Administrative and Management Skills

Learn A New Skill: Creating Meaningful Staff Training and Support

Blue text reads Learn a New Skill. Under a blue line, the additional text Creating Meaningful Staff Training and Support appears in black. To the left of the text is the outline of a lightbulb inside a gear. To the right of the text is the outline of a gear with tools.

This year, I’m viewing “traditional” New Year’s resolutions through a library lens. This year’s resolutions include ways to exercise more, live life to the fullest, eat healthier, lose weight, save money, and get organized. This month, we’re focusing on ourselves and different ways to learn new skills. Library programs are all about connecting patrons to ideas and resources to build their skills, but are we doing enough to support ourselves and our staff? Staff does their best work when they feel supported, prepared, and empowered to learn. We must create cultures that support continuous learning and meaningful growth beyond mandatory training. We’ll discuss ways to find and build meaningful, actionable training that inspires your staff and helps your library thrive. Learning doesn’t stop when we have a particular title or have hosted a certain program. Thoughtful training opportunities create more resilient staff, stronger programs, and better experiences for everyone.

Blogger Annaliese Melvin

Working with Teens at the Library

Many library systems around the country rely on the help of volunteers to make our workflows successful. In my system, this includes teen volunteers, and in the summer paid teen employees. If you are new to working with teens, you may feel apprehensive about how to manage their workflow. Whether you work with teens as summer volunteers or school year employees, these tips can help you set them up for success!

Blogger Eleanor Howell-Shryock

Building Better Business Partnerships for Storytime

Every month, I partner with a local business and head to their gymnastics studio to lead a brief storytime that kicks off an hour of free play. From its inception, this program has been a smash hit, with some months reaching the capacity of the studio space! The genesis of Gymnastics Storytime? Jealousy. When trying to reschedule storytime to better align with staffing needs, I was running into a bit of a problem. Families are busy, and almost everyone was busy on the same day. As I spoke with folks about dates and times, it became clear that everyone was doing gymnastics, and they were doing it for free, in the town over, with a story-reading included. Our town has its own gymnastics studio, but I’ve never heard it mentioned in the busy schedules of younger children. Well, that seemed like a big opportunity to me! I reached out to…

Blogger Ann Baillie

Five Quick Tips for Starting a Decodables Collection in Your Library

As the science of reading gains traction, patrons are starting to looking for more phonics-based books. Leveled readers are great, but do not always focus on developing skills in a particular sequence. To develop those skills, patrons are better served by decodable books. Decodable books are typically sold in sets and follow a specific sequence. This allows the reader to build on previous skills. Because these sets are usually sold by education companies, patrons may not know where to find them. It’s a perfect opportunity for libraries to step in and increase access to these titles.

Blogger Joannie Lauria

Unearth Your Story

As librarians, we are highly skilled at telling stories. This summer, those stories are taking us on dinosaur adventures, prehistoric explorations, and treasure hunts. After the summer rush is over, I encourage you to hang on to this theme and think about your own story. Why did you become a librarian? What skills, passions, and experiences do you bring to the table? What goals do you have for yourself and your department? Let’s unearth your story together. 

Guest Blogger

“A very exciting time to consider running for the board!”

An Interview with Incoming ALSC Board Member, Heather Love Beverly Are you interested in learning more about running for a leadership position in ALSC? In this blog post, Heather Love Beverly shares her experience serving in YALSA, what excites her about serving on the ALSC Board, and advice for those interested in serving in a leadership position within the association.

Blogger ALSC Membership Committee

Attending ALA Annual with Friends

In my 16 year career as a public children’s librarian, I have had the immense privilege to attend a handful of ALA and ALSC institute conferences. I consider myself an outgoing and confident person, but I still find traveling solo for a conference overwhelming.  While these events are always informative, exciting, and rejuvenating, there always comes a time while socializing with my fellow librarians where a voice of doubt enters my mind.  Do they really want to keep talking to me?  Am I being annoying? A few years ago I stumbled upon a solution that allowed me to hang out with close friends and diminish my social anxiety during professional conferences.