Library Journal’s Lead the Change, a professional development program for librarians available online and in a series of live events across the country, is launching next month. As series sponsor, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is helping to fund the event and making unique tools available to librarians.
Lead the Change offers timely resources and tools to help librarians stay ahead of innovations and changes affecting the library profession. Library staff at all levels can participate in hands-on live events, access insightful on-demand webcasts, and participate in a new online learning program.
Program components include:
- Online Leadership Academy: “Create Your Career Roadmap” – an interactive, four-week online course that helps library staff at all levels learn essential skills, solve problems, and put strategic plans into action. This course combines real-time learning with discussion on helpful tools and resources.
- Live events
- “Professional Development for Library Staff” – a full-day workshop focusing on developing essential skills to increase effectiveness and performance and on how top libraries are leading change and transforming their communities.
- “What Great Library Leaders Know and Do” – a full-day leadership development workshop that guides participants through a series of collaborative exercises that help attendees harness ideas, clarify goals, and create personal leadership plans.
- “Engaging Your Community” – a full-day workshop focusing on community engagement strategies to help develop and execute an integrated, sustainable marketing and engagement plan.
Gale tools support library advancement and professional development
As major sponsors of the event, Gale is demonstrating its support of libraries and making several tools available to attendees and others interested in developing their individual skills or the professional capabilities of their library.
- Professional Development resources for librarians – Gale has created a special bundle of eBooks on its award-winning GVRL platform aligned with the five areas of the Competency Index 2014 compiled by WebJunction and endorsed by the American Library Association. Trial these resources today!
- Analytics on Demand — A new data solution that helps libraries quickly and easily learn more about their users and communities. Analytics on Demand helps libraries:
- Gain intelligence – with sophisticated marketing segmentation based on Experian’s Mosaic lifestyle segmentation
- Prioritize opportunities – by generating detailed reports that help evaluate libraries’ engagement with various patron groups
- Measure outcomes – to help libraries determine the impact of data-driven decisions
- Reach out – with targeted mailings (email or snail mail) to community members
- Bring the vote – by helping libraries identify target populations who can help support library initiatives at the polls.
- Learn more about existing apps and download and sample reports.
Lead the Change provides a unique opportunity for librarians to develop new skills and advance the field with renewed professionalism and enriched capabilities. Events begin May 12; registration is open now.
See the dates and locations at a glance
- Ontario, Canada/May 12: Community Engagement
Host: Vaughan Public Libraries - Minnesota/May 19: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Brookdale Library - Southern California/May 26: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: West Valley Regional Branch Library - Northern California/May 28: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Sacramento Public Library - Virginia/June 2: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Rappahannock Regional Library - Colorado/June 19: Transform Your Stacks
Host: Anythink - Illinois/July 9: Transform Your Stacks
Host: Gail Borden Public Library - Oregon/July 16: Transform Your Stacks
Host: Multnomah County Library - South Carolina/August 27: All-Staff Professional Development
Charleston County Public Library - Oklahoma/September 8: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Pioneer Library System - New Hampshire/September 25: Transform Your Stacks
Host: Howe Library - New York/Suffolk County/October 6: Transform Your Stacks
Host: Suffolk Cooperative Library System - Tennessee/October 8: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Nashville Public Library - Idaho/November 10: All-Staff Professional Development
Host: Boise Public Library – Main Branch - And more to come!