Attend These Free Webinars in December

Plan to attend these free webinars; all you need is your computer & speakers or headphones (no microphone needed.) If you attend a live webinar, it may be counted as a Category B continuing education activity towards renewing librarian certification.

Learn About Makerspaces from the Innovators at Detroit Public Library
Monday December 3, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Makerspaces are taking hold in the library world and they are spreading quickly, popping up in libraries of all types and sizes. Makerspaces give people a place to pursue their own interests in building things, using tools (physical or virtual) and connecting with one another. Libraries have expanded on traditional library services to provide DIY/craft/make services, setting up spaces within their buildings and within their communities that allow people to do anything from building model airplanes to 3-D printing to self-publishing novels. Learn what makerspaces are and how they work from librarians who are on the cutting edge of this movement by attending our upcoming series of free webinars. Each webinar will feature a panel of staff, administration, and patrons from one of the libraries that have implemented a makerspace. They’ll talk about how their makerspace concept began, how it was designed and how it was implemented. You’ll learn about the maker movement in general, the role libraries are playing specifically, and get ideas about how you can get involved and start a makerspace in your library!”
Provided by ALA TechSource

Making Volunteer Engagement Everyone’s Job
Tuesday December 4, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Too often engaging volunteers falls to the volunteer program manager, and it’s not uncommon to hear the phrase “your volunteers” used in organizations. How do you make volunteer engagement everyone’s job? This webinar will provide you with the tools to become an advocate for volunteer engagement. Learn how to create a step by step communication plan to reinforce the importance of volunteer engagement to important stakeholders within your organization.”
Provided by VolunteerMatch

Tech-Savvy Staff: Better Service for Library Users
Tuesday December 4, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Would you like to help staff gain the tech skills they need in order to effectively assist patrons?  Penny Talbert, Executive Director of the Ephrata Public Library (PA), realized that the library staff needed to have strong technology skills and created a program to help them achieve competency … learn more about the Ephrata Public Library’s successful competency training.”
Provided by TechSoup

Can Your Board Tell Your Story?
Tuesday December 4, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“Board members often don’t want to ask for funds, but when it comes to raising friends for your organization, most of them are eager. But, do they know how to tell your story? Here are some things board members can do: Develop their own 30-second elevator speech about your organization, and present “just the facts, ma’am” fact sheet to a local businessperson. In this webinar we will cover three easy steps to help your board members tell your story.”
Provided by GiftWorks

Create a Story and Tell it Too: Engaging Supporters with Online Video
Tuesday December 4, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“Video is the most powerful media tool for telling your organization’s story online. Your moving narrative and your complex issue can be communicated more clearly and with more impact using sight, sound and motion. The experts in fundraising and advocacy understand this, but how can any sized nonprofit benefit from these insights? This session combines a little art & science: namely the art of video storytelling with the science of using your org’s assets and existing channels to push your video stories to those who need to see them. Expect to see some great examples of nonprofit video, learn the fundamentals of translating your story to video, and review great new (and some old) tools for online video distribution.”
Provided by Nonprofit Webinars

Walking the Walk: Engage Volunteers in your Volunteer Engagement Program
Wednesday December 5, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Learn how to effectively delegate volunteer engagement and management work to volunteers so you have the opportunity to “think bigger.” We’ll discuss evaluating your program for volunteer engagement, determining how best to use volunteers, creating a communication plan, screening and training volunteers to be an important part of your volunteer recruiting, retention and recognition plans. Sample VolunteerMatch listings and position descriptions for key positions will be provided.”
Provided by VolunteerMatch

It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore: Adult Summer Reading Programs
Wednesday December 5, 1:30 – 2:30pm
Register here
“There are many reasons to offer summer reading programs to those over 18 too, such as sparking or renewing interest in reading, suggesting genres and formats that may be new to them, and attracting them to the library (and keep them coming back!). In this lively, interactive session, we’ll explore the benefits of offering adult summer reading programs, discuss how to implement a simple and inexpensive program, and brainstorm ideas for more elaborate programs; we’ll also touch on multi-generational reading programs and how to evaluate adult reading programs.”
Provided by Colorado State Library

4 Simple Steps to Raising All the Money Your Nonprofit Needs
Wednesday December 5, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“… you’ll learn the donor-based fundraising techniques that ARE working. We’ll cover the 4 simple steps that you can follow to effectively raise those much-needed operating dollars for your nonprofit. You’ll get practical information that you can implement right away and take advantage of the end-of-year fundraising time. Takeaways: How to tell your nonprofit’s story in an irresistible way so that donors will open up their wallets; Tips on asking for a gift that connect with a donor emotionally and strengthen relationships; How to delight a donor with warm, compelling acknowledgement; Steps to build loyal donors who give year after year.”
Provided by Nonprofit Webinars

Create Your Own Library (or Personal!) Knowledge Base
Thursday December 6, 10 – 11am
Register here
“Setting up a centralized knowledge base for your library can be a great way to collaboratively brainstorm ideas, gather specialized knowledge, organize instructional resources, and even replace intranets. Creating a private, personal knowledge base will keep you organized, store your files, and provide an online space for brainstorming, reading lists, project ideas, to-do lists, and even travel plans.  Learn how to create your own personal and organizational repositories of information and knowledge with no technical skills required! ”
Provided by South Central Library System

Building a Digital Brand with Google+
Thursday December 6, Noon – 1pm
Register here
“We’ve seen many brands engage with Google+ users, in fact, brands created over 1 million pages in just a few months. Google+ is a fresh canvas for building and strengthening your digital brand and ties into all the marketing you already do with Google. From launching a new product using Google+ pages to engaging with your community of enthusiasts over Hangouts, join us for a look at ways your company can build its brand using social.”
Provided by Google

Outreach Programs in Rural Communities: Simple Steps for Surprising Results
Thursday December 6, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“The PEARL (Promoting and Enhancing the Advancement of Rural Libraries) Project has been successful in helping Texas rural librarians reach out to groups and organizations in their communities and to raise visibility of and appreciation for their libraries. Community outreach plans, designed to identify and fill a need in the community, are at the heart of this unique model. The process is supported by an actionable template which leads participants from community assessment, through strategic planning, to implementation, and concludes with evaluating outcomes. This webinar, co-sponsored with WebJunction and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, will explore the outstanding results achieved by participants in the PEARL project and share how community outreach plans have led to unexpected outcomes and some surprising results.”
Provided by WebJunction

Tech Tools With Tine: 1 Hour of Evernote
Friday December 7, 10 – 11am
Register here
“… Evernote — a robust notetaking and archiving online tool available at both free and premium levels.”
Provided by Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Library Support Staff Certification Program – An Introduction
Monday December 10, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“Learn about the new Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC) from ALA.  Understand its value to LSS, employers, and library users. Hear a summary of the nuts and bolts of the program and have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates.”
Provided by the American Library Association

Nuts and Bolts of Social Media
Monday December 10, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“This session will cover basics of creating and sustaining community via social media tools. Rather than theory, participants will walk away with an understanding of how to implement and utilize these applications. Briefly, we will look at several popular social media tools, such as blogs, wikis, Facebook and Twitter, then basics of using these tools for 1) Creating Community & Community Management; 2) Fostering Communities of Practice; 3) Knowledge Transfer and Management.”
Provided by Jane Bozarth and InSync Training

The Socialite Library
Tuesday December 11, 9 – 10am [repeated Dec. 13th]
Register here
“Feel like you’re using social media on behalf of your library “just because” and to an unresponsive audience? Think of a great party host. They plan the party and provide a welcoming space. Maybe they even incentivize you to attend and participate. Great hosts also take the time to check how their guests are doing, respond to needs and complaints, and adjust the party to accommodate future attendees. Learn how one library revamped its social media by thinking like a socialite party host. Katy Kelly, Communications and Outreach Librarian at University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, will describe her use of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Instagram on behalf of Roesch Library to embrace the student-created nickname, Club Roesch.”
Provided by Libraries Thriving

I Have A Job, What Do I Do? How Do I Keep It? Help!
Tuesday December 11, 10 – 11am
Register here
“Whether you have just started your first job, or you are an experienced librarian, it is important that you establish your value in the workplace. This workshop will provide ideas to help you with your first job, establish your value in the library, and develop the qualifications that will identify you as ready to progress in the future.”
Provided by the Texas Library Association

The alt+library: Designing Programs for the 20s-30s Audience
Tuesday December 11, 11am – Noon
Register here
“Marketing and promoting to the 20s and 30s age group is key in library Services, yet is often overlooked.
Jessica and Lori will discuss the importance of this demographic for the public library, how to develop unusual, enticing programs, and the benefits.”
Provided by Nicolet Federated Library System

Better Together: Tech Trainers Sharing Expertise
Tuesday December 11, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Virtually every library provides technology training in one form or another. How can we work together to share resources and ideas with one another? … hear out about existing resources that allow libraries and nonprofts to share their technology training expertise with one another. From ABLE to WebJunction, hosts Brenda Hough and Stephanie Gerding will take you on a tour of a web places and virtual spaces that exist to make training better.”
Provided by TechSoup

Text to Donate and the Mobile Revolution
Tuesday December 11, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“It is no secret that the future of mobile communications is here now, and those who do not embrace it will be left in the dust. But figuring out how to enter the game and get the best ROI can be intimidating at best. This session, which focuses on mobile fundraising will dissect both traditional (Red Cross type) and grassroots style text to donate campaigns, and talk about the pros and cons of each. It will also present a couple case studies in which nonprofit organizations successfully used text messaging for fundraising and to advance their organizational goals. There will be ample time for Q&A and an interactive group brainstorm on how participants can make their entrance into the mobile revolution. Takeaways: Various ways organizations can most effectively utilize text messaging; How both traditional and grassroots style text to donate campaigns work; A step by step process for getting a texting program up and running for your organization.”
Provided by Nonprofit Webinars

Common Core in School and Public Libraries
Tuesday December 11, 3 – 4pm
Attend here
“Find out how and why the Common Core State Standards apply to your work as a Wisconsin school or public librarian.”
Provided by Wisconsin DPI

Assessing Digital Literacy: Outcomes and Impact
Tuesday December 11, 6 – 7pm
Watch the live stream presentation
“Learn about the new Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC) from ALA.  Understand its value to LSS, employers, and library users. Hear a summary of the nuts and bolts of the program and have all of your questions answered by program staff members. This webinar is open to all interested candidates.”
Provided by the American Library Association Washington Office

CCBC Shorts: A (Brief) Monthly Look at Books for Children and Teens
Wednesday December 12, 9 – 9:30am
Register here
“Join us for brief, timely tours through some of the newest and best in children’s and young adult literature. Librarians from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) will be your guides for these monthly 30-minute sessions designed to give librarians a heads-up about selected brand new titles of note. We’ll also revisit some of the gems already in your library collections. Each month will feature a different topic or theme.”
Provided by South Central Library System

An Introduction to Raising More Money without Asking
Wednesday December 12, 10 – 10:45am
Register here
“To change people’s actions your communication must change. This session will give you fun, new ideas about how to talk about your fundraising needs. This free nonprofit webinar will cover: What is the one thing that causes success in any kind of fundraising?; A review of where you currently share information about your funding needs; How to choose new language to share how much money your nonprofit organization needs to raise; How to use methods other than asking for money so people WANT to support you; Examples of how other nonprofits have shifted their communication and raised more money.”
Provided by CharityHowTo

What Would Walt Do?: Quality Customer Service for Libraries
Wednesday December 12, Noon – 1pm
Register here
“Looking for some magic to improve customer service in your library? The Disney Institute on Quality Service has set high standards for creating a quality customer experience and their ideas can be applied at your library. Our panel of Colorado librarians attended the Disney Institute Quality Service preconference sponsored by ALA’s LearnRT at the annual conference in Anaheim in 2012. Since then, they’ve been waving their magic wands to improve customer service in Colorado libraries and they’d like to share their discoveries with you. Learn how to define quality service, set a common purpose for all library staff, and better understand your customers. You’ll walk away with ideas to make your library’s customer service sparkle.”
Provided by WebJunction

Basic Graphic Design for Library Staff: Quick and Easy Solutions
Wednesday December 12, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“For the past 20 years personal computers have allowed us to create publications of all kinds easily without requiring a basic understanding of graphic design. While the results have sometimes been less than successful, there are some quick and simple solutions to making them more attractive and effective. During this webinar, attendees will learn how use shapes, manipulate images, and work with text and fonts to enhance their basic desktop publishing efforts. We’ll also work together on redesigning examples of library signs to make each more customer friendly. At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will know: The 3 basic elements of graphic design and how they work together; The 7 pieces of information that should be on every library publication; How to make publications readable and error free; How to find and use type fonts effectively; How to find, move and manipulate images; The relationship between good graphic design and great customer service.”
Provided by Infopeople

Perfect Phrases for Fundraising
Wednesday December 12, 2 – 3pm
Register here
“Using precise language in a fundraising campaign is an absolute must. The words you choose can make the difference between having your appeal read . . . or tossed. Learn how to craft a message that recipients will read and respond to. The author will share her time-saving tips, message-crafting strategies and ready-to-use phrases for getting results in any campaign. Master the right language for: Telephone soliciting; YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter; One-on-one meetings; Board of director appeals; Organization website campaigns.”
Provided by Nonprofit Webinars

The Socialite Library
Thursday December 13, 1 – 2pm
Register here
“Feel like you’re using social media on behalf of your library “just because” and to an unresponsive audience? Think of a great party host. They plan the party and provide a welcoming space. Maybe they even incentivize you to attend and participate. Great hosts also take the time to check how their guests are doing, respond to needs and complaints, and adjust the party to accommodate future attendees. Learn how one library revamped its social media by thinking like a socialite party host. Katy Kelly, Communications and Outreach Librarian at University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, will describe her use of Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and Instagram on behalf of Roesch Library to embrace the student-created nickname, Club Roesch.”
Provided by Libraries Thriving

Play More, Learn More, Fear Less
Thursday December 13, 2 – 3:30pm
Register here
“Keeping up with technology can be a full-time job! Join Beth Carpenter, Director of the Kimberly-Little Chute Public Library, and Stef Morrill, Director of WiLS, for a webinar full of tips to help you become more tech-savvy with just a small daily investment of time. What’s the key? Curiosity! Bring yours and be ready to share your favorite tool for staying on top of new technology.”
Provided by Northern Waters Library Service

NCompass Live: Tech Talk with Michael Sauers
Wednesday December 26, 10 – 11am
Register here
“… NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Michael Sauers, will discuss the tech news of the month and share new and exciting tech for your library. There will also be plenty of time in each episode for you to ask your tech questions. So, bring your questions with you, or send them in ahead of time, and Michael will have your answers.”
Provided by Nebraska Library Commission