Continuing Education and Professional Development: Other Upcoming Free Webinars

Below is a selection of upcoming free webinars this month collected by the Maine State Library. To see the full list, please visit: https://maine-msl.libguides.com/CECAL

Tuesday, Jul 2 (11-11:30 am)

Help! We're in the Middle of a Strategic Plan but We Were Thrown Off-Track: Tips & Tricks to Plan Your Strategic Plan (Nonprofit Learning Lab)

It’s funny how strategic planning isn’t really part of your team/organization's everyday work. Strategic planning can feel like “just another high-priority task.” It’s crazy to think… strategic planning requires a plan! But who has time to plan?! In this 30-minute webinar, your team will be equipped to pick up where your strategic plan left off or get started on a new planning adventure.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.nonprofitlearninglab.org/webinars

 

Friday, Jul 5 (12-12:30 pm)

How to Talk about TikTok (libraries4de)

It’s in the news, it’s in the courts, and it’s most likely in your patrons’ phones. The omni-popular TikTok app is making waves across the world, and its legal challenge of the looming US “ban” will likely have major implications for big tech. We also have a rare opportunity, since this is one of few issues not divided along party lines. That gives us the chance to educate without bias (and without accusation of bias). So what can we do to help our patrons understand why TikTok has become the flashpoint for questions of data privacy, national security, misinformation, and free speech? In this half hour event, we’ll explore and experiment together. Idea Labs are fun, low-pressure virtual lunches. Libraries for Digital Equity provides a 10 minute “micro-training” with a crash course on the topic. The remaining 20 minutes are for attendees to jump in with an open brainstorming session. Come with questions or problems, and leave with answers and ideas!

For more information and to register, visit: https://libraries4de.org/resources/upcoming-events/

 

Monday, Jul 8 (1-2 pm)

Amazing STEM Experiences Made Easy (edWeb)

Make your teaching life easier and more fun with creative ideas from Emmy award-winning television host and STEM educator Steve Spangler and his friends at Kesler Science. This edWebinar is packed with easy-to-do, hands-on experiments and STEM challenges guaranteed to get your creative ideas flowing. Plus… you’ll get access to FREE digital lessons and teaching resources that accompany Steve’s experiments from Kesler Science. Learn why over 100,000 teachers from all 50 states use Kesler Science resources in their classrooms every day to help reinforce fundamental science concepts and engage students at the highest level.

For more information and to register, visit: https://home.edweb.net/webinar/amazingstem20240708/

 

Wednesday, Jul 10 (2-3 pm)

BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok, Oh My: Understanding the Online “Bookaverse” as Tools for Professional Development (Georgia Library Association)

In this session, participants will learn how to engage with bookish social media spaces as sources for professional development. Attendees will leave this session with ideas for how to find content on social media to ignite ideas and address needs in their libraries, as well as inspiration for how to join in by sharing content of their own! This presentation will start by covering the different social media platforms and their respective bookish subspaces: Bookstagram, BookTube, and BookTok. Participants will be guided through setting a purpose for their participation in social media spaces in the Bookaverse, developing a framework and strategy for that participation, and developing goals for building their personal networks in one or more social media sites.

For more information and to register, visit: https://gla.georgialibraries.org/carterette-series-webinars/

 

Wednesday, Jul 10 (2-3 pm)

Digital Safety and Privacy for Librarians (Niche Academy)

Join Melody Karle for this webinar on digital safety and privacy from a librarian's perspective. How do we help patrons in this area and what guidance should and can we offer them in protecting themselves online? What are the best tools and resources? What privacy and digital safety issues might we be overlooking in our own library? Melody will also discuss how AI and social media complicate these already challenging issues.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars

 

Wednesday, Jul 10 (3-4 pm)

Why do we fall for misinformation? (WebJunction)

From falling for cheap fakes to trusting the credibility of AI-generated references, we can all be vulnerable to online misinformation. In this webinar, learn about several research-based strategies that can supplement and expand on your existing information literacy approaches with patrons. Researchers from the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP) will unpack how online information environments influence what we see and believe online. Come explore opportunities to increase capacity for public library staff and community members to address and navigate problematic information.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction.html

 

Thursday, Jul 11 (2-3 pm)

Cultivating an Inclusive Environment: Engagement and Outreach in Academic and Public Libraries (ASERL)

Engagement is the key to student success and patron support, and diversity and inclusion lead the way to reaching new patrons and meeting current patrons where they are. Revisiting new and old methods of engagement with patrons can build an environment where they feel supported, involved, and seen. In this presentation, learn how a large academic library is using traditional orientation tables, innovative transfer programs, and book displays with a diversity focus to reach minoritized groups and solidify the library as a welcoming environment. Public library programming will be compared to the academic setting, and suggestions on how to scale and translate these programs into school and special libraries will be presented.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.aserl.org/#webinars

 

Wednesday, Jul 17 (2-3 pm)

Build a Needs Assessment Strategy (Niche Academy)

A needs assessment is a critical first step in creating a focused, relevant, and strategic approach to learning and development. It ensures that effort and resources are directed where they can have the most impact. Conducting a needs assessment ensures that the efforts and resources your organization invests in training and development are both effective and efficient. Join Jody as she provides what you need to build your own needs assessment strategy.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars

 

Wednesday, Jul 17 (3-4 pm)

Cultural humility in library work (WebJunction)

Cultural humility offers a renewing and transformative framework for navigating interpersonal interactions in libraries, whether between patrons and staff or staff members with one another. But what is cultural humility, and what does it look like in practice? Join the editors of Hopeful visions, practical actions: Cultural humility in library work, (ALA Editions 2023) as they define and explore the concept of cultural humility, its strengths and limitations, and strategies for applying more inclusive practices to library customer service, policies, and collection development.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction.html

 

Wednesday, Jul 24 (2-3 pm)

Surprise! You're a Cataloger (Niche Academy)

Have you found yourself responsible for cataloging with little or no previous experience? Is "cataloger" only one of many hats you wear at your library? This session will help you get started. Teressa Keenan will cover the basics of cataloging (focusing on books), what information you need to include, where to get that information, and how to format it in MARC21. Teressa will also include some tips & free tools to make your life easier and get your library’s materials out to your users!

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars

 

Wednesday, Jul 31 (2-3 pm)

Navigating AI Ethics (Niche Academy)

Join David Hatami for this presentation for academic librarians and instructors on the critical importance of ethics in the development and deployment of AI systems. We will discuss the fundamental principles of AI ethics, including transparency, fairness, and non-maleficence, and examine real-world ethical issues such as privacy concerns, surveillance, and the tension between AI decision-making and human autonomy. Through a case study, we will illustrate the complex ethical dilemmas that arise in specific domains such as healthcare, criminal justice, or human resources. We will then discuss the process of establishing ethical guidelines for AI, emphasizing the need for diverse stakeholder engagement and global cooperation. By the end of this presentation, participants will have a deeper understanding of the ethical landscape surrounding AI and the importance of proactively addressing these challenges to ensure the responsible and beneficial development of AI technologies.

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.nicheacademy.com/upcoming-webinars