EMBRACE A GROWTH MINDSET

The Capital Area Library District strongly encourages professional development for all staff members. Allowing staff the time to learn helps them to excel, grow, and feel invested in. A more empowered library staff helps to create empowered communities.

Learn what professional development opportunities are provided by the district below. Have a learning need and having difficulty finding the right resource? Reach out to staff at the Capital Area Library District with your request.  Need a CE Certificate for attending a training that meets the Governor's Advisory Council guidelines for CE?  Complete this form.

Looking for training for your board members? Visit our Trustee Training page for resources and guidance.

LibraryU

With LibraryU, take courses at your own pace, track achievements, and build community with others around the district - all online and on your own schedule.

Visit LibraryU

 

Learning Kits

An eReader Petting Zoo is now available. This kit contains a variety of eReader devices (including Android, Apple, Kindle, and Kobo) to help your staff practice using library apps. It can be used at a staff meeting or temporarily placed in a staff-only area for practice during quiet periods. Request it by emailing Dustin Brinton-Wilson at dwilson@dcls.org.

Live Classes

When possible, live workshops (online or face to face) are made available to library staff on needed topics. Keep an eye on this space for new class announcements and registration links!

 

 

Online Webinars

Plenty of online learning opportunities are available outside of our district. Check out our top recommended sources for external online learning below, and expand the "Webinar Websites" section for a more complete list.

Webjunction, presented by OCLC, is "the learning place for libraries." Build knowledge, skills, and confidence through entirely free self-paced courses, webinars, and idea-sharing blog posts. Webinars taken on Webjunction are eligible for CE credit.

Webjunction Course Catalog

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries subscribes to Niche Academy and hosts helpful tutorials on a wide range of topics, including accessibility, community engagement, director resources, human resources, and much more in their staff academy. These trainings are eligible for CE credit. A public academy is also available; direct your patrons here for them to learn how to use common databases and a wealth of other useful skills. More information about these resources can be found here. The State also provides opportunities to attend live webinars with expert presenters. Keep an eye on their training schedule by following Compendium, the Pennsylvania Libraries news blog.

The Capital Area Library District also subscribes to Ryan Dowd's series of trainings. Any staff member in the district can request access to this academy; just email Dustin at dwilson@dcls.org to alert him that you're interested and he will set it up. 

Ryan Dowd Trainings