems accessing a recording, send a message to plawebinars@ala.org, or call 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA.


Want to be part of PLA's successful online continuing education program?

If you have an idea for a webinar you'd like PLA to present, we encourage you to submit a proposal. PLA opens a call for webinar proposals twice per year, with deadlines of May 31 and November 30 of each year. Please contact plawebinars@ala.org with any questions or concerns about the webinar proposal process.