On-Demand Webinars

Computational thinking is a problem-solving process often associated with computer science, programming, and coding. However, the universal ideas behind computational thinking—decomposition, pattern recognition, and abstraction and algorithmic design—are concepts most children’s librarians and early childhood educators know. By exploring the relationship between early literacy and computational thinking skills, library staff can challenge themselves to think differently about the ways their work supports the whole child.

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.

Community members enter public libraries every day, hoping to complete life tasks many of us take for granted, but lacking the basic computer skills to accomplish them. DigitalLearn.org can complement the classes and one-on-one training your library staff are already providing. DigitalLearn.org is a collection of video-based tutorials to help inexperienced and low-level learners with computers and the internet. This free on-demand overview of PLA’s digital literacy tool for libraries includes specific information on how your library can start the process of creating its own DigitalLearn site.

To get you prepared for financial literacy programs and events at your library, PLA partners with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) for this special webinar presentation.

Do you want to move beyond the basic Bilingual Storytime and ESL program to serve your Spanish speaking community? This on-demand webinar will assist you with identifying an underserved segment of the community and developing an outreach plan. Instructors will give unique examples of outreach to underserved Spanish speaking communities and solicit audience participation. This on-demand webinar includes an outreach toolkit. — PREVIEW AVAILABLE

This on-demand webinar is designed to teach participants how to administer Project Outcome surveys to measure outcomes for their library’s summer reading program. By successfully administering surveys, libraries will be able to use the results to showcase program successes and influence future summer reading programs.

The Cuyahoga County Public Library System and its local Parma School System have piloted a rich partnership to help youth literacy. It began with after school programming led by librarians, branched out to a homework center and a collaborative approach towards summer reading, and is now tackling the topics of early literacy and helping students achieve grade level reading standards. These organizations tell you how the literacy partnership was established and expanded so successfully and how your library can forge a similar program to impact youth in your community. — PREVIEW AVAILABLE

Storytime has joined the digital age, and incorporating digital media into collections and programming is now an essential part of children’s librarianship. Join PLA and instructor Cen Campbell for this on-demand webinar that tackles this new territory. Cen explores mobile apps and e-books and shares practical techniques for integrating these tools into traditional early literacy programming.