On-Demand Webinars

This free on-demand webinar empowers all federal student loan borrowers with an overview of online tools and resources for managing personal student loans during the uncertain times of COVID-19. Learn about options made available under the CARES Act and strategies for lowering monthly federal student loan payments after COVID-19 stimulus assistance ends. Electronic tools for helping patrons enroll to lower payments and helping public service workers maintain eligibility for student loan forgiveness programs are discussed.

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.

Library staff face an unprecedented challenge of providing more digital skills programming, and in some cases, for the first time virtually. In PLA’s recent survey of more than 2,500 public libraries, 61% reported that they are adding virtual programming and 41% are expanding online virtual reference help. Two of the greatest needs of those surveyed are expanding e-services to patrons, especially those with limited internet access, and meeting anticipated higher demand for services for those most impacted by the crisis.

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.

Join StoryCorps, the national oral history project, for an in-depth look at how to engage your community and local stakeholders through storytelling. Each year, StoryCorps collaborates with hundreds of community partners in order to record and preserve diverse voices from across the U.S. In this webinar, we’ll share insights from our partnership model, discuss StoryCorps’ efforts to create a representative archive, and provide best practices and case studies for engaging your library community through storytelling.

Houston and Queens Public Libraries offer the innovative financial wellbeing program Ready, Set, Bank℠, in partnership with Capital One, to meet the significant demand for senior digital skill development and financial wellbeing classes. This free on-demand webinar shows you how this program helps patrons navigate the world of online banking by providing hands-on demonstrations, video tutorials, and answers to questions about safeguarding personal information online, along with step-by-step guidance on how to manage a bank account on a computer or mobile device.

The Inclusive Internship Initiative (III) offers paid, summer-long internships to high school students at their local public library. Through III, students from diverse backgrounds are introduced to careers in librarianship, library mentors practice leadership skills, and host libraries grow new audiences through outreach and programming. Any public library in the U.S. is welcome to apply. Applications for the Summer 2020 cohort will be accepted from January 6–February 3, 2020. Is your library interested in applying to be a part of the 2020 cohort?

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.