[Libs-Or] Upcoming learning opportunities (free)

Fri Dec 12 08:02:04 PST 2025

Hello Library Community!

Here’s a summary of upcoming learning resources available through the State Library and other organizations. Be sure to visit the State Library of Oregon’s CE website<https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/> for more learning resources and the CE Calendar<https://slo.oregon.gov/conted#s-lib-ctab-24120710-1> which also includes links to the PDF<https://maine-msl.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=76010632> and online<https://www.webjunction.org/find-training/free-events.html> versions of this month's free events listed by category (compiled by the Maine State Library and hosted by WebJunction).

>> If you’re looking for learning resources on a particular topic, please contact me<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon?subject=I'm%20looking%20for%20CE%20resources> – I’m happy to help! <<

READ: Creating a Media Lab in Your Library from Scratch: Vision, Advocacy, and Outreach<https://www.choice360.org/libtech-insight/creating-a-media-lab-in-your-library-from-scratch-vision-advocacy-and-outreach/> (LibTech Insights)
How to get buy-in for making a creative technology space in your library

Media labs and makerspaces are crucial locations where libraries and technology intersect, enabling students to develop their research skills and express their creativity. In the past, we have covered how makerspaces can promote student innovation, but left unaddressed was a fundamental question for many libraries: How can we obtain the buy-in to create a makerspace, media lab, or other creative technology space in our library? A new book from ALA Editions, A Complete Guide to Creative Technology Spaces in Academic Libraries: Media Labs, Makerspaces, and More, guides readers through the full process of developing this space for your library, from advocacy to execution and policy.

Reprinted below with the publisher’s permission is the second chapter from this volume. The initial steps for starting a creative space involve developing a sense of the resources already available in the library and on campus and then identifying who your potential patrons may be. In this chapter, the authors outline how to communicate to others what you want your creative technology space to be. [READ MORE]

Note, this title, A Complete Guide to Creative Technology Spaces in Academic Libraries: Media Labs, Makerspaces, and More<https://ccrls.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/oslpublic/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:2035354/one?qu=Complete+Guide+to+Creative+Technology+Spaces+in+Academic+Libraries%3A+Media+Labs%2C+Makerspaces%2C+and+More%2C>, is also available for loan from the State Library via ILL. If you would like to borrow this item, use your library's established interlibrary loan process (e.g. OCLC or ALA request form). If you do not have access to these services or are not currently affiliated with a library, please email darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov> to discuss alternative options for borrowing this item.

LEARN: Focus on Volunteers (recorded webinars and self-paced tutorials, Oregon Library Staff Academy)
Note: Oregon library staff and volunteers can request access to the Oregon Library Staff Academy by using this form<https://www.cognitoforms.com/StateLibraryOfOregon/RequestAccessToContinuingEducationResources> and choosing the option for the Oregon Library Staff Academy.

  *   Recruiting and Engaging Volunteers<https://my.nicheacademy.com/oregonstaff/course/87506?categoryId=6253>
If you find yourself struggling to find and manage volunteers, you’re not alone. It’s hard to recruit enough people—couple that with the challenge of keeping them motivated and engaged. It’s a recipe for burnout and feeling like you’re spinning your wheels. Imagine, instead, a fully staffed volunteer program with motivated, skilled individuals, allowing you to reclaim your time for the strategic work you’d prefer to focus on.

Join Chris Wong for this webinar/workshop designed to make that a reality.Together, we’ll dive into the psychology of volunteering so you can better understand why so many people want to help, but simply don’t know how to connect with opportunities. You’ll gain a unique understanding of what truly excites and retains volunteers, transforming passive interest into passionate commitment. By the end of this session, you’ll have a clear, actionable framework for building and sustaining a vibrant volunteer program—empowering your organization to make a greater impact in the community.

  *   Skills for the Accidental Volunteer Coordinator<https://my.nicheacademy.com/oregonstaff/course/17062?categoryId=6253> (recorded webinar, PCI)
Volunteers—when properly recruited, interviewed, trained, placed, and supported—provide a tremendous source of assistance for libraries and those they serve. Seeing and treating them as your unpaid staff, furthermore, helps create productive, positive resources that further strengthen your connections to your community.

This highly-interactive webinar will explore ways you can match volunteers with library and community needs in ways that produce a winning situation for everyone, and will provide time for participants to share stories about how they successfully incorporate volunteers into their libraries. Participants, by the time they leave the session, will:

     *   Be able to demonstrate familiarity with at least three actions they can use to help them effectively recruit, train, and place volunteers in positions that benefit their libraries, their volunteers, and other members of their community
     *   Identify at least three early warning signs that a volunteer may not be a good match for their libraries—and know how to deal with that realization
     *   Have at least three resources they can explore to increase their ability to work effectively with volunteers

  *   Treat them with Kindness: Coordinating and Managing Volunteers<https://my.nicheacademy.com/oregonstaff/course/57054?categoryId=6253>
Have you found yourself coordinating the efforts of unpaid library volunteers? Would you like to start using volunteers to help provide services in your library? Can you “fire” a volunteer? Many libraries wouldn’t be able to provide such excellent services to the public without volunteers. Working with volunteers can be tricky though; what are the best ways to communicate with them? What if they aren’t a good fit for your organization? How can you recruit them? Learn some tips and best practices in this program with Maggie Rose.

LISTEN: It’s Mutual! Communities Supporting Libraries and Libraries Supporting Communities<https://goodpods.com/podcasts/libraries-lead-257218/episode-44-november-2025-its-mutual-communities-supporting-libraries-a-101063966> (Libraries Lead! podcast)
From natural disasters to social unrest to ongoing political and cultural attacks, libraries have consistently stepped up as safe havens, hubs for reliable information, and anchors of resilience. Yes, communities turn to libraries in moments of crisis. But, libraries too face crises – especially right now when our very mission is threatened. There’s a rising tide of book bans, ideological attacks on intellectual freedom, and the politicization of education. Libraries need community advocacy, trust, and sustained support. It's past time for action – for both libraries and communities!

In this live podcast episode at the Library Journal 2025 Directors’ Summit we focus on the relationship between libraries and the communities they serve, especially during troubling times. How can libraries step up even more to provide essential information services and infrastructure - particularly in times of crisis - and to play essential roles in strengthening communities? In turn, how can communities in all settings ensure that the people who lead and sustain these institutions are supported and protected to carry the work forward?

WATCH: Creating Connections Reaching Underserved Patrons of All Ages Through Community Outreach<https://youtu.be/LPEEJXvwPpg?si=onStK8qixjRyHCOS> (2025 Southeast Collaborative Conference, recording)
One Library shares their story of how a digital literacy class at a homeless shelter and regular volunteering at a soup kitchen built relationships with underserved patrons, led to the installation of an early literacy center at the shelter, and strengthened the library’s Let’s Connect resource referral service.

  *   Participants will learn how to better reach underserved patrons by taking a holistic approach that includes outreach as well as how to identify ideal locations for this outreach
  *   Participants will learn how these services can be integrated with non-traditional services to create synergies and reinforce the idea of the library as a community center
  *   Participants will learn how libraries can potentially replicate these services via LSTA grants or other outside funding sources

Coming up the week of December 15, details are available in the CE Calendar<https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/free#s-lib-ctab-24120710-1>:
Monday, 12/15:

·        8 – 9am Advanced AI Techniques for Grant Seeking: Enhancing Search and Assessment (Nonprofit Learning Lab)

·        11am – 12pm Acts of Science: Connected Info Session (SciStarter)

·        11am – 12pm AI in Action: Coding & Applications for Academic Libraries (ASERL)

·        1 – 1:30pm How to Handle Negativity and Naysayers (GovLoop)

Tuesday, 12/16:

·        10 – 11am What Your Nonprofit Website Needs in 2026: Strategies for Engagement, Growth, and Impact (TechSoup)

·        11am – 12pm "Data" and Indigenous Studies: Entry Points for Academic Libraries (Choice360/ACRL)

·        11am – 12pm 20 Proven Teaching Strategies to Save Time and Maximize Impact (edWeb)

·        11 – 11:50am Conflict Transformation: Learning to Love (or at Least Deal With) Conflict (GovLoop)

·        12:30 – 1:30pm Digital Citizenship in Action: Preparing Students for a Connected World (Follett)

Wednesday, 12/17

·        8 – 9am Best New Children's Books of 2025 (Nebraska Library Commission)

·        10 – 11am Where Does Governance Stop and Management Begin? (Propel Nonprofits)

·        11am – 12pm PCI: More than Your Voice: Practical Strategies for Speaking to Power

·        12 – 1pm Bring Graphics to Life: GIF Animation Essentials (Tech Talk)

Thursday, 12/18

·        10 – 11am The Power of Stories (National Girls Collaborative Project)

·        12 – 1pm Share Knowledge, Ideas, Learning, and Library Solutions! (Nebraska Library

Cheers,
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
Continuing Education Resources: https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/
State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services
971-375-3491 | darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov> | www.oregon.gov/library<http://www.oregon.gov/library>

[State Library of Oregon (Logo)]

[https://res.public.onecdn.static.microsoft/assets/bookwithme/misc/CalendarPerson20px.png]<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/a59abb0a2327467fac503ddb3913cf5e@slo.oregon.gov?anonymous&ep=signature>
Book time to meet with me<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/a59abb0a2327467fac503ddb3913cf5e@slo.oregon.gov?anonymous&ep=signature>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20251212/a531ed62/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 15548 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/libs-or/attachments/20251212/a531ed62/attachment.png>