On-Demand Webinars

A complete count in the 2020 Census is essential to make sure that libraries and their communities don’t miss out on billions of dollars in needed funding, as well as political representation. However, nearly 40% of households have not responded yet, and the count is even lower among populations that have been undercounted historically. Learn how the Census Bureau, libraries, and community partners have adapted their operations and outreach in response to COVID-19, and how libraries can support a complete count before the Census ends in October.

As libraries are expanding their online efforts in response to COVID-19, library and program outcomes should also shift in order to build the strongest and most impactful instruction. In-person opportunities often bring with them advantages of seeing patrons reactions to learning and subsequent micro-improvements that can be made to improve a program. Without “seeing” a full room, presenters are more limited in their ability to understand how participants are responding.

This on-demand webinar will help viewers understand how social media listening tools like social dashboards can be used to gather insights on a local community’s reaction to isolation and self-quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic. Also learn to use these insights to adjust services and plan programs that address active community needs.

PLA is committed to providing information on the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19 to PLA members and others working in public libraries. This series of free webinars, originally presented March 26–April 23, 2020, featured updates on the current status of the pandemic, examples of how libraries are dealing with closures and serving their communities virtually, and opportunities to share and learn from each other.

In 2017, the Public Library Association (PLA) launched a new initiative, Fostering Creative Community Connections, with Public Libraries and the Short Story Dispenser. With funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, PLA worked with the French company Short Édition to bring their Short Story Dispenser and digital content creation platform to a pilot group of select U.S. public libraries. The aim of the project was to strengthen a culture of literacy and reading, while increasing public awareness and use of library programs and services.

You’ve surveyed your patrons. You’ve collected great data. You’ve learned more about what your patrons value. Now, how can you begin implementing changes based on the outcomes you’ve gathered? In this on-demand webinar, learn how your peers have taken action—and how you can, too—using results you’ve gathered from Project Outcome surveys. Use your survey results to guide programming changes, strategic planning, communication, advocacy, or new funding requests.

Public libraries need more data and evidence to demonstrate their value to their communities, but collecting the data is only half the battle. How do you communicate it? How do you use it to make strategic decisions? Data visualization can help libraries better understand their data and feel confident communicating their impact back to their communities. In this on-demand webinar, attendees learn best practices for how and when to use data visualization, helpful tools for creating visualizations, and how to apply these tips using Project Outcome.

Public libraries are critical to their community’s health, serving as a go-to resource for individuals to access current and reliable health information. Public library staff have a deep understanding of the unique needs of their communities and the value of serving their patrons’ health needs. Now all they need is the data to prove just how valuable those services are. In this on-demand webinar, participants learn how Project Outcome’s new health survey help public libraries measure the success of health programs and services.

Enhance the customer experience by increasing staff engagement! Learn how the Plano Public Library created a cohesive customer service experience by training staff to share “just one thing” about the library. Staff became more comfortable with patron interactions and engaged with more people during outreach. This concept became a cornerstone to the Outreach & Engagement team’s training and communications. With this concept in place, specific staff were identified for different types of outreach events to address the needs of different communities in their city.

Libraries may feel too overwhelmed with limited staff and resources to take on something new like measuring outcomes, which is why starting small and scaling up is the best method for success. Starting small helps libraries increase their staff’s comfort with and expertise in outcomes measurement; capitalize on trial-and-error learnings; and build a structure for peer support of data collection and use. Hear from a veteran Project Outcome user on their experience starting small by evaluating the library’s Small Business series and scaling up to library-wide programming.