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Professional Development Resources for Librarians: Home

In the Spotlight: Upcoming Professional Development Event

 

Conference: ALA's LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience

When:  January 27-30, 2023

Where:  Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA

Description: At LibLearnX, library professionals at all levels can take part in a conference experience that will provide ultimate learning benefits. Attendees will participate in hands-on workshops, bite-size sessions, and other formats designed to match preferred learning styles with an emphasis on experiential learning. Be inspired and motivated by thought-leaders, authors, and subject matter experts, and celebrate your colleagues and favorite authors at the Award ceremonies.

Register to attend

In the Spotlight: Upcoming Professional Development Event

 

Webinar: Library Marketing Crash Course

When: January 25, 2023, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Mountain Time)

Description: Getting communities to participate in library programs and services has only become more difficult since the start of Covid. This crash course will help you jumpstart your library marketing by teaching you the foundations of effective and budget-friendly marketing. You will learn how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your current marketing efforts and how to change course when necessary. You will also have the chance to work on an interactive project with peers to ensure you get hands-on practice developing marketing content to increase traffic to your library. Attend this crash course and learn strategies for marketing programs and services that you never learned in library school.

Register to attend

In the Spotlight: Upcoming Professional Development Event

 

Conference: ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition 2023

When: June 22-27, 2023

Where: Chicago, IL

As the world's largest library event, the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition brings together thousands of librarians and library staff, educators, authors, publishers, friends of libraries, trustees, special guests, and exhibitors. ALA Annual offers educational programming; important announcements and updates; relevant legislation and policies; and discussions that majorly impact libraries, their roles, and their ongoing transformation.

Registration is not open yet.  Sign up for conference updates here.

About this Subject Guide

This subject guide was originally based on resources the presenter and program participants shared at the 2017 New Mexico Library Association Mini-conference program Transforming Ourselves through Professional Development.

Pages of this guide are predominantly organized based on the following areas.

  • Taking advantage of the numerous resources available through ALA
  • Attending library association conferences, in person and online
  • Completing online courses and webinars
  • Exploring library tech blogs
  • Gaining access to valuable practical tools and skills to incorporate right away from toolkits
  • Connecting to resources available through the New Mexico State Library

Know additional resources for staying up to date and ahead of the curve that are free? Do you have additional comments you would like to share? Contact us and we'll add helpful resources to this guide.

Incorporate a Continuous Learning Mindset into Your Workweek

In his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg breaks down how habits are formed. How is this helpful? In knowing how habits are formed, he also provides insight into how patterns can be broken. Goodbye negative old habits, hello positive new habits! Duhigg stresses the importance of repetition in habit formation. Give this a try by blocking out time on your calendar dedicated to focused learning in a consistent manner, such as a 30-minute time block every Monday and Wednesday at the same time on those days.

Bentley Clark, Interlibrary Loan & Reference Librarian