Training resources from the State Library of Oregon are supported in whole by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the State Library of Oregon.
The following resources are available to staff, volunteers, and board members from all Oregon academic, public, school, and tribal libraries.
View upcoming training events related to services and programs offered by the State Library of Oregon and free online training events as compiled by the State Library of Wyoming in the new training calendar. New events are added weekly and online conferences are listed below the calendar.
Basic Library Skills Academy
The State Library is pleased to announce the new Basic Library Skills academy -- open and free to everyone. This new academy covers introductory level tutorials and webinars on collection development, technical services, public programming and services, and more. Directors can use this resource to help onboard new staff and volunteers; staff can learn more about the overall operations of a library. No registration or user account necessary; however with a user account, Niche Academy will help you pick up where you left off.
New in the Oregon Library Staff Academy (Niche Academy):
Each week, the latest tutorials and recorded webinars are collected in their own category, New Tutorials and Webinars. Highlights from the past month include:
And many more can be found in the New Webinars and Tutorials section.
Need access to Oregon’s Library Staff Academy? Just fill out this form (available to Oregon library staff, volunteers, and board members). Then you can get started here: https://my.nicheacademy.com/oregonstaff.
Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness Academy by Ryan Dowd
LYRASIS
People Connect Institute (PCI) Webinars
Each Wednesday from 11:00a - 12:00p PT, explore new, relevant topics during a live webinar from People Connect Institute. These webinars will also be recorded and available about one week later in the Oregon Library Staff Academy / PCI Webinars category. For titles and registration information, please visit the PCI Webinars section. This resource is available to Oregon library staff, volunteers, and board members.
Statewide Databases
EBSCO LearningExpress Library is the statewide subscription for practice tests, skills-building for math, reading, and writing, computer skills tutorials, e-books and career development tools; for training resources and more, visit this resource page on EBSCO LearningExpress Library.
Tech-Talk
Provides how-to technology, communications, and leadership tips. While not written specifically for library staff, the State Library regularly receives positive feedback about this service.
The following calendar shows free online training events as compiled by the State Library of Wyoming and training events related to services and programs offered by the State Library of Oregon. To see a text version November's free events listed by category, please visit the WebJunction page on Free Training or download the PDF version. Online conferences are listed below the calendar.
To view only training events related to services and programs offered by the State Library of Oregon, click on the little "down arrow" to the right of the Agenda tab (right side of the calendar) and uncheck Wyoming State Library Training Calendar.
Online conferences, registration is free unless noted otherwise:
Oregon Reference Summit presents... a series of free virtual sessions for 2022. Check their website for upcoming sessions.
October 6-7, Stronger Together (hosted jointly by Parkland Regional Library System, Peace Library System, The Alberta Library, & Yellowhead Regional Library). Keynote speakers include: Hamza Khan, Cicely Lewis, Dr. Philip McRae, and Dr. Debbie Reese; Knowledge Keepers Roy and Judy Louis; sponsor panels, a virtual exhibit, and a virtual puzzle room; and a wealth of conference sessions on topics like leadership, accessibility and diversity, technology, advocacy, and more! Registration stays open throughout the conference. Join anytime!
October 20, 12 - 4p PT and October 21 from 9a - 2p PT Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association (PNCMLA) Virtual Conference.
October 21 - Accessibility in Libraries Summit (Washington Library Association) This all-day virtual event will bring together library professionals from around Washington and the world to engage in topics on accessibility in libraries, from planning events to maintenance of electronic resources and more! Divisional unconferences at the end of the day will allow attendees to connect and reflect on what they’ve learned. Stay tuned for updates on registration and a full schedule of events, which will be posted later this summer at https://www.wla.org/accesssummit. If you have any questions, please reach out to the WLA Office by emailing info@wla.org or calling/texting (206) 823-1138.
Have a topic you'd like to suggest for a presentation and/or discussion? Please let us know! Looking for recordings from previous Topic Talks? See below the upcoming schedule.
Check back soon for new topics in 2022!
October 27, 2021 - Oregon Job Seekers: Who They Are and How Libraries Can Help
As extended unemployment benefits come to an end this summer, libraries anticipate an increase in the number of job seekers in their communities. This session will provide an overview of Oregon job seekers, focusing on trends and emerging areas of employment as the Oregon economy recovers. It will also present information about the characteristics of current job seekers and provide ideas for designing services to better support this important group of library users.
Presenters: Liza Morehead, Research & Data Analyst, Worksystems, Inc. (A 501(c)3 non-profit organization that pursues and invests resources to improve the quality of the workforce in the City of Portland, Multnomah and Washington Counties.) Michele Martin, Director of Technical Assistance, Director of New Start Career Network & NJ Career Network Online Job Seeker Community. John J. Heldrich, Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Video recording: Video recording: Niche Academy (with slides, resources, etc.) or YouTube.
October 13, 2021 - Virtual Meet-up with Library Support & Development Services
Meet the Staff! Join your friendly library support staff this hour to hear about who we are and what we're up to. Bring your questions, all are welcome! Hosted by the Library Support staff: Greta Bergquist, Jennifer Cox, Ross Fuqua, Darci Hanning, Jennifer Mauer, Tamara Ottum, Arlene Weible, Ferol Weyand, and Program Manager, Buzzy Nielsen.
Video recording: YouTube
July 20, 2021 - Northwest Digital Heritage
Katie Henry (Oregon Heritage Commission), Evan Robb (Washington State Library), and Ross Fuqua (State Library of Oregon) hosted a session (including Q&A) about the new cross-state, interagency partnership, Northwest Digital Heritage. Learn about this new program which seeks to help public libraries and heritage organizations in Oregon build and share their historic and cultural collections broadly through a newly established, regional service hub of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).
Video recording: YouTube.
March 30, 2021 - Learn all about: Oregon Documents Depository
Jey Wann, Oregon Documents Coordinator, discusses the history of the Oregon Documents Depository Program, describes how to access State Library’s Oregon Documents Collection, and features some interesting, useful, fun, and even wacky, Oregon government publications.
Reference librarian Dave Hegeman covers the many ways Oregon documents can be used to reference, including laws and rules, statistics, and notable reference sources.
Video recording: Niche Academy (with slides, resources, etc.) or YouTube
March 16, 2021 - County Law Libraries and YOU
Oregon’s county law libraries provide invaluable services to the general public and legal community. They provide specialized legal resources and staff guidance to assist with legal matters and research.
In this session, join Amy Gregory from the Washington County Law Library and Jenny Pedersen from Deschutes Public Library to learn more about Oregon’s law libraries. Amy and Jenny will share examples of services offered by county law libraries, the types of resources available, and how the public can access those services and resources.
Video recording: Niche Academy (with slides, resources, etc.) or YouTube.
January 13, 2021 - Shared Learning: Providing Trauma-Informed Services in Small and Rural Libraries
How can staff in small and rural libraries adopt a trauma-informed approach without access to the resources that a larger library or a library in an urban community may have? That's just what several Oregon librarians set out to learn by participating in a recent Infopeople course, "Providing Trauma-Informed Services in Small and Rural Libraries." Come listen to their take-aways and hopefully leave with some of your own!
Video recording: Niche Academy (with additional resources) or YouTube.
December 9, 2020 - Winning Library Grants: An In-Depth Approach
Ready to learn the best method for writing grant proposals to give you the competitive edge? Discover how to plan and write grant proposals, including the nitty-gritty essentials of needs assessments, project development, and outcome measurement. Find out who gives funding best suited for your library and how to find grant applications (including five free resources for finding grant library funders and a funder’s wish list). Join Stephanie Gerding as she shares common grant proposal components and the top five tips for writing winning proposals. Your grant work will become easier and more effective! Access to the recording is limited to Oregon library staff, volunteers, board members, Friends and foundation members, please request access here.
December 2 - Winning Library Grants: Beginner Tips in 30 Minutes
Are you new to grant writing? Stephanie Gerding’s webinars are known for being practical and easy to understand. Learn the basic process of grant work and the shortcuts that will enable you to start winning grants now. Discover the most important thing to keep in mind when doing library grant work, easy planning steps, grant sources for beginners, and the top ten tips for success. You CAN win grants for your library! Access to the recording is limited to Oregon library staff, volunteers, board members, Friends and foundation members, please request access here.
November 18, 2020 - Library Innovation in COVID Times
Oregon libraries of all types are responding to the challenge of service during COVID times with a wide array of innovative programs and services. Innovation may include new services, but can also mean offering traditional services in different ways.
State Library staff have been collecting stories and want to celebrate the great work happening in the Oregon library community. In this session, Buzzy Nielsen and Arlene Weible will share examples and help participants connect with other library staff to learn more about how they may implement these ideas in their own community. Please come and share your own innovation stories or just listen and gain inspiration from your library colleagues across the state.
Video recording: YouTube or Niche Academy; download presentation (with embedded links)
October 20, 2021 - Virtual Programming Meetup
Have you been working to maintain connections to your community virtually? Would you like some ideas and strategies? This recorded session has your colleagues taking virtual programming in a variety of directions. From digital rooms to recorded demos, staff are working to help community members feel connected to the library in tangible ways. Each panelist briefly shared about a virtual strategy their library is using and there and at the end of the session, audience members were able to share their own endeavors and ask questions. Greta Bergquist moderated.
Panelists:
Video recording: YouTube or Niche Academy (with supporting resources)
September 29, 2020 - Virtual Meet-up with Library Support & Development Services
This is your chance to learn more about Library Support & Development Services and what we can do for your library. Hosted by the Library Support staff: Greta Bergquist, Ross Fuqua, Darci Hanning, Jennifer Mauer, Tamara Ottum, Arlene Weible, Ferol Weyand, and our new Program Manager, Buzzy Nielsen. Library Support provides services for all types of libraries in Oregon: academic, law, public, school, tribal, you name it! We will take a bit of time introducing you to our services and leave plenty of time for your questions. This session is useful to any library worker or supporter who’s interested in learning more about the State Library’s free services available to help make local libraries’ lives easier.
Video recording. Library Support and Development Services website. Contact Us web page.
August 7, 2020 - In partnership with OLA's Public Library Division: "Centering Race in Library Reopening: Opportunities for Systems Change".
Sonja Ervin, Equity and Inclusion Manager at Multnomah County Library, will talk about the work and progress Multnomah County Library has made with diversity, equity, and inclusion. She will also include things you can do at your library, no matter the size of your library. There will be time for questions and answers after her presentation. This presentation is free for all in the library community, and will be recorded for viewing at a later date.
Video recording (hosted in Niche Academy, no login in required) and the Presentation slides (PDF)
June 17, 2020: PL stats (COVID-specific) - an update
June 10, 2020: Check-In: How's It Going?
June 3, 2020: Unemployment and job-seeking services
May 27, 2020: Having difficult conversations with patrons
May 20, 2020: Reference during the pandemic: challenges and opportunities
May 13, 2020: Reopening Oregon (Governor’s Plan) and Libraries
May 6, 2020: Statistics - how to capture our work during the pandemic
April 29, 2020: Staging a return to library services: planning for a post-quarantine library
April 22, 2020: Services for Spanish speakers during COVID-19
Each Wednesday from 11:00a - 12:00p PT, explore new, relevant topics during a live webinar from People Connect Institute. These webinars will also be recorded and available a few days later in the Oregon Library Staff Academy / PCI Webinars category.
Request your registration links for these upcoming webinars. Note: all PCI Webinars (live and recorded) are limited to Oregon library staff, volunteers, board members, Friend and Foundation members.
September 14: How to Find Balance in a World of Constant (and sometimes unwanted) Change
“The Only Constant in Life Is Change.”- Heraclitus
Balance is not something we can get; it’s a state of mind. It’s the realization that life is not stable but in constant motion. Balance is bringing things into harmony. It’s not something that you can get, but something that you continually do. We are living in a time of 24/7 news, social media, an overwhelming amount of information, and a lot of uncertainty, which can leave us feeling worried, uncomfortable, and fearful. But as with any challenge or change, the best way to heal is by moving forward. During this webinar, we will discuss techniques to help you find balance, including:
Presenter: Rachael believes that transferable skills, curiosity, passion, and mindfulness are the keys to success. She is a career coach, yoga teacher and meditation teacher, and jewelry maker. Her purpose is to inspire people to realize the value in their transferable skills and the fact that they can do anything with curiosity, creativity, and an open mind. She has spent her career in market research and business development at Deloitte, Sidley Austin, Deloitte, and G2, and as an academic librarian at Rockford University and Alabama State University. Rachael currently works as a Market Intelligence Analyst at Greenberg Traurig. You can connect on Instagram @itsrachaelaltman, by email at rachael.altman@gmail.com, and on LinkedIn.
September 21: Communication and Conflict: "Can't we all just get along?"
Through this program, we will examine how conflict occurs in workplace interactions between and among customers and co-workers. Working from the perspective that conflict is a necessary aspect of effective communication, we will learn the characteristics of conflict, strategies to address conflict, as well as how to avoid unproductive conflict.
As a result of this program, attendees will:
Presenter: Dr. Stevie M. Munz, Ph.D. is an award-winning teacher and researcher with 10+ years of experience in the communication field. She has led hundreds of discussion forums, presentations, trainings, and workshops. As a communication expert, she is passionate about developing your communication power skills!
September 28: Ask Me Anything! Cataloging with RDA
This session in Zoom is an open discussion for the audience to ask any questions they may have related to the current RDA: Resource Description and Access. Questions may intersect with subject analysis and classification, supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work through cataloging, local practices, changes from AACR2, and use of MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data. Participants will be able to engage in discussions with the instructor and learn about issues other participants may have.
Presenter: Bobby Bothmann is a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato where he serves as the catalog and metadata librarian. Bobby catalogs analog and digital resources of all kinds, including books, serials, moving images, objects, cartographic resources, musical and spoken word audio recordings, and music in between many meetings. He is a member of the editorial board for Cataloging & Classification Quarterly and an active member of OLAC (OnLine Audiovisual Catalogers) where he has served in various leadership roles including treasurer, president, and the current archivist. He holds an MLIS from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and an MS in Geography and English Technical Communication from MSU Mankato. Bobby moonlights as an adjunct instructor for the School of Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he teaches cataloging and classification courses and tries to covert one student per semester to the cataloging side of the Force.
October 5: Meditation: A Tool to Balance Your Life
We live in a fast-paced world, filled with challenges and constant demands made on our precious time. Wouldn't it be nice if we could step back, take a little vacation from all the tension and find a place filled with joy, bliss and peace?" When we learn how to meditate, we find such a place within our very selves. The practice of meditation contributes to a more positive, healthy lifestyle. It is an invaluable tool helping people reduce stress, gain a deeper sense of fulfillment in life as well as foster greater physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Join Bruce Faithwick, long time meditator for this engaging program. There will even be a chance to practice this simple technique.
Presenter: Bruce Faithwick is a successful business consultant in the software industry. He has many years of product management and marketing experience. He has a degree in Economics from the University of California. Bruce currently provides workshops and training to groups in the California area where he connects meditation and self-development to important aspects of our lives. He has been meditating for over 40 years and now focuses much of his time on his own personal development and in helping others who wish to do the same.
October 12: Launch a Digital Navigator Program at Your Library
Your community needs online access more than ever. But people often need multiple types of support to get there - an Internet connection, a computer, and help learning to use technology. Digital Navigators is a nationally successful model that addresses these complex needs with a one-stop service. Learn how-to start a program at your library and help your community connect. In this interactive and informative, you will learn:
Presenter: Audrey Barbakov founded Co/Lab Capacity LLC because she believes that the most meaningful futures emerge from community collaboration. Audrey helps libraries authentically engage and center their communities through a variety of services, including strategic planning, leadership and Board development, team building, training, and executive coaching. Her consulting is informed by more than a decade of practical experience in public libraries and a doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership. Her dissertation research focused on increasing organizational capacity for equity, diversity, and inclusion through community-led programming. She also offers subject matter expertise in design thinking, digital equity, and economic development. Learn more at https://www.colabcapacity.com.
October 19: Why Kids Should Be Allowed to Pick Their Own Books (and How to Explain This to Parents)
As emphasis on standardized testing and anxiety about cut-throat college admissions continue to mount, parents have become increasingly concerned about the "value" of their children's reading material. Learn what the research says about the educational value of children choosing their own books (yes, even comic books!) and ways to gently communicate this information to parents.
Presenter: Susan Metallo has been championing stories since she began her career as a librarian and children’s storyteller over a decade ago. Completely helpless against a witty narrator or an atmospheric world, she spends most of her life immersed in books–whether her own or someone else’s–and that’s how she likes it. On those rare occasions that she extricates herself from fictional pursuits, you will probably find her surrounded by kitchen messes, crossword puzzles, or choir music. Susan lives in New Mexico with her husband, her children, and an 85-lb. bulldog who fervently believes she will fit on your lap.
October 26: Using Graveyard Genealogy for Frightfully Good Results
Did you know that you can learn quite a bit about your ancestors from a visit to their memorial? Cemeteries and the records associated with the death and burial of the deceased are full of information that will help you on your genealogical journey. Learn how to get the most out of your trip to the cemetery by learning about the types of records available to you, the types of memorials, and the types of cemeteries common in the United States. There is no better way to honor our ancestors than by remembering and preserving their life through our research today. In this interactive and informative program, you will learn:
Presenter: Maggie Rose is a librarian at the Barbertib Public Library in Ohio. She coordinates the public relations and marketing for the Library. Maggie also is the Past Coordinator of the Adult Services Division Action Council for the Ohio Library Council. Maggie started library work in 5th grade as a shelver and volunteer in her school library. As a teen, she started shelving in her local public library and has held many library positions since. Maggie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Akron with a BA in English and a minor in classical studies. She received her MLIS from Kent State and has been working as a librarian for ten years. Maggie loves gardening, quilting, knitting, and her boisterous family, which consists of a spouse, a boy, a girl, 2 dogs, 6 cats, and 11 chickens.
Recorded webinars are available to staff, volunteers, board members, Friend and Foundation members of Oregon libraries through the Oregon Library Staff Academy. Need access? Please use this form.
September 2022:
August 2022:
July 2022:
June 2022:
May 2022:
April 2022:
March 2022:
February 2022:
January 2022:
From the OLA EDI and Antiracism Special Committee:
EDI Antiracism Toolkit Now Available:
PLD Director's Training Session on the EDI Antiracism Toolkit, recorded on 1/29/21 (YouTube, approximately 2 1/4 hours).
Be sure to visit the OLA EDI Antiracism Committee web page.