Public Library

Core Webinars

Best of Core Forum: From Planning to Showtime: a Librarian's Guide

Public libraries are hubs of community engagement, innovation, and learning—and increasingly, they are called upon to lead large-scale events and initiatives that reach diverse audiences and deliver measurable impact. Whether planning a city-wide reading program, launching a new outreach initiative, or hosting a regional conference, success depends on more than strong logistics.

Core Webinars

Collab at the Core: Build Leaders at all Levels

Align teams with a shared vision during change through intentional collaboration. Using examples from our floor management strategies and complex patron interactions, learn adaptable approaches that leverage expertise and involvement across positions. Explore strategies including assessing team dynamics, small-group discussions, and individual check-ins to align staff around a shared approach to accountability and safety. Gain practical tools to empower teams, strengthen alignment, and create intentional space for connection and input.

Decorative image of the PLA Benchmark logo, consisting of the word "Benchmark" in front of a representation of a bar graph.

Benchmark 101: Become a Data-Informed Library

Learn how Benchmark can support your library in everyday decision-making, and get a behind-the-scenes look at Benchmark’s interactive and user-friendly data dashboards and reporting tools.

Core Webinars

Anti-Trans Bias and the New Federal Paradigm

Anti-transgender rhetoric has been spreading for many years, but the inauguration on January 20, 2025 marked a sea-change in the sociopolitical situation and information ecosystem around trans Americans. This session will offer a comprehensive rundown of our new federal paradigm and discuss its impacts on trans people as well as on libraries, library workers, patrons, services, and librarianship as a profession.

Core Webinars

Empowering Intergenerational Digital Literacy

A lack of access, confidence, and skills keeps many older adults from connecting digitally. This webinar focuses on how public libraries—while offering approaches that are also adaptable to academic and other institutional settings—can strengthen community impact and library operations with digital literacy programs using a combination of instruction, outreach, and volunteer engagement. The session highlights how these programs can also serve as a vehicle for developing staff leadership and management skills through program design, coordination, and evaluation.

Core eCourses

Core Classroom: Making Training Stick: A Playful Approach to Learning

A three-week Core Classroom, each weekly Zoom session lasting 60 minutes (recommended but not mandatory) combined with 3 - 4 hours coursework each week. Tired of “one-and-done” trainings that fizzle out the moment everyone logs off? You know the scene: staff leave a workshop buzzing with great ideas…and then nothing changes back at the desk.

Core Webinars

Empowerment Through Intergenerational Digital Lite

This webinar focuses on how public libraries—while offering approaches that are also adaptable to academic and other institutional settings—can strengthen community impact and library operations with digital literacy programs using a combination of instruction, outreach, and volunteer engagement. The session highlights how these programs can also serve as a vehicle for developing staff leadership and management skills through program design, coordination, and evaluation.