WebJunction content and upcoming webinars – January 29, 2025

Highlighted Content

Shelving with Dewey: Self-paced course updated

Invite new staff or volunteers to become a top-notch Dewey shelver. In the recently updated course, Shelving with Dewey, learners new to the Dewey Decimal Classification system learn the fundamentals of subject-based classification, how to read call numbers, and, most importantly, how to accurately shelve books based on those call numbers. Learn more in this article and enroll today.

WebJunction wrap-up: 2024 highlights and top picks

We’re reflecting on another year of professional development and library innovation with this roundup of popular webinars, courses, and articles from the past year, plus special milestones and brand-new offerings. Whether you attended a session, completed a course, or shared a resource with your team, you were part of the story. Explore the full year-in-review and celebrate these accomplishments with us!

Advancing IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, 21 January 2025

Read this Hanging Together blog post, part of a regular series on issues of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility, compiled by a team of OCLC contributors.

WebJunction Webinars

These upcoming webinars are open for registration. If you can’t attend a live session, all WebJunction webinars are recorded and available for free in the Course Catalog.

Building community connections by hiring for cultural knowledge

Thursday, January 30, 2025 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern / 12:00 pm Pacific ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/hiring-for-cultural-knowledge.html

Staffing demographics rarely match those of the communities they serve. Learn how valuing specific knowledge, skills, and abilities during the hiring process can develop a staff ready to serve a diverse community. Hear from Cultural Liaison Library Assistant staff representing Hispanic and Tribal communities, including the results of their efforts to build connections with and share stories of these communities. Attendees will be challenged to reconsider some common hiring practices and how to make them more inclusive. Hear a success story from a library that identified cultural knowledge gaps and worked with community stakeholders during the job posting and selection process.

Empowering teens: Enhancing information literacy through games and interactive programming

Thursday, February 6, 2025 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern / 12:00 pm Pacific ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/empowering-teens.html

You can help your teen patrons to become better navigators of the information that they find online. Come learn about how you can offer fun and engaging experiences that bring teens to the library and build their information literacy skills. Researchers at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public will walk you through programs developed with public libraries, including an escape room game and youth video program. You’ll also discover activities adapted from school libraries that help teens reflect on their interaction with social media and give them the tools to verify questionable posts.

Turn strategy into action with Theory of Change

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern / 12:00 pm Pacific ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/turn-strategy-into-action.html

You're getting ready to implement a change at your library, from a new strategic plan to a major project. How do you get your staff, partners, or community to understand and align with this new direction? Theory of Change is a powerful tool to help you define a shared vision that everyone can strive for together, while allowing flexibility and autonomy in how they get there. In this webinar, you’ll learn how one library is using Theory of Change to drive strategic alignment while reducing bureaucracy. You will learn how to identify the core concepts of Theory of Change and how they relate to change in libraries and apply the principles to a strategic change in your library.

Embracing neurodiversity: Cultivating an inclusive workplace for neurodivergent staff

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 ◆ 3:00 pm Eastern / 12:00 pm Pacific ◆ 60 minutes

Registration: https://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/embracing-neurodiversity.html

Work environments that are made up of people who think differently bring more ideas and perspectives to the table. In fact, research consistently shows that diverse teams are better at problem solving, are more innovative, and are more effective. As our workplaces become more diverse, it becomes everyone's responsibility to learn how to embrace differences. In this webinar, gain an understanding of the term 'neurodiversity' and learn about the strengths of those who are neurodivergent. In addition, attendees will learn about ways they can support inclusion of neurodivergent colleagues to help create a more supportive and welcoming environment for all.

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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Join the MiYouth Listserv, created for Michigan public library staff to share and discuss children and teen programming and services.

“The thing I remember best about successful people I’ve met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they’re doing … and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they’re doing, and they love it in front of others.” ~ Fred Rogers