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

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

The Mentor Monitor Program as a Supplement to Security and Resource to StaffThe Mentor Monitor Program as a Supplement to Security and Resource to Staff
Panelists: Lane Edwards & Ryan Grame

Mentor monitors are a resource to support staff members and help keep the peace in a busy library. Ideally, they are members of the community who are able to relate well to others to help provide guidance and mentorship—especially to teen/tween patrons. Through relationship building, the mentor monitor is able to act as a counselor, guide, teacher, advisor, and confidant to positively influence and reinforce good behavior and decision-making. In this on-de,amd webinar, learn about the benefits of mentor monitors from staff of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio, where the mentor monitor program has been in place for more than a decade. More…


Disability Inclusion in Library ServicesDisability Inclusion in Library Services
Panelist: Shelley Harris

To best serve patrons with disabilities, we need to understand their community, culture, and needs. In this on-demand webinar, you will explore disability experiences, how to provide safe and inclusive spaces, and how to serve patrons through programming and collections. Although the examples are youth focused, they can be adapted for any age. More…


Using Passive Readers’ Advisory to Market Your CollectionUsing Passive Readers’ Advisory to Market Your Collection
Panelist: Lila Denning

Book displays, bookmarks, online lists, and social media are great tools for passively marketing your library’s collection and helping patrons find their next great read! Passive readers’ advisory tactics also bring attention to midlist and overlooked titles and are a great way to introduce patrons to read-alike options for popular titles by diverse authors. In this on-demand webinar, learn the art of a well-curated book display and booklist that are both diverse and inclusive. More…


Addressing Emotion and Culture in the Fight Against Fake NewsAddressing Emotion and Culture in the Fight Against Fake News
Panelists: Dr. Jason Young, Jennifer Ashby & Jenny Cole

Misinformation—or fake news—has exploded across the world over the past few years, with serious social and political implications. It undermines our trust in public information by exploiting our personal beliefs, emotions, and identities, thereby triggering responses that expand social divides and encourage us to resist competing claims. Solutions require more than just providing the public with the skills and tools for determining the truthfulness of claims; they also require resources for addressing the social and emotional impacts of misinformation. In this on-demand webinar, you learn about a library-led research project that is designing new digital literacy approaches for combating misinformation. This project, funded by the US National Science Foundation, is creating tools and resources that librarians can use to address misinformation more holistically as the informational, emotional, and social problem that it is. Members of the project team share resources and findings from the first year of the project, and describe ways that your library can get involved in future work. 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.