Learning Live Monthly Webinar Series

United for Libraries Learning Live sessions take place on the second Tuesday of each month from September to May at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Each month’s session covers a hot topic of interest to Trustees, Friends, and/or Foundations, followed by Q&A and/or discussions. Sessions are open to all personal members of United for Libraries and some statewide partners. Non-members may purchase an annual subscription or single-session registration.

Register for Upcoming Sessions

United for Libraries personal members receive FREE registration.

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Those in MA, MD, MI, MN, ND, NE, OR, SC, and VA receive FREE registration.

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Non-members may purchase a one-year subscription to Learning Live.

Purchase Registration

July 2025 Learning Live

Fall Celebrations: Library Card Sign-Up Month, Banned Books Week, and National Friends of Libraries Week

Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern

Now is the time for Friends of Libraries, library Foundations, and other groups to plan for fall events – Library Card Sign-Up Month in September, Banned Books Week Oct. 5-11, and National Friends of Libraries Week Oct. 19-25 (the 20th anniversary celebration!). Learn innovative ideas for how to use these events to promote your library and group, and about new graphics and promotional items that will be available. Find out how groups across the country have celebrated these events, and new ideas for 2025.

Speakers

Betsy Gomez

Betsy Gomez is the Assistant Director of Communications and Public Outreach for the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, where she is a coordinator for Banned Books Week and Unite Against Book Bans. She has been coordinator for the Banned Books Week Coalition, a diverse group of organizations dedicated to defending intellectual freedom during Banned Books Week and beyond, since 2018. She is a former coalition and editorial director for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, an advocacy organization dedicated to the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Gomez edited and designed the award-winning publication CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics.

Jean Hodges

Jean Hodges is the Director of Communications, Marketing & Media Relations for the American Library Association. She has been with the association for 1.5 years, and in that time, she has led the marketing and communications efforts around our new Public Supporter Program, which included a redesign and repurposing of the ilovelibraries.org website to explain more about our national association’s role in supporting libraries. She formerly worked at Gannett, the largest local-to-national publisher and digital media organization in the country, as Senior Director of News Culture and Communications. Prior to that, she worked in England in marketing and PR.

Jillian Wentworth

Jillian Wentworth is the Deputy Director, Strategy & Engagement, for United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. Jillian has also worked as a librarian, editor, and journalist. She is the co-author of Proving Your Library’s Value: Persuasive, Organized, and Memorable Messaging (ALA Editions, 2020) and has presented on library advocacy, working with Friends groups and library trustees, and more at national, regional, state, and local library conferences and workshops. She earned a master's degree in library and information science from Drexel University and a bachelor's degree in English from Hollins University.

Register for Upcoming Sessions

United for Libraries personal members receive FREE registration.

Register Now

Those in MA, MD, MI, MN, ND, NE, OR, SC, and VA receive FREE registration.

Register Now

Non-members may purchase a one-year subscription to Learning Live.

Purchase Registration

September 2025 Learning Live

Practical Policy Management: A Guide for Trustees

Tuesday, September 9, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm Eastern

Policy is essential to smooth library operations, and ensuring equality of access for all patrons, but is often seen as an obstacle to progress or a difficult task to be accomplished once and never seen again. This program is designed to educate both library trustees and directors of the statutory responsibility of library trustees in creating policy, as well as practical steps for creating, maintaining, and managing effective policy, including ensuring collaboration between director, staff, and board during the process. The program will also offer practical suggestions for policy creation, procedures for periodic policy evaluation, and ways to streamline the policy process.

Speaker

Dr. Andrew Smith

Dr. Andrew Smith, an Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Management (SLIM) at Emporia State University in Kansas, studied at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Georgia State University, and the University of Aberystwyth in Wales. He was appointed a Trustee of the Emporia Public Library in 2016 and served until 2022, as Vice-Chair from 2016-2020 and as chair from 2020 until 2022. He has presented extensively on the creation and maintenance of library policy and on the recruitment and education of library board members. He serves on the board of United for Libraries.

Register for Upcoming Sessions

United for Libraries personal members receive FREE registration.

Register Now

Those in MA, MD, MI, MN, ND, NE, OR, SC, and VA receive FREE registration.

Register Now

Non-members may purchase a one-year subscription to Learning Live.

Purchase Registration

Call for Proposals

Interested in presenting a Learning Live session or other webinar for United for Libraries?

United for Libraries accepts proposals for:

  • Microlearning: 10-15 minutes in length, typically single presenter and presented on-demand only.
  • Presentation Only: 30 minutes in length, 1-2 presenters, presentation only, can be live or on-demand.
  • Learning Live or Other Webinar: 60 minutes in length, 1-2 presenters preferred, can be up to 3 presenters, approximately 35 minutes of presentation followed by Q&A.
  • Extra Time for Q&A: 75 minutes in length, 2-4 presenters, approximately 50 minutes of presentation followed by Q&A.
  • Deep Dive: 90 minutes in length, typically includes significant audience participation.

2025 Learning Live

2024 Learning Live

2023 Learning Live

2022 Learning Live

2021 Learning Live