On-Demand Webinars

The 2018 class of ALA Emerging Leaders was charged with identifying data competency training resources for the Public Library Association. It has become increasingly important for library professionals to be able to gather, analyze and communicate data in order to navigate a data-rich world and make data-driven decisions related to funding, policies and other resources needed to support the communities you serve. Learn how the website created by the Emerging Leaders serves as a professional development guide that can help move library staff toward becoming more data competent.

As part of its ongoing work to support the public library’s role in creating healthy communities, PLA is offering new resources for libraries to help more Americans participate in the Open Enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act. The deadline to enroll is December 15, 2018. What is your library doing to help? This free on-demand webinar helps public library staff plan for how they can promote the deadlines, educate their communities, find certified enrollment assistance, and support patrons’ efforts to enroll successfully.

Outcome measurement is a way for libraries to assess their impact on the people they serve and helps libraries answer the question, “What good did we do?” In some instances, libraries may need to measure outcomes over a longer period of time to demonstrate the good they’re doing. Logic models are used to develop a sequence of steps needed to achieve a desired outcome and measure impact. This webinar will walk through the logic model process to help libraries identify short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.

It’s never too early to start planning for next year’s summer learning programs! Measuring the outcomes of programs and services helps libraries with decision making, program improvements, advocacy, and funding requests. PLA staff gathered stories from libraries participating in Project Outcome to create implementation tips and best practices to help libraries feel confident implementing Summer Reading surveys next year. Learn how libraries have used the standardized Summer Reading surveys to measure the success of their summer learning programs and demonstrate their impact in the community.

Outcome measurement is a way for libraries to assess their impact on the people they serve and helps libraries answer the question, “What good did we do?” With a vast number of ways to collect outcomes, it may be overwhelming to identify which data collection methods to use. Choosing the methodology also depends on the library’s learning goals, time limitations, staff capacity and more. This on-demand webinar is designed to help libraries learn what methods are available to them, and the benefits and challenges to each. It highlights several methods, with an emphasis on focus groups.

Outcome measurement is a way for libraries to assess their impact on the people they serve and helps libraries answer the question, “What good did we do?” Libraries may need to measure outcomes for a variety of reasons—from measuring and improving impact, to better managing services and resources, to demonstrating a need for funding or other support. This on-demand webinar will help libraries develop their own outcome measures based on program goals and implement those measures through effective survey design.

Are you starting a partnership or have an existing partnership and want to measure the results of your combined efforts? A collaborative partnership is about having a common goal around better serving the ever-changing needs of your community and measuring outcomes can help you and your partner identify better ways to align your work to deliver more impactful community-based services. This on-demand webinar focuses on how to plan for collaborative outcome measurement with a partner, with a focus on partnerships between libraries and schools to stop the summer slide.

In alignment with ALA’s strategic direction on equity, diversity, and inclusion, this on-demand webinar provides an introductory understanding of the concepts of power, identity, and oppression, and how they impact public libraries’ staff, services, programs, collections, and spaces. Through presentation and dialogue, the panelists discuss the role of allies in addressing these concepts. This on-demand webinar is also an excellent primer to the PLA 2018 preconference, “Understanding Identity, Power, Oppression + Liberation: A Justice + Equity Training.”

Education about consumer health services and programming can help public librarians stay current and develop new programs and services for their communities. This on-demand webinar provides an overview of educational programs available via the National Network of Libraries of Medicine about consumer health and specific health topics. These programs can help librarians get the Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS) credential, which brings an additional, recognized level of expertise to their libraries and helps them connect with community partners.

PLA has two free tools that can help you provide and measure digital literacy services. DigitalLearn.org provides tutorials on essential basic technologies designed for use in library patron training, and also offers the ability to create a custom site branded for your library. Project Outcome provides simple survey tools to measure the outcomes of digital literacy programs and services. This free on-demand webinar shows you how to use both of these tools together to augment your digital literacy training and measure the impact your digital literacy services have in the community.