RUSA spring online courses offer professional growth

Eileen Hardy
RUSA Marketing Specialist
312-280-4398
ehardy@ala.org
For Immediate Release
December 18, 2006

RUSA spring online courses offer professional growth

CHICAGO—The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) offers participants the opportunity to focus on their professional growth this spring by registering for one of the following four Internet-based continuing education courses:

  • Business Reference 101, February 12 - March 9, 2007 and April 30 - May 25, 2007: a business reference course for library staff and researchers that teaches the process of business research and about both free and fee-based resources.
  • Marketing Basics for Library, April 3 – May 4, 2007: a new RUSA online course designed as an introduction to marketing, which focuses on the uses of marketing and explains basic marketing tenets using the framework of libraries. A course project will involve students creating a marketing plan for a library.
  • Readers’ Advisory 101, February 5 – March 15, 2007: trains library staff on how to use readers’ advisory tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal, and experiment with methods to offer Readers’ Advisory services.
  • Reference Interview, March 12 - April 6, 2007: course focuses on the methods of evaluating reference service, behavioral aspects of reference service and the different types of questions that can be used to help patrons identify what they need.

The courses provide social interaction, during scheduled chat sessions with the instructor and other students, which allows students in the United States and overseas to share information and ideas on practices used in their organization, state or country.

The registration prices for a course is $130 for RUSA members, $160 for ALA members, $190 for non-ALA members and $100 for students and retirees. For more information about a course or to register, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaevents/professionaldevelopmentonline/prodevonline.htm.

RUSA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a leading association for reference and user services professionals. To learn more about RUSA, visit www.ala.org/rusa.