The only constant is change. This is why it is vital for all organizations (including libraries) to cultivate an environment in which continuous learning is encouraged and taken advantage of by all staff. We need to continually re-tool ourselves to meet the demands and challenges of an ever-changing world. There are certainly a myriad of learning opportunities and resources available to do this, but I would just like to mention a few.
STLS offers a variety of learning opportunities:
– One-on-one training (this can be in-person or remote), see our consultation directory for topics and contacts
– Workshops (e.g., upcoming 2016 Summer Learning Open House)
– Meetings (can attend in-person or remotely, e.g., IT-ILS, youth advisory committee, digital library advisory committee)
– Events (e.g., STLS Annual Meeting, Spring CE [in partnership with CCLD])
WebJunction is an online resource for librarians which offers live and archived webinars, as well as self-paced courses. You can create an account and subscribe to their online newsletter to keep abreast of new offerings.
Lynda.com provides online video tutorials on a variety of technology and business related topics. Licenses for this resource are made available to us through our membership with South Central Regional Library Council. For more information on this as well as other learning opportunities, contact Jessica Brooks Philippe (jphilippe@scrlc.org).
Other digital resources are available such as STARCat (find books related to the library field), Zinio (includes magazines with articles on science and technology, world events, and pop culture) and online databases (great for researching a specific topic).
I know it seems like a daunting task, but we all need to allocate some time out of our day to devote to continuous learning. For more information, read this brief article from American Library Magazine: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2016/03/01/a-learning-organization/
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