Upcoming Live Webinars
PLA is pleased to offer these upcoming webinars:
Public Libraries: Partners in Workforce Development
Free Webinar Series
As the nation begins recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are seeking opportunities to build skills, find and improve job prospects, and prepare for in-demand careers. The Public Libraries: Partners in Workforce Development webinar series showcases public library and partner workforce and career services from around the country. Each webinar tackles a different topic related to workforce development and provides practical tools and tips for libraries to plan, deliver, promote, assess, and advocate for these services to advance equitable economic recovery. The series is being co-developed by PLA and Libswork, a national networking group on workforce and small business development. These webinars are free, but separate registration for each live webinar is required.
Supporting Patrons to Obtain In-Demand Credentials That Boost Employability and Career Mobility
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Panelists: Emily Felt, Haley Glover, Karsten Heise, Elizabeth Iaukea & Tammy Westergard
Non-degree credentials (NDCs) allow job seekers to highlight relevant skills and training to employers, and enable employers to hire qualified applicants more quickly. For workers whose jobs have shifted over the course of their career or for those seeking a career change, NDCs can be the fastest and most cost-effective path to demonstrate continued learning and proficiency. But not all NDCs are created equally. With roughly 550,000 unique credentials—including badges, apprenticeships, course-completion certificates, and other certifications—it can be hard to know where to start. During this webinar participants will hear from a panel of experts who have made sense of the maze of available learning opportunities to connect workers to high-quality NDCs that lead to in-demand jobs and career pathways. Learn about nationally recognized, “stackable,” and portable credentials, and how library staff are supporting patrons to secure them to boost their employability and career mobility. Panelists will provide research and practical resources to successfully navigate NDCs with community members, as well as on-the-ground examples of statewide and local efforts in Washington and Nevada where libraries provide access and support to secure NDCs of value. More…
Additional webinars in the series to be announced.
Virtual Learning during a Pandemic and After
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Instructors: Shelley Harris, Ashley Boyer & Jenny Jackson
Within a week of closing the building in March 2020, the Oak Park (IL) Public Library’s Children’s Services department launched a virtual learning series featuring daily songs, book recommendations, mindfulness activities, and social and emotional learning experiences. The series aligned with all three of the library's strategic plan priorities—engagement, learning, and stewardship—and tackled difficult topics such as masks, vaccines, and protests. The Children’s Services department collaborated closely with the Communications team to grow the series from short videos designed for at-home storytimes to a comprehensive virtual learning platform for children of all ages and abilities that includes thematic weekly posts, early literacy activities, additional library resources, and more. This new approach was not only instrumental in keeping kids and families engaged during the pandemic, but it has provided an ongoing framework for the library to continue reaching patrons who have difficulty visiting the library in person and families looking to have hard conversations with their children. In this webinar, participants will hear from Oak Park (IL) Public Library staff about how to create a similar virtual learning framework and what outreach practices can help make it a success. More…
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.